Students of the University of Guyana’s Faculty of Agriculture and Forestry will now benefit from a new Study Room in addition to new offices which were on Wednesday morning officially opened.
The expansion which cost some $30 million was approved follow complaints from a senior lecturer of the faculty.
Approval was given in November last for the expansion on the building which now houses the Study Room and new offices.
A number of lecturers of the faculty were reportedly without facility to carry out their duties and some 220 students of the said faculty were also without a study
The new srudy room and office building
room.
As such, following a number of discussions, a building committee was formed and the construction got underway.
According to the Dean of the faculty, Owen Bovell, despite a number of challenges faced while the construction was underway, he is pleased with the end result.
“We are indeed grateful for the support that was given especially from the Vice Chancellor. We had a conversation when we felt as if the building would no longer come into creation. I had a word with him and he was on the same page with me, he said no Dean Bovell, you must have this building. We worked and we got initiation of the process,” the Dean explained.
He highlighted that the project was one which received tremendous support and commended the contractor for a “job well done”.
According to Vice Chancellor of the University of Guyana, Professor Ivelaw Griffith, much more is to be celebrated other than the university’s expansion.
“It is not only this that we are sitting and standing in (pointing to the floor of the faculty)… some of the challenges with constructional space adequacy, lecturer space adequacy, student engagement space adequacy, also mindful for some of the safety hazards, this extension involves enclosing the bottom there, it involves creating this patio, it involves creating a sanitary block, it involves creating a fire escape as safety is critical, instructional and student engagement space is critical” Griffith said in his remarks.
He noted that the fortitude of the University is being celebrated in finding the money for the project. Griffith added that he was embarrassed when he previously toured the faculty.
“I have been embarrassed at so many of the elect at our University but I was especially embarrassed when I did a tour of the faculty to see the condition. So we have been fixing and facing other improvements first. Even the furniture of this faculty lounge was terrible so I have to reach into the Vice Chancellor’s fund to have it fixed,” Griffith revealed. The Agriculture’s Ministry Permanent Secretary, Delma Nedd noted that agriculture is one of Guyana’s main pillars which will pave the path towards our sustainable development. She added that the expansion at the faculty will provide several opportunities for the students which will “benefit the agriculture sector”. Following the remarks, the ribbon was cut thus officially opening doors to the new building.
