MINISTER of Agriculture, Dr Leslie Ramsammy hosted University of Guyana (UG) Vice-Chancellor (VC), Dr. Jacob Opadeyi on tours of the Guyana School of Agriculture (GSA), the National Agricultural Research and Extension Institute (NAREI) and the Guyana Livestock Development Authority (GLDA) last Wednesday.

The hosting was in an effort to explore options for collaboration among the institutions and the host and visitor made their first stop at the GSA in the morning, where they joined staff and faculty for breakfast, an activity which launched the celebrations for the school’s 50th anniversary this year.
Addressing the gathering, Ramsammy said it is his hope that the two institutions would not just work together but function as if they are a single entity.
“If not this year, I want to see, soon, that any student who passes his or her studies have an entry point into UG and their studies at GSA are taken fully into consideration,” he said.
The minister noted that, without agriculture, the trajectory of development in Guyana would come to a halt, adding that the GSA is an indispensible part of development in this country.
He urged the VC to accept GSA as a sister institution and promote collaboration between the two entities.
Opadeyi encouraged the students to continue on to the university and complete their degrees, after they would have completed the diploma programme at the GSA.
He informed them that he has the same background as theirs, since he did his diploma at a technical school and he emphasised that attending the GSA does not mean they will all become farmers, as some of them can manage farmers or food production.
Present on the occasion, too, were Chairman of the GSA Board of Directors, Mr. Rudolph Gajraj and Dean of the UG Agriculture Faculty, Mr. Owen Bovell.
The minister and the VC attended the GSA Board meeting, as well, with Ramsammy engaging the members on the closer collaboration with UG.

ALMOST AUTOMATIC
He said it is his vision that it would become almost automatic for students to go on to UG after completing studies at GSA, noting that it does not even have to be at UG physically but facilitated at the GSA premises.
The GSA and UG will be working together to develop programmes, such as Masters and PhDs and other short courses in agriculture and the minister mandated the Board to make it compulsory for students to acquire their driver’s licences before they can graduate.
Ramsammy said he has observed that a lot of farmers have difficulties in obtaining licences to drive their tractors and other vehicles and stated that the GSA should facilitate this for a small fee, which can be used to generate funds to buy certain needed things.
Ramsammy also told the Board to expect, within the next few weeks, a dedicated session on where GSA and agriculture are heading.
He also took the VC to meet the various Heads of NAREI and the GLDA, and a major initiative discussed was the collaboration of these entities to develop study programmes in the agriculture field.
In addition, both NAREI and the GLDA, currently, accommodate students from UG’s Agriculture Faculty on attachment programmes but Opadeyi expressed the desire to change this arrangement to internships, instead, so that students can get practical experience and credits at the same time.
Additionally, he said the laboratories at NAREI and GLDA can be utilised by UG students as well for research purposes.
The minister said Wednesday’s visit was just the initial step to create a relationship between UG and those agricultural institutions, noting that, while it was an exercise to share ideas, the collaborative work will be ongoing.