IN commemoration of the 50th Anniversary of the establishment of the University of Guyana (UG), an interfaith Service was held yesterday in the George Walcott Lecture Theatre (GWLT) on the institution’s Turkeyen Campus.

Representatives of the various religious faiths offered prayers and congratulations on this milestone and expressed hope for the further success and great achievements of the university, while various musical renditions were performed by both past and present students.
Speaking on the occasion, Chairperson of UG’s 50th Anniversary Central Planning Committee, Dr. Paloma Mohamed said that great are the challenges of the university, but it has outlasted these challenges for 50 years and will continue to do so, “for great is our history and greater is our destiny,”
Dr. Mohamed stated that though the interfaith service is not the official launch of the 50th anniversary programme, it was felt that it was important to mark the day April 19, 1963 when the act was passed in parliament to establish the university.
She further stated that the day is for the reflection of all the hard work done, and the many culminaries that the institution has produces and will continue to produce.
Pointing out that the institution predates the country’s independence; Dr. Mohamed noted that UG is perhaps the oldest and most important national institution and if the country wants to stand in any international arena with a dignified stance and confidence, it must be ensured that the institution is properly resourced.
She added that while discussion is important, it must be backed by action, which is necessary to ensure that they filter back into the society and various industries the best quality products and services.
Dr. Mohamed extended gratitude to those persons who have already been working to ensure that the observance of the institution’s 50th anniversary doesn’t go unmarked, including the dedicated team of persons on the 50th anniversary committee, staff and students, as well as those who have sent messages and continue to engage them.
Also speaking at the event, President of the University of Guyana Student’s Society (UGSS), Ganesh Mahipaul urged that God give the leaders the wisdom to recognise that UG’s main role is to educate the nation, and remove them from poverty to prosperity.
He asserted that if they intend to celebrate 100 years of the institution, they need to get their acts together, because as they build UG and Guyana as a whole, they cannot do it alone.
Mahipaul pointed out that when the university first started, the student body was 164, and today there are in excess of 5,600 students, and opined that God is on their side.
On behalf of the student body, he called on all stakeholders to realise that financial and other resources are desperately needed if the university is going to survive.
He concluded with what he said is one of his favourite quotes, “Education should never be a gift for the rich and a dream for the poor.”
At the interfaith service, musical renditions included performances by the Woodside Choir International, local group “Collage”, and the University of Guyana’s Hindu society, and representatives from the Bahai faith.