MEXICAN Ambassador to Guyana, Francisco Olguin yesterday donated a quantity of books written in Spanish to the University of Guyana Library at the Turkeyen Campus as a part of the continuous effort by the Mexican Embassy to forge a stronger relationship with the university.

These books cover a wide variety of topics which include Culture, Constitution, Migration, Politics, History of Administrative Study and Public Administrative Study in Mexico.
Delivering remarks at the handing over ceremony at the UG Turkeyen Campus, Ambassador Olguin said that he is pleased to donate the books to the UG library, and indicated that the library is the heart of any university.
He noted that this is the third time they have made a donation of books and they hope that they will continue to do so.
According to the Mexican Ambassador this activity forms a part of the continuous effort they have undertaken at the Mexican Embassy, and while these books are all written in Spanish, he hopes that this is an encouragement for students to learn other languages.
He stated that he has found in his own personal experience that learning a new language opens enormous horizons to all persons, and while there are many reasons why persons learn another language, they sometimes need a lot of encouragement because it is an effort that takes time and something that really requires a lot of dedication.
Ambassador Olguin added that he hopes that this effort by the Mexican Embassy, which is not limited to the donation of books, will continue and the relationship between the Mexican Government and the University of Guyana will be strengthened over time.
According to him, he has had the opportunity to talk to the University’s Vice Chancellor, Professor Jacob Opadeyi about this and he noted that Professor Opadeyi has taken up the challenges he faces in that post with determination and courage.
The Ambassador said that Mexican universities have already shown some interest in collaborating with the University of Guyana and he hopes that they will be able to assist in obtaining good results in the development of the institution here.
Meanwhile, also delivering remarks on the occasion, UG Vice Chancellor, Professor Opadeyi said that they hope that one day the university will have a foreign language that is compulsory for all students.
He said further that Guyana needs to ensure that every citizen learns a second language, apart from English, since this would present a tremendous opportunity for integration with bigger countries.
Professor Opadeyi stated that while these books are written in Spanish, this is where the whole challenge starts as a university, and he encouraged his colleagues to incorporate these books into the curriculum.
He recalled that within two-three weeks of assuming the role as vice chancellor, the Mexican Ambassador was one of his early visitors and from day one he has shown his support and has even given advice and is always in constant communication with him.
According to the Vice Chancellor, he and the Ambassador are also working on another initiative in the area of guest lectures, where they would be bringing in eminent persons to the country and hosting them under the University of Guyana.
On behalf of the entire university community, he expressed gratitude for the welcomed donation of books by the ambassador to the university’s library.