– HPS
THE decision on how the component of the World Bank loan that addresses the University of Guyana (UG) and its facilities, is not one that is made by the institution or any of its officials, according to Head of the Presidential Secretariat (HPS), Dr. Roger Luncheon. Dr. Luncheon was at the time responding to a question at his regular post-Cabinet news briefing  as to when the mechanisms will be put in place to facilitate UG accessing the World Bank loan.
Last month, UG’s Vice Chancellor Professor Lawrence Carrington, in his address to staff members, said the loan to the Guyana Government has not yet been activated because the Finance Minister is still to sign a crucial loan document.
The HPS told reporters he had personally invited Professor Carrington to be involved in a body which included Dr. Paulette Bynoe from the School of Environmental and Earth Sciences and others, to devise a structure on how best the funds could be used.
He explained that what actually happened since, is that the University community revised and changed that design to utilise the $8.4M to support various aspects of the institution’s recapitalisation.
“I am not aware that those specific elements await the Minister of Finance or any subordinate approval,” Dr. Luncheon said.
The World Bank loan is aimed at certain broad areas, such as the rehabilitation and refurbishment of the Science and Technology Laboratory facilities in four of the university’s faculties at Turkeyen; the review and reform of UG’s Science curriculum; and support for research towards low-carbon themes.