By Kurt Campbell
[www.inewsguyana.com] – President Donald Ramotar has expressed the belief that too much politics is involved in the affairs of the University of Guyana (UG).
This opinion may not be new to the ears of several Guyanese since just under a month ago a Partnership for National Unity (APNU) Member of Parliament James Bond had expressed the view that politicians should not be making decisions for the students and faculty of the University of Guyana (UG) and should not be allowed to sit on the University’s Council.
“You cannot have a council in which politicians make your decisions on a day to day basis. The systems we have are not suitable for the proper and effective functioning of this institution,” Bond had said.
However, in his remarks during a panel discussion to mark the University’s 50th anniversary on Tuesday [October 1], the Head of State opined that while UG has made progress over the years it has not achieved all that was visualized for the institution.
“We might have different ideas on how that should be done but for Christ sake don’t let the different ideas paralyze us. Let’s try them one at a time… we must be bold enough to make changes when we have made mistakes,” President Ramotar told the gathering.
He added that Central Government will continue to do its part to see UG realize its full potential and called on all stakeholders to do the same. The President said the Government’s priority in the Education Sector is ensuring equal opportunity for all.
“We have the possibility, this institution can play a very important role, we have the possibility of taking our country to the next level, and we have the ability to be a developed country” he added.
He challenged the University to devise virtual classrooms, utilizing the modern technologies available and take tertiary education to Guyanese students in the far flung regions.
He said while Universal Primary Education has been achieved and Universal Secondary Education will soon be, Tertiary Education has to expand and focus on its role in nation building.
