THE University of Guyana (UG) will soon be offering a Master’s Degree Programme in Strategic Development Studies. The programme was launched in the presence of President, Dr. Mohamed Irfaan Ali, who lauded the university on the initiative.

According to the President, the programme would contribute significantly to the regional integration process. “The programme is not meant only for Guyanese. We’re hoping and the aim of this programme is for all of CARICOM to start it. Because all of us must be integrated into the regional agenda. And I must say our new Secretary-General is working hard on pushing this regional agenda. But we must first get at every level, especially at this level the level of universities, an interest in the regional agenda,” he said.

The development of the region is inextricably linked to the economic growth of all participating countries. It was precisely that thinking that resulted in the establishment of the University of Guyana by the PPP Government in 1963. Prior to the establishment of the university, only a handful of Guyanese were beneficiaries of university education which was not only costly but also inadequate to meet the human resource needs of the economy. The establishment of the University of Guyana was the brainchild of former President, Dr. Cheddi Jagan, which at the time was a bold step given the paucity of tertiary teaching staff in the country and the region. In fact, Guyana was the only country in the English-speaking Caribbean that established its own national university, an indication of the visionary thinking of Dr. Jagan and the PPP administration.

Today, the university is offering courses in medicine and law and six Master’s programmes, in addition to a wide range of course offerings both at the graduate and post-graduate levels.

As pointed out by President Ali, the introduction of the strategic development studies at the University of Guyana is both timely and relevant and comes at a time when the country is making significant progress in terms of strategically repositioning itself as a major player in the CARICOM region and for that matter the world at large. One of the major selling points, in the view of President Ali, is that the courses allow for real-life scenarios that are currently in play within the international arena. This, he felt, would assist in developing the capability of each individual to strategically deal with those challenges and come up with solutions. Persons benefitting from the programme should be in a better position to apply themselves analytically to different scenarios that present themselves from time to time.

The programme is aimed at developing national analysts to evaluate and interpret the changes in national, regional and international affairs from a policy framework perspective and equip them to critically analyse policy formulation, shared responsibility, threats, challenges and opportunities in these systems.

The University of Guyana has an important role to play in terms of influencing policy formulation based on research and development studies. In fact, it was precisely for that reason that the Institute of Development Studies was set up at the university. Regrettably, because of political interference by the former PNC regime, the university was unable to discharge much of its mandate both with respect to teaching and research. Many qualified Guyanese were denied teaching jobs or had their services terminated because of political victimisation. Thankfully, we have gone past those difficult years and the University of Guyana is once again taking on its role as a centre of excellence in the areas research and teaching.

The PPP/C administration has continued to provide substantial financial assistance to the university by way of financial subventions and through the student loan facility. In addition, significant rehabilitation and expansion works are also being done by the government on an ongoing basis.

The PPP/C administration is committed to the building of a knowledge-based economy. In pursuit of that objective, the government has been providing online scholarships to thousands of Guyanese students free of cost. President Ali had also indicated that his administration has plans to eliminate tuition fees for students attending the University of Guyana.

Development requires the right mix of skills and competencies to drive the process. The need for strategic thinking and higher order thinking skills are indispensable in this regard. The Master’s Degree in Strategic Development Studies is therefore a welcome development, especially at this exciting stage in the country’s development.