WE are still a developing country, and unfortunately, our job economy is very poor. Countless numbers of persons are rendered jobless each year. Another shocking truth of this is that among the unemployed, are staggering numbers of University graduates, many of whom graduated with very high Grade Point Averages (GPA). Also, there is the strain of the added competition for jobs by new graduates each year, coupled with those from previous years. This is truly a sad scenario. Of course, our youths deserve better, but before this situation improves, the quality of the University of Guyana education and administration must be enhanced also.

The University of Guyana has been in existence for too long to be in such a slack and dilapidated state as the premier tertiary education provider in this country.

There is little respect for this institution in Guyana and in other countries. In fact, while even students realize the short-comings of the University of Guyana, employers are usually hesitant and skeptical about the quality of graduates.

The saddest truth is that English is our standard language, and many of these graduates cannot even speak and write the English language in a decent way. How much lower can any university become when it fails in providing its students with basic, necessary, everyday skills to survive and compete in the job market. This is truly a point to note, as this most common concern of employers cannot be ignored.

Further, is there any appropriate statistics course in the social sciences curriculum of this University? The very shameful answer here is “no”. For many, if not all of these course programmes offered by the University of Guyana, particularly in the Social Sciences division, there are no appropriate statistical courses. Do we not realize how fundamental the understanding of research methodology is to an individual’s intellectual development?

And what exactly is the criterion that has to be met in order to become employed as a lecturer of the University of Guyana? How many first degree only lecturers have we at UG? How many fully accomplished Professors have we in relation to the number of students formally registered at UG?

One particular lecturer comes to mind who frequently boasts of being at UG as a lecturer for the past twenty five years or so, but has no proper or credible research oriented publication. This man rants and raves every week in the papers about the shortcomings of Guyana, and after twenty five years at UG, refuses to improve himself as an intellectal.

This lecturer, after twenty five years, is still at UG and has not yet been elevated to the position of a senior lecturer. It is highly unacceptable that such lawlessness could be taking place when the future of this nation is at stake. The livelihood of our youths is at stake!

They say the pen is mightier than the sword; meaning to say that even if everything you have is snatched or stolen from you, no one can ever take your education from you. What education?!

Our youths are being robbed every time they sit in a classroom and listen to twenty years ago notes that are just about obsolete today! Every time they invest hard earned money to pay for transportation to UG to write a test based on those outdated notes.

Every time they endure the lengthy and time-consuming (dare I say draining) registration process, and pay their tuition to the University of Guyana in order to input, process and regurgitate ineffective material.

How can UG cater to the changing needs of this changing society, when these very basic changes are not being effected? It is simply erroneous that this continues to happen.