Throwing money at UG problem is not solution

Dear Editor,
Would money transform the University of Guyana (UG) into a “world-class institution?” That is the question that must be answered as the 2024 Budget debates roll on. To date, I have not seen for UG an articulated vision that gives credence to the premise that money is the issue.

The administration of UG has used increases, but the physical plant has failed to improve basic washroom facilities. Lecture theatres remain the same; lectures are conducted by and large online, as are tutorials. I will avoid in-depth discussion of the quality of education being delivered; suffice to say it is more akin to ‘schooling’ than the advancement of knowledge and the development of high cognitive skills, which a university is expected to facilitate. One would be hard pressed to see differences in the output of a year-one or year-three law student in the law programme, other than the course subject.

UG Campus ‘life’ continues to struggle. The sports teams have failed to fire a spirit of community, and the various student societies have become beacons for divisiveness. The UG Law Society is the perfect example, with nine executive members being all of one ethnicity. It is an important society, but is crafted with no awareness of the need for diversity and the different points of view required to shape a society. cricket teams are picked in villages with more sensitivity of Guyana’s ethnic diversity and need for inclusivity. The UG Law Society composition has drawn no comment from the UG administration, or any attempt at mentorship/ correction/guidance; it is symptomatic of a self-centered administration, blind to its responsibilities in creating future leaders of our society.

Recently, former Mayor Ubraj Narine wrote in support of the UG administration, and it begs the question of how Ubraj became a student, given his lack of requisite CXC passes. Two grade threes do not a university student make, any explanation from the UG administration would be welcome.

Editor, there is no doubt that there will be ever-increasing allocations of ‘money’ to UG; $3.1B in ’21, $3.5B in ’22, $3.7B in ’23, and $4.1B in ’24. A billion dollars more in three short years, with no noticeable corresponding improvement in the quality of education or the physical plant.

Unless the current UG administration can present an articulated vision, accompanied by a comprehensive and actionable plan that shows how UG would transition from ‘schooling’ to ‘university education’, then ‘more money’ should be accompanied by new management.

There should be a worldwide search for qualified administrators, because if this group is the best we have, then our best is simply not good enough. A change in legislation is also in order for us to put in place a governing board that takes the UG motto to heart. “To discover, generate, disseminate, and apply knowledge of the highest standard for the service of the community, the nation, and of all mankind within an atmosphere of academic freedom that allows for free and critical enquiry.”

Currently, one would struggle to make a connection between the goals espoused in the motto and the reality on UG’s campus. Throwing money at the UG problem is not the solution; that solution begins with acknowledgment of the issues, and those issues are solved with vision.
Sincerely,
Robin Singh