WHEN Professor Jacob Opadeyi became the Vice Chancellor of the University of Guyana in February 2013, he inherited an untenable situation characterised by malpractices in financial management, cost over-runs, and spending beyond the income of the university, creating an inherited deficit of over $500M in 2013 and reduced to $300M in 2014.

Financial audits by the Auditor General’s Office discovered financial irregularities and transactions at the Institute of Distance and Continuing Education (IDCE), whose annual income is $30M but spends $60M. There was also the payment of $1M annually without supporting documents and not for the approved, designated purpose.

Generally, poor work ethic, minimum work, not fulfilling contractual working hours, and general lack of accountability permeated the university working environment. The MAD approach (maximum administrative delay) was employed in implementing or frustrating decisions, even some Council decisions.
A few examples would give the public and the responsible university community some insights into the reasons the unrepresentative and unrecognised University of Guyana Senior Staff Association (UGSSA) is instigating attacks on the integrity of the Vice Chancellor.

It is primarily because the Vice Chancellor dared to challenge and correct these bad practices and replace them with comparative international best practices; he is seen by the leadership of UGSSA as a “sell out,” upsetting the status quo, and bringing an “end to the good thing they had going.”
In a special audit commissioned by Council under his leadership, it was discovered that the Bursary (prior to the appointment of the current Bursar) was functioning without standard operating procedures; failed to practise basic accounting principles; reconciliation of accounting activities once a year instead of on a daily or weekly basis; maintained no accurate or current balance sheet; and shockingly using DOS-based accounting software that permit changes to accounting records with no records of who made the changes, what was changed, when it was changed or who authorised the change; payment receipts can be changed or cancelled and the receipt number re-used; unclaimed salary cheques are neither reported nor queried; writing cheques when there is no money in the account to support the payment; permitting overdraft without authorisation; using student lab fees to support staff travels; unwillingness to collect debts owed to UG; withholding payments to Credit Unions, NIS, GRA after deducting same from employees’ salaries; overpayment due to errors in salary software; payment of salaries without signed contracts; and providing cash advances with no record of spending accounts and receipts. These are what he inherited.
I dare say that there may be need for a forensic audit for the full recovery of the university’s financial assets, which were paid and received without authority and entitlement by staff over the years prior to the appointment of this Vice Chancellor and the current Bursar. Professor Opadeyi brought accountability into the university.
UNDER FUNDING: It is widely known that the university is underfunded; needs infrastructural and staff and student facilities upgrades; needs assured annual subventions and increased fees to cover fully the operating cost of some $350,000 annually per student; need scholarships for staff development; needs a more healthy working and classroom environment for staff and students, and not unmindful of the need for attractive remuneration, benefits and conditions of service for staff with due regard being had for national and regional comparative context.
Changes at UG (over the last 28 months), since the Vice Chancellor was appointed, at his initiative and with the approval of the University Council, include increasing the retirement age from 60 to 65 years, so as to retain high-quality lecturers and professors; introduction of technology/facility fee of $50,000 per year for all students; acquisition of a 30-seater bus for field trips; senior management to be responsible for the hiring of UB and UA staff at the level of Lecturer I and A.O.; senior management to be responsible for disciplinary matters of both staff and students; generally no programme with fewer than 10 students; establishment of Ph.D programmes (a first at UG); and establishment of an Audit Committee of the Council.
The Vice Chancellor, in spite of the challenges and constraints, further achieved significant improvements in the financial accounting and management systems; reduced the deficit through negotiating additional Government funding to the tune of $800M; reduced expenditure on commuting lecturers; improved financial discipline through spending along budgetary lines; marked improvement in physical infrastructure; establishment of online degree programmes in four (4) disciplines (a first at UG); establishment of a MPH programme (a first at UG); increased graduate enrolment; increased revenue streams from $1,092M in 2013 to $1,342M in 2014; a decreased deficit from $619M in 2013 to $334M in 2014; Gifting of 2000 classroom desk/chair combinations by the private sector and acquisition of additional 1100 classroom chairs, thus ending the chronic lack of classroom chairs that had plagued the university over the past 10 years or more; and 3400 student lockers (a first at UG); efficient use of capital grants that saw the acquisition of over 200 personal computers in two years; technological investments – Software for statistical analysis of student assessment, Smart ID card system, timetabling software, smart classrooms, free Wi-Fi for staff and students, electronic message board; installation of projectors and white boards in classrooms; establishment of Confucius Institute at UG; revision of promotion criteria that saw unprecedented promotion of staff for three new professors, eight senior lecturers and 20 lecturer IIs, all achieved within two (2) years in office.
Other achievements during this first two years of appointment include establishment of an honorary degree programme: investment in campus-wide CCTV cameras (a first at UG); naming of university streets after former Chancellors; effective and efficient management of the UG Science and Technology Support Project of US$10M of the World Bank facility; improved sporting facilities through construction of basketball/lawn tennis courts (a first at UG); introduction of a conflict-of-interest declaration for staff who have family members enrolled in the classes; with the support of the Ministry of Health, ensured the posting of a medical doctor to the UG medical centre (a first at UG); upgraded the terms of employment of 33 Maid/Cleaners who have been working for 13 years as part-time staff to full-time staff with full benefits; support the introduction and use of the Moodle teaching support system; financial audits that unearth financial irregularities and transactions at IDCE; and stopped the payment of $1,000,000 annually without supporting documents.
Professor Jacob Opadeyi has served the staff and the university very well as Vice Chancellor over a short period of time with an outstanding performance of excellence, which deserves the nation’s gratitude and vote of confidence.
SAMUEL J. GOOLSARRAN