THE People’s Progressive Party (PPP), in light of the debacle with the Council for Legal Education and the Hugh Wooding Law School, expressed its optimism that Guyana will soon have a Law School of its own.

A statement from the party said, “The PPP is optimistic that it is only a question of time before the country has its own Law School which would allow all Guyanese students who are desirous of completing the Law programme to be able to do so.”
These comments followed the party’s acknowledgment of the fact that there is a growing demand for law graduates.

COMMENDED
The ruling party also commended President Donald Ramotar and the Attorney-General (AG) and Minister of Legal Affairs, Anil Nandlall, for successfully representing the Guyanese students for admission at the Hugh Wooding Law School.

The PPP is optimistic that it is only a question of time before the country has its own Law School which would allow all Guyanese students who are desirous of completing the Law programme to be able to do so.” –

Nandlall, last week, confirmed that the top 25 law students from the University of Guyana (UG) have been cleared for entry to the Hugh Wooding Law School, under the automatic entry agreement.
The decision not to automatically place the 25 students at the Trinidad-based school had left students apprehensive about their future. The automatic admission was an arrangement that existed under a collaborative agreement between the University of the West Indies, the Council of Legal Education and UG. The agreement has expired, and was not being renewed for the year 2014, the basis for the controversial decision.
Also, an additional 10 students who are non-Guyanese nationals graduating out of the said programme will enjoy automatic entry to Norman Manley Law School in Jamaica or the Eugene Dupuch Law School, in the Bahamas, depending on which zone their territory falls.
The decision follows a teleconference on Monday, which was requested by President Donald Ramotar. The meeting was chaired by CARICOM Chair and Prime Minister of St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Ralph Gonsalves, Chairperson of the Council of Legal Education, Ms. Jacqueline Samuels-Browne, QC, Head of the UG Law Department, Sheldon Mc Donald, and the Principals of the Hugh Wooding Law School, the Eugene Dupuch Law School and Norman Manley Law School, as well as Guyana’s AG.
Monday’s meeting followed the first response from CARICOM’s Chair to Samuels-Brown after the matter was raised by President Ramotar at the Conference of Heads of Government of CARICOM, during its 25th Inter-Sessional Meeting, held on March 10 and 11, in St. Vincent and the Grenadines.

WELCOMED DECISION
The PPP, in its statement, also noted that the decision was a welcomed one, particularly since Guyanese students generally are always known to do well at the Hugh Wooding Law School.
“This is indeed a step in the right direction as Guyanese students generally are always known to do well at the Hugh Wooding Law School and in numerous instances have made it to the Honour Roll,” the statement said.
The PPP also underscored the importance the PPP has placed on higher education since it took office in 1992 and pointed out that this was the reason for the establishment of the University of Guyana (UG) in 1963.
“The PPP has always placed a high premium on higher education which is a necessary pre-requisite for national development,” the statement said, also adding that the party’s investments in this area have been done despite the strong objection from People’s National Congress (PNC) and “other prophets of doom,” as was the case with the establishment of UG.
It highlighted the fact that the University of Guyana saw many tremendous developments and has now expanded in the range of offerings and boasts its own Medical School and other faculties – engineering, arts, social and natural sciences.
The matter of Guyana’s law students’ entry to Hugh Wooding is expected to be addressed again at the next CARICOM Heads of Government Conference, which is scheduled to take place at the Sandals Grande Antigua Resort and Spa, St. John’s, Antigua and Barbuda, July 1 to 4, 2014.

(By Sandy Agasen)