I am replying to a feature published in the Kaieteur News on Nov 7, 2010 captioned ‘The Ministry of Education vs the University of Guyana’. I myself was amazed after reading the article which I found completely unjustified. The PPP and the PNCR have been in disagreement for a great deal longer that the 18 years that the PPP has been in government, and that is this country’s greatest source of contention. Two wrongs don’t make a right, but where UG is concerned, it is not the government that is responsible for the mess that this institution finds itself in. As a matter of fact, it is a wonder that the main opposition party would print such a ridiculous publication in order to cast blame away from them. Nonetheless, it is an election year, and people are desperate. But this is a new low for the PNCR.
Poor management has rendered this institution ineffective in meeting the intellectual and academic needs of Guyana. The University of Guyana has failed and is failing, and it is not because of government intervention, or because the government has a political stranglehold on this institution. It is actually the government that is keeping this sinking ship afloat. A significant portion of the national budget is expended on UG yearly to provide tertiary education for our people. The problem with UG’s administration is that like many bad managers, it spends more than it has. Simply put, UG lives above its means. Even what the government provides in the form of student loans are hardly ever repaid, since there isn’t a proper mechanism in place to guarantee this repayment. Apart from this, the academic curriculum at the University is archaic and useless.
It is not my intention to drizzle on this one-man band parade, but while I do not support this argument, I also will not rely upon you to re-present to me the previous chancellors’ reasons for leaving the university, since your account of these reasons would only be speculations. Neither you nor I can be certain of their motives. For the leading opposition party, this piece of writing wreaks. Is this the level of skill and intellect with which the PNC hopes to lead this country? Like the Titanic, UG is sinking. But even in light of the much anticipated election, it is not time for the blame game; it is time to take responsibility for the failures of this University and correct.