A CALL for a section of the University of Guyana campus to be set up in Linden is becoming more strident with demands being made by Regional officials and scores of current students, who on a daily basis, face the financial and mental burden of travelling to the Turkeyn Campus in an effort to achieve a tertiary education.Newly-elected Mayor, Carwyn Holland is of the opinion that a section of the campus would be beneficial to the many students who traverse the Linden Highway every day in order to attend school and to those who desire a tertiary education but cannot afford same.

The average cost for a student to attend classes at Turkeyn is $3000 per day for minimal expenses of transportation and snacks. In addition to the financial burden, students are complaining of the danger of travelling late at nights and having to travel with unknown drivers.

With limited opportunity of tertiary education in Linden, many young people migrate to the city after completing high school and the Mayor is of the opinion that this would change if a campus was present in Linden. One final year Communication Studies student Shanteal Alleyne who travels 3-4 times weekly to attend classes describes the ordeal as challenging and financially burdensome.

“I’ve done this for over two years and trust me, I can’t wait to finish….travelling up and down that highway is not easy and it surely bleeds your pocket, so even though I’m at the end of my journey I would surely recommend a campus in Linden,” she posited. Another student speaking on the issue said that she was aware of several students wanting to pursue a degree but who cannot do so while some have started their programmes but aborted after facing many of the challenges mentioned earlier.

In consideration of these facts, the Mayor of Linden is fully in support of a section of the campus being established in Linden. Most of the students from Linden who attend the University pursue courses in the faculty of Education or Social Sciences. Other tertiary level entities have established branches in Linden, while some are planning to do so in the near future. The ACCA and CAT courses have commenced since last year and have seen tremendous support from students, who wanted to complete the course but could not afford the travel costs.
The American School of Medicine in expected to commence operations in the mining town by September.

(Vanessa Braithwaite)