CERTAIN buildings in the University of Guyana (UG) Turkeyen Campus will be boosted with a facelift, compliments of more than $15M in funds approved last Tuesday by Cabinet for their rehabilitation; and construction of fences, bridges, and footpaths worth accumulatively $32M would also be erected at the Turkeyen Campus.

Cabinet Secretary Dr Roger Luncheon so informed the media at his weekly post-Cabinet press briefing at the Office of the President in Georgetown on Friday.
History of UG
The University of Guyana was established in April 1963, and began operating in October of that year with a batch of 164 students, housed in temporary premises borrowed from the Queen’s College in Georgetown.
Programmes were at first confined to the Arts, Natural Sciences, and Social Sciences, and initially, UG offered only general degree programmes; but from 1966, certificate and diploma level programmes were introduced. In 1967, a Faculty of Education was established, followed by establishment of the Faculty of Technology in 1969.
The University began occupying its present site at Turkeyen in October 1969.
The first graduate programme – A Master’s Degree in Guyanese and West Indian History — was started in 1973. The tuition fee of $100 per annum was abolished in 1974, but in the 1994-95 academic year, the University introduced a cost recovery programme.
From 1975, the University began accrediting programmes run by sister institutions in the Commonwealth Caribbean.
In 1975, participation in National Service was made a mandatory requirement for persons wishing to pursue programmes at the university. However, in 1994, Cabinet gave approval for the abolition of mandatory National Service for students at tertiary level educational institutions.
Master’s degree programmes in Biology and Education were started in 1976, and Chemistry and Economics in 1977. The Faculty of Agriculture was established in 1977, and Political Science in 1978. The Faculty of Health Sciences was established in 1981. Prior to establishment of this faculty, programmes in Health Sciences were offered within the Faculty of Natural Sciences.
The Faculty of Geography was established in 1984, and a Graduate Diploma in Development Studies was also introduced in 1984; whilst a Training Programme for Medical Practitioners was launched in October 1985.

A Forestry Unit was established in 1987, and in the 1993-94 academic year, the Semester System was introduced in the faculties of Education and Social Sciences. This system was introduced to the remaining faculties in 1994/95.
The Faculty of Agriculture was renamed the Faculty of Agriculture and Forestry in 2002; and the faculties of Arts and Education were merged to become the School of Education and Humanities in 2003.
Tuition
Students are currently required to pay Gy$127,000 per annum for tuition at UG. This does not apply to Communication Studies, Law, Medicine and Tourism students, who pay $200,000, $300,000, $500,000 and $154,000 per annum respectively.
Within the past five years, a number of new programmes have been introduced, including the Master’s degree programme in Administration, and the Bachelor’s degree programme in Pharmacy, Optometry and Dentistry. The University also certifies affiliated programmes. The Health Sector is the main beneficiary of this facility.
In 2005 the meritorious position of Distinguished Professor was instituted. Professor Clive Thomas is the sole holder of this distinction. In 2009, the first Emeritus Professors were installed.
The current enrolment at the Turkeyen Campus is in excess of 5,000 students, pursuing more than 60 under-graduate and post-graduate programmes. To date, more than 15,000 students have graduated and gone on to successful careers both locally and internationally. 
(Information taken from the university’s website)