UG, TECHNOLOGY AND GLOBALIZATION

Sep 16, 2018 Editorial

Since its establishment in April 1963, the University of Guyana (UG) has remained the country’s leading national higher education institution. Indeed, there are other tertiary institutions, some of them private.
The University opened on the grounds of Queen’s College with only a few programmes. Its first Chancellor was Edgar Mortimer Duke, a prodigy who became a Guyana Scholar at sixteen. Its first Principal and Vice-Chancellor was the British biologist and mathematician Lancelot Hogben.
Its mission is to discover, generate, disseminate, and apply knowledge of the highest standard for the service of the community, the nation, and of all mankind within an atmosphere of academic freedom that allows for free and critical enquiry.
Today, UG has about 60 undergraduate and graduate programmes. Natural Sciences, Engineering, Environmental Studies, Economics, Law, Medicine, Optometry and Nursing, among others are offered.
UG has also graduated more than 20,000 students, many of whom have gone on to successful and lucrative careers locally, regionally and internationally. In spite of its success, it seems that there is a stranglehold on its image and reputation.
In the context of higher education, teaching technology, which is limited in scope at UG has been an enormous challenge. It has become difficult to turn the institution around quickly in terms of technological education. The university is yet to produce a dynamic strategic academic curriculum to include programmes such as oil exploration technology or national strategy training and career development courses for the oil industry.
Instead of focusing on awarding Honorary Doctorates, which is of little merit to UG, but may be to its administrators, the university should revamp its structures and consolidate its existing undergraduate and graduate levels programmes.
It should also develop a robust programme to train public/civil servants, agriculturalists, business leaders and technology, among others.
At his appointment, it was refreshing to hear the Vice-Chancellor say that the experience of tertiary-level learning and achieving academic qualifications really matters in that it will produce the sorts of energized, open-minded people we need to shape the future of our society.
Unfortunately, those were only words. UG continues to drift away from its mission and founding principles by focusing on ceremonial functions rather than academia.
It is important and perhaps critical for UG to engage critical thinkers in order to survive in the fast-paced technological world, which we increasingly inhabit. For too long, the progression of UG has been plagued with party politics, due to the political make-up of its Council by governments.
The need to acquire a post-secondary education or to become qualified will not go away; therefore, the powers of enquiry, of curiosity, of discussion and of thinking creatively about how to solve societal problems should be part of UG focus in the 21st century.
An issue UG must grapple with is the fact that a large segment of the population has fallen behind in the relentless march of new technology. Our leaders must realize the rapid growth of technology and the importance and value of investing in it at UG so that it can remain relevant and not be left behind.
It must update its technology programme and improve its academic programmes to meet the demands of the 21st century.
Fifty-five years ago, no one knew, not even some of the world’s greatest thinkers, philosophers or scholars that the world would look like this today. UG and the government must lead the way in adopting to the rapid technological changes in a globalized world.

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