CONSTRUCTION of a new state-of-the-art campus for Texila American University (TAU) is due to be completed by the end of this year, a senior official of the institution has said.

Texila is investing a sum of US$20M to build a new campus, hostel and hospital.

Speaking with the Guyana Chronicle on Monday Vice-President of International Relations at the TAU, Ashok Kumar, noted that the TAU will be spending a total of US$20M on a three-phased investment project to develop the University’s own campus, hostels and hospital in Guyana. This, he highlighted, is “a huge investment” into Guyana’s education sector.

Last year, it was reported that the TAU had embarked upon constructing a University Campus in Guyana at Block 2442, Plantation Providence. Kumar said this campus is likely to be completed before the end of this year and in addition to catering for some 1600 students, the campus will be outfitted with state-of-the-art medical labs and other facilities. And for the construction of this facility, Kumar estimated that about US$11M will be spent.

This university will also seek to be accredited by the National Accreditation committee and later the Caribbean Accreditation Authority for Education in Medicine and other Health Professions (CAAM-HP). Kumar also disclosed that after the campus is completed, the University will then seek to build “hostels” to accommodate some of the international students who are students of the university.

He also disclosed that some money will also be used for the creation recreational facilities (such as an auditorium and sports centre) within the campus. “What we are trying to do is to give our students the best overall experience with us,” the Vice-President noted. He also estimated that the cost of both the hostels and recreational facilities will be about US$3M.

Also within this investment project in Guyana, will be the construction of a hospital which will serve the community as well as the rest of Guyana. He said that about US$6M is expected to be used for the construction and establishment of this 150-bed hospital.

While unable to pronounce a definitive date for the commencement of construction of this hospital, Kumar did disclose that once phases one and two of the project are completed, the construction of this hospital will begin soon after. He said too, the hospital will not be a specific speciality hospital as per say. “We will have some of the (speciality) facilities, but not all, he said. He disclosed that diabetic care will be one of the specialities provided however.

The Texila American University is part of a global conglomerate, Texila American University Limited, Hong Kong (TAU-HK), which also owns Texila Education Management Services (TEMS), USA; Texila Global Consulting Services, United Arab Emirates; and SAKSHI Education and Consulting and Training Limited in India.

The university began operations in Guyana in 2010 with a class of seven students at the Critchlow Labour College, Woodford Avenue, Georgetown, before moving to establish a campus at Sparendaam, East Coast Demerara, due to a growing student population. Today the university accommodates some 600 students with the student population growing on an average of some 150 students each year.

Students studying locally also do clinical rotation at the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC) and at the New Amsterdam Hospital, Berbice.