Members of new UG Council appointed

Mar 08, 2018 News

A new Council for the University of Guyana [UG] has been appointed. This move follows on the heels Cabinet’s approval of members identified to serve on the Council. The Council was gazetted on February 21, 2018.
Although it was expected that the Council would have long been in place, Minister of State, Joseph Harmon, said last month that the process was stalled because of at least two concerns relating to the representation as it relates to the Women’s Interest and the Indigenous People’s Affairs on the Council. He’d said too that Minister of Education, Ms. Nicolette Henry, was tasked with addressing the concerns before a final submission of names was returned to Cabinet for its approval.
Based on the gazetted document, Cabinet gave its consideration to the associated memorandum submitted by the Education Minister and approved the appointment of the Council.
Sitting at the helm of the Council is UG Chancellor, Professor Nigel Harris, as the Chairman. Members include the Pro- Chancellor [Ms. Bibi Shadick was the last elected]; Vice Chancellor Professor Ivelaw Griffith; Ms Jacqueline Murray, UG Academic Board; Dr. Paulette Bynoe, representative of the Committee of Deans; representative Guild of Graduates; Mr. Norwell Hinds, University of Guyana Student Society [UGSS] President; Dr. Jewel Thomas, President University of Guyana Senior Staff Association [UGSSA]; Mr. Vibert Welch, Education Ministry Permanent Secretary; Ms. Sonya Roopnauth, representative, Ministry of Finance; Mr. Vincent Alexander, APNU/AFC Representative; a representative of the Parliamentary Opposition; Ms, Jasmin Harris, representative of Women’s Interest; Mr. Patrick De Groot, representative Farmers’ Interest; Ms. Marian Andrew, representative Indigenous People’s Interest; Ms. Allison Butters-Grant, representative Business Interest; Mr. Ivor English, representative, Guyana Trade Union Congress; Mr. Timothy Jonas, representative, Lawyers Association; Dr. Navindranauth Rambaran, representative, Medical Council Guyana; Dr. Marissa Seepersaud; and the Chancellor’s nominees: Major General [Rtd] Joseph Singh, Ms. Myrna Bernard and a nominee from the University of the West Indies and Council Secretary, Registrar, Dr. Nigel Gravesande.
But there have been some concerns that the make-up of the Council may not be in the best interest of the university’s main stakeholders – students.
This disclosure was recently made by a source close to the university whose comments were evoked by a decision to impose administrative fees on students. The UGSS [the body tasked with representing the interest of the student population] has called for a ‘total recall’ of the new fees otherwise legal action would ensue.
But according to information filtered to this publication even if the university were to recall its decision, consideration will have to be made at the level of the Council which was instrumental in imposing the fees in the first place.
This publication was informed that the concerns relating to the Council include how governance matters are dealt with at the university. According to the source, “We have to look at what should be the role of the council and where do students make their representation…even if students’ concerns are heard, there might be other issues with the composition [of the council] itself.”
The source directed attention to the fact that on a Council of only one student representative [the UGSS President], it must be noted that the decisions that the majority make, affect the interest of the students.
“The students are the ones who are impacted directly by the issues Council decides on… The other [representatives] interests together are not as directly affected as the students themselves, but yet the students have one vote,” it was underscored.

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