…hosts second graduation ceremony

THE Rajiv Gandhi University of Science & Technology (RGUST) on Friday commissioned a brand new three-storey building at Third Street, Cummings Lodge, East Coast Demerara, in a bid to expand its campus.

Administrator and Secretary to the Vice-Chancellor at RGUST, Sheneeza Mohammed, told the Sunday Chronicle that construction began on the building in 2020 and was completed this year. She noted that the building houses 10 classrooms, laboratories, a library, a small auditorium, administrative offices and recreational facilities for students.

The university offers a Baccalaureate degree in Pre-Medical Studies through its School of Arts and Science, where the holder of an Associate or Bachelor’s Degree from a non-science background may join. They also offer the four-year Doctor of Medicine (MD) programme through the School of Medicine, to train prospective practising physicians.

Mohammed informed the Sunday Chronicle that while students of the university are currently taking classes through the university’s online mechanism, the new building will commence operations in June this year to accommodate staff and prepare for new student intakes.

RGUST is also hoping to further expand its operations, with preparations to build a multi-speciality teaching hospital capable of housing 500 beds, as they are aiming to increase ‘medical tourism’ in Guyana.

Meanwhile, on Friday, the university also hosted its second graduation ceremony which saw some 20 students of the university graduating. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the graduation of the 2019 and 2020 graduating classes were postponed; they therefore graduated with the 2021 graduating class.

“COVID-19 has affected the world, but we here at RGUST are thankful to God that we didn’t have to terminate employees or Faculty. Our student intake is not what we expected, but we are still thankful because we have student intakes each new semester,” Mohammed said.

She noted that since the virus was detected in Guyana, classes are being conducted on the university’s online platform, and all COVID-19 protocols and guidelines are being adhered to by staff who work at the university’s campuses.

“At RGUST, we are not pressuring our students, instead we work with them during this time because we know everyone is being affected by this pandemic,” she said.

The 2021 best graduating student, Dr. Queen Wamungu Gaju from Rwanda, Africa, started her journey at the university in 2016. In her graduation speech she hailed the RGUST for its “warm welcome” and reminisced about her stay in Guyana.

“These past four years will certainly be memorable to me for a very long time. We have seen and sacrificed a lot to get to this point. We have given up the best years of our lives, some of us have given up on relationships, held off on having children… to sit in classrooms, learning the nuances of the human body,” she said.