If UG is not transformed in five years, I am a failure – Education Minister

If the University of Guyana (UG) is not transformed into a thriving institution within five years, recently appointed

Minister of Education, Dr Rupert Roopnaraine

Minister of Education, Dr. Rupert Roopnaraine, is prepared to accept a failure grade. He gave his word of honour during a recent interview with this publication pointing out that “if at the end of five years the University of Guyana is not a thriving University that can meet international standards; I would have considered that I would have failed.”
But admittedly UG is currently in a parlous situation that must be urgently addressed. Its numerous challenges include a number of infrastructural shortcomings that are a direct result of the fact, that it has been starved of funds that it needs to function effectively.
Moreover, it can be safely concluded that a wilting subvention has been responsible for the current state of UG. “It (the subvention) has not been enough and I think that is a mistake,” said the Education Minister.
“It is a question of priorities. We know that the money is limited, but it is how you prioritise and I believe that the University really has to be given a far higher priority than it has been given so far,” he added.  Dr. Rupert Roopnaraine was able to give an informed analysis of the University in light of the fact, that he formerly held a position on the tertiary institution’s Council.
According to him, the state of affairs at UG has led to “widespread demoralisation within the Faculties, within the community of lecturers and so on.”
He intimated too, that the issues and problems of management of the University cannot be detached from the financial situation, since “you’re not going to be able to get your management to function properly if in fact, people are operating in this kind of cramped financial environment.”
Mirroring the repeated calls from those close to the operation of the facility to plug more finances into the institution, Dr. Roopnaraine stressed that funding is one of the primary tactics that will help to significantly revamp the lone national University. “That is the first thing that has to happen. I don’t think that it’s magic that if we put money into the University things will improve overnight, but what I do know, is that without adequate funding for the University, I really believe that we will continue to beat a sick horse to death…It (UG) can’t be improved without the funds,” asserted the Education Minister.
Moreover, Dr. Roopnaraine, whose vision for the University is to see it move to a level where it is on par with regional universities, is hopeful that it will be transformed to the kind of institution that all citizens want for Guyana. “We need the funding, we need to re-energise the departments and the Faculties and that kind of thing,” added the Education Minister as he pointed out the need to engage very creatively and sympathetically with the workers’ Unions of the University. The Unions – the University of Guyana Senior Staff Association and the University of Guyana Workers Union – had earlier this year engaged intense industrial action to highlight several concerns about the institution, including remuneration and working conditions.
The University of Guyana Student Society had also orchestrated protest exercises to highlight a lengthy list of concerns as seen by students attending the University.
“We should be marching to the same drum,” said Dr. Roopnaraine of the proposed collaboration with the Unions. “I as Minister of Education will pay particular attention to the University,” he added as he went on to underscore too, that the institution can only be as good as the students it enrols.  “We have to ensure that the University will improve to the extent that the rest of the education system improves…we’ll get a better quality of students, we’ll be in a better position to produce, articulate and layout our own programmes,” asserted the Education Minister.
And as part of the revolutionising of UG, Dr Roopnaraine alluded to the need for a strategic process that will serve to energise staffers of the institution with the view of encouraging them to bolster their performances so much so, that they will be eager to produce research and publications. “We need to even improve our library,” said the Minister as he considered the gargantuan task that translates to “…everything has to be done at the University.”