Comprehensive engagement with Gov’t, stakeholders would enable UG to move forward – Dr. Luncheon
Georgetown, GINA, February 2, 2012
Source - GINA
The misconceptions surrounding the situation at the University of Guyana (UG) would have been cleared up if the institution’s principals had spoken on the issues earlier instead of remaining silent on the basis of the confidentiality agreement at the level of the Appointment Committee and the Council.
This seems to be the general perception even as the issue was raised at the post-Cabinet media briefing today at the Office of the President.
Head of the Presidential Secretariat Dr. Roger Luncheon stated that the issues arose subsequent to interventions made at the levels of the Appointment Committee and the University Council about specific matters affecting the institution, employees and students.
Dr. Luncheon stated that some of the issues to which the recent protest action was attributed by the university antedated the current matter and ‘were probably introduced in the process to give content and to even legitimise the process’.
“Many of the issues that are now before us that have been identified for interventions … involve issues of long standing, many of which antedated the current matter dealing with decisions made at official levels of the university at the Appointments Committee and the Council,” Dr. Luncheon stated.
Cabinet is of the view that the lack of aggression by the administration in dealing with the issue has allowed the matter to be “hijacked by partisan interests” and blown into a veritable protest action that threatens to get out of hand impacting on students and on the welfare of administrative staff and members of those bodies.
Cabinet’s outlook is that with resolute action by the university administration in the matter and even those unrelated that have been brought into the fray, if addressed comprehensively in engagement with Government and all stakeholders should enable the university to move forward with the pressing task of addressing concerns at the institution.
Among the issues raised during the UG protest is the rescinding of the contract of Freddie Kissoon, a Lecturer 11, who has passed the retirement age.
Kissoon has failed to meet the university’s policy with regards to retention of academic staff which is based on the following: having a healthy academic record with research and publications reviewed by academic peers and facing a competitive process with other applicants.
The Council did not support his retention hence the rescinding of his contract.
Georgetown, GINA, February 2, 2012
Source - GINA
The misconceptions surrounding the situation at the University of Guyana (UG) would have been cleared up if the institution’s principals had spoken on the issues earlier instead of remaining silent on the basis of the confidentiality agreement at the level of the Appointment Committee and the Council.
This seems to be the general perception even as the issue was raised at the post-Cabinet media briefing today at the Office of the President.
Head of the Presidential Secretariat Dr. Roger Luncheon stated that the issues arose subsequent to interventions made at the levels of the Appointment Committee and the University Council about specific matters affecting the institution, employees and students.
Dr. Luncheon stated that some of the issues to which the recent protest action was attributed by the university antedated the current matter and ‘were probably introduced in the process to give content and to even legitimise the process’.
“Many of the issues that are now before us that have been identified for interventions … involve issues of long standing, many of which antedated the current matter dealing with decisions made at official levels of the university at the Appointments Committee and the Council,” Dr. Luncheon stated.
Cabinet is of the view that the lack of aggression by the administration in dealing with the issue has allowed the matter to be “hijacked by partisan interests” and blown into a veritable protest action that threatens to get out of hand impacting on students and on the welfare of administrative staff and members of those bodies.
Cabinet’s outlook is that with resolute action by the university administration in the matter and even those unrelated that have been brought into the fray, if addressed comprehensively in engagement with Government and all stakeholders should enable the university to move forward with the pressing task of addressing concerns at the institution.
Among the issues raised during the UG protest is the rescinding of the contract of Freddie Kissoon, a Lecturer 11, who has passed the retirement age.
Kissoon has failed to meet the university’s policy with regards to retention of academic staff which is based on the following: having a healthy academic record with research and publications reviewed by academic peers and facing a competitive process with other applicants.
The Council did not support his retention hence the rescinding of his contract.
