WHEN Freddie Kissoon’s contract was not renewed by the University of Guyana’s Council, there was turmoil on the Turkeyen Campus. The opposing forces led by Patsy Francis and Melissa Ifill quickly gathered their “band-wagoners” and disrupted classes at the university.

They held this institution ransom under the pretext that they were agitating for “the development of UG.” Things were so bad there that they were forced to retaliate the only way possible- with strike action. The timing and the place for their protest were very significant, because they came at a time when students were about to write their exams and strangely coincidental in solidarity with their friend and comrade in arms’ removal.
The dropping of Kissoon was a simple administrative issue and should have been treated that way, but the overriding politics precluded them from thinking along those lines. The Council was simply giving this “altruistic politician” more time to brush up on his politics and no better way than to retire him. His friends and sympathisers could not see it that way and went on the offensive. They did not prevail which is of major importance and here we are today.  Nevertheless, no one would argue that things need fixing at UG and government and interest groups need to marshal their energies towards this end.

Shortly after that came the selection of a Vice-Chancellor for the institution, another area of grouse for the charlatans. Happily, “one of their own” my readers would be familiar with this terminology – was chosen and all was peace and quiet in the Turkeyen valley.
Well, up until now when the problems facing the institution have become a front-burner issue and it is coming from the Vice- Chancellor himself.
A strange source to champion the cause for change and development and pay strict attention to the real-case scenario he is making out for funding and public/private intervention.
He is advocating the injection of badly needed funds to help raise the level of both lecturers and graduates. He is saying the source of badly needed cash must flow from the two main sources. Now, this is very good advice and a strategy that should be vigorously explored. Whereas the so-called goodwill group was clamouring for the solo cash injection of government, Professor Opadeyi is very pragmatic and real- world in his deliberations. This is the news one wants to wake up to, not total funding by government, then demanding that the very government take a hands-off approach as advocated by the political group calling themselves “Friends of the University”. There is no way their approach will work. The only one major problem with his formula is in the area of a rise in students’ fees.
If we are to raise the amount students contribute to a university education or to bring it on par with Regional institutions, then that would mean the abrupt end of a huge section of the university. This is the reality of that option and no one wants a situation where only the rich could get an education while the poor, defenceless ones languish in the dumps.
Our university must remain an equal opportunity institution and not the other way round. What the good professor has to do is to sit down with all the stakeholders involved to hammer out a sensible way forward. I am all for this type of development strategy – taking into consideration Guyana’s own peculiar economic reality. Then, let us put our shoulders to the wheel and move UG forward. I revel in the thought of my Alma Mater taking its rightful place in the sisterhood of universities if only we stop the politicking  and work together for the good of this institution.

There’s a new sheriff in town and he is talking change of a different kind. He is initiating development of a different kind to make our university a better place. We are going to work with him. The only difference here is let’s temper exuberance with sober reality.