EDUCATION Minister Dr. Rupert Roopnaraine says the University of Guyana is now in a better financial state than in previous years, but the institution needs to gain financial independence.Dr. Roopnaraine, speaking to the Guyana Chronicle Wednesday during an exclusive interview, said that UG is currently exploring a menu of measures that would pave the way for a high inflow of cash.
In September 2013, the university was described as an institution with major financial irregularities based on an audit conducted by experts from the University of the West Indies. In addition to the financial discrepancies, Guyana’s premier tertiary educational institution had incurred a debt of $482M.
However, the Education Minister is hoping that UG would soon become self-sufficient, thereby removing the need for government to provide an annual subvention. “I am looking forward to the day when the university will be able to stand on its own feet…It should be able to generate the kind of funds to keep it afloat,” he opined.
But shortly after his appointment as Education Minister, Dr. Roopnaraine, in acknowledging that the development of the University of Guyana had been stymied due to inadequate funding, said it must be adequately funded by the government.
While admitting to this commitment, he maintained that UG should be a thriving institution that has the ability to effectively generate its own funds. And according to him, steps are currently being taken to move the university in that direction.
FUNDING AND CONTROL
“Funding goes hand in hand with control and the university must be controlled through the council and it is not the government’s business to be controlling the council.”
Influencing the direction of the university on its financial management or curriculum delivery must be done through the government’s representatives on the council, the Education Minister said.
Currently, the Education Ministry is being represented by Technical Adviser within the Ministry of Education Vincent Alexander and Permanent Secretary Delma Nedd.
Post of Vice-Chancellor
Questioned about Vice-Chancellor Dr. Jacob Opadeyi’s expression of interest to extend his tenure, Dr. Roopnaraine said this willingness has not been expressed to his ministry, but the request will be reviewed if it is made official.
“When the time comes, should Professor Opadeyi indicate his willingness to extend [his tenure], then that will have to be considered. That’s all I can tell you and it has to be considered by the council.”
However, he said it is likely that the post will become vacant before year-end, if one is to take into consideration Dr. Opadeyi’s outstanding leave. “We could be in need of a vice-chancellor later in this year although his contract ends in early 2016.”
On Tuesday, Dr. Opadeyi told the Guyana Chronicle that he is willing to have his services retained as the vice-chancellor but under certain conditions, one of which is improved salaries and benefits for the staff. He recalled that “it was due to the poor salaries and benefits of lecturers that resulted in the series of strike actions earlier this year.”
Nevertheless, he said: “We must be able to attract and retain highly qualified teaching staff. When you have staff whose salaries are not up to the market rate, there will be agitation.” According to him, it was “agitation” that led to the five-week protest which ended in March after a 10% interim increase was given to the staff.
The Education Minister expressed similar sentiments, noting that in developing the university, mechanisms must be put in place to ensure that the wages and salaries of lecturers are competitive. At present they are not, and this is an issue Dr Roopnaraine said is not limited to the university, but other critical sectors within Guyana.
“The wages and salaries are not competitive when compared with the global market price, our people leave here and go abroad and earn two or three times more than what they’re earning in Guyana.”
But underpaid lecturers and a shortage of lecturers are not the only problems at the university, as students and lecturers alike have been forced to work under what the Education Minister describes as “terrible conditions.”
Physical Upgrade
“I believe that a number of rooms are being worked on as we speak, but the whole place needs a physical upgrade. There is no question about that; there is a real need to upgrade the facilities at the university. There is much work to be done in relation to the infrastructural improvement of the university,” he noted.
However, the programme that is currently in place will improve the standards of the university, making it into an institution that students can truly be proud of, the Education Minister added.
By Svetlana Marshall
