UG is symptomatic of the permanent tragedy of Guyana

Jul 17, 2022 Features / Columnists, Freddie Kissoon

Kaieteur News – Is the honeymoon between me as a political analyst and Professor Paloma Mohamed, Vice Chancellor (VC) over? The answer is yes. After three years of silence on UG, I think it is.

This month marks three years that I have not written even one column on UG. One of the most prominent UG academics that I ran into last year, with a lengthy smile on his face, told me that I don’t write on UG anymore. I did not go into an explanation.

When Ivelaw Griffith left in May 2019 as VC, I thought I should give the new administration a chance to settle down. Griffith was yet another manifestation of the immense tragedy of Guyana and for me it was yet another opportunity of learning of the inexplicable nature of life.

I could not believe the PPP government in its wildest imagination would have made Dr. James Rose the VC. He was just not that kind of material. The analogy is putting a botanist in the chair of the Attorney-General. I thought UG had reached its lowest point with Rose. From the time he became VC, Rose and I were locked in a zero sum battle at UG.

I hereby apologise to Dr. Rose after what I saw with Griffith. Of course, I never worked under Griffith because my contract was terminated in December 2011, just two weeks after Donald Ramotar became president. But Griffith was the lowest point not Rose. I have not seen Rose for over 10 years. If I see him, I will apologise though I will not forgive him for his involvement to remove me from UG in the 1990s.

Dr. Paloma Mohamed was made VC and Dr. Nigel Gravesande was appointed Registrar before then. I saw no reason to compose critical comments on the leadership of these two persons and I have known Nigel for over 50 years. He is a fine gentleman.

Last Thursday, my eyes were opened by what I heard about UG in 2022; surely, not in 2022. UG should have changed for the better long before then. By Thursday, July 14, UG had not sent out acceptance letters. July 17 (which is today) is the deadline for submission for government scholarship.

But in steps insanity, in steps the permanent breakdown of UG, in steps the permanent Guyanese tragedy. To apply for a scholarship, you have to produce a university letter of acceptance. What this meant was heartbreak for young students. I was once a young student. I waited anxiously for my scholarship acceptance from MacMaster University and the University of Toronto. I know how it feels. But there will be no scholarship money for these students who successfully completed their O and A levels.

I rang Nigel with rising anger in my voice. Nigel and I were students in the history degree from 1974-1978. We sat next to each other for four years. A devoted Catholic, he is a man of integrity. UG has got a competent registrar. I hope he holds steady and don’t let UG destroy him.

He was superb in dealing with my complaints. I will mention two things he said. One is that UG has not gone through the confirmation of requirements that should accompany the applications and the interview process as yet. Secondly, UG would try to intervene with the Ministry of Public Service to extend the deadline.

I made one comment – don’t talk to the ministry, get your house in order. Nigel called me back to say provisional acceptance is on its way. But I don’t know if a provisional acceptance from UG would meet the government’s requirement for receiving a scholarship. I want to say unambiguously, Nigel’s attitude was satisfactory to me.

I opened the papers yesterday, and there was a letter from a student, the nature of which this nation has seen 35, 30, 20, 15, 10, 5, 2 years ago about UG. I read that letter and pure anger visited me. This is unchanging UG. It doesn’t seem that UG can survive and the administrators and people of Guyana must meet in a period of consultation to decide if UG should continue to exist.

Here is my suggestion. Negotiate with UWI to collapse UG into UWI with UG being the campus solely devoted to agriculture, forestry, petroleum studies and environmental studies. Guyanese students can take subjects in humanities and social sciences at other UWI campuses.

Alternatively, there are two options. Accredit School of the Nations to offer first degrees in the humanities and social sciences in collaboration with other universities or allow another university to operate. UG is gone. Let’s give it a poetic funeral.

(The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of this newspaper.)

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