New UG graduates urged to give back to Guyana
Written by Kwesi Isles
Saturday, 12 November 2011 20:38
Source
A section of the graduands
Some 1400 persons graduated from the University of Guyana on Saturday with a charge from the acting Chancellor of the Judiciary Carl Singh to find in themselves the patriotism to give back to Guyana.
Justice Singh was presenting the feature address at the university’s 45th Convocation Ceremony held at the Turkeyen campus.
“Guyana has given to you, the time has come for you to give back. It is no secret that our teachers, nurses, engineers and scientists leave our country to offer their talents and skills to other states and I would readily tell you that I am not unaware of the principal motivating factor for this migration.
But I ask what has become of patriotism and loyalty to our country?” Singh queried to some tittering from the graduands.
According to him, he sometimes think that Guyanese should be constantly reminded of the words of the late US president John F. Kennedy who urged his countrymen to think of what they can do for their country instead of the country for them.
He charged the graduands to serve with “diligence, dedication and efficiency.”
carl_singh
Chancellor of the Judiciary (a.g) Carl Singh
“By doing so you, we and all others who live in this fair land would be giving true meaning to being Guyanese,” the chancellor said.
Earlier, he had stated that attempts to dilute the university’s autonomy and academic freedom should be “stoutly resisted” and “zealously guarded.” However, he added, attempts to erode those ideals will depend on the perception of the standards of its internal accountability.
“Any public institution which is the recipient of public funds must submit to sensible standards of accountability and be able to withstand rigorous financial scrutiny. In the case of a university, in addition to prudent fiscal management, accountability should focus on very strong management performance systems.”
According to Justice Singh, this should be buttressed on the academic side by established policies and practices which allow for effective systems of peer review for teaching and research.
Financing the institution has long been a thorny issue and it did not go unremarked by Chancellor Dr. Compton Bourne who noted that UG alumni continued to excel at the post graduate levels despite the challenges.
“Their success is testimony to the heights that can be reached despite the handicaps imposed on the university by its constant state of financial under-provision and by uncompetitive salaries. Their success should be a charge to the public and private sectors to loosen their purse strings and expand the capacity of the university,” Dr. Bourne stated.
The chancellor added that universities could only fulfil their potential for social and economic liberation if their business of education and learning is conducted within a framework of intellectual openness and tolerance and respect for differing opinions.
Further, he said, it is important that the community outside the university accept that diversity of opinions and ideas is “an intrinsic, highly valuable characteristic of universities” which should be preserved even in the “most provocative of circumstances.”
“One does not cultivate and develop intellectual ability by stifling individual opinions, to suppress independent thought and its expression would be to fatally damage the foundation upon which the edifice of the university rests,” Dr. Bourne stated.
He also called on members of the university community to adhere to their societal responsibilities like every other citizen while adding that the institution should not be a “safe haven for those who behave irresponsibly” or “an agency for punishment.”
Valedictorian Vineeta Persaud is congratulated by UG Chancellor Dr. Bourne
Vineeta Persaud, who graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Science, was adjudged the valedictorian and received the President’s Medal for the best graduating bachelor’s degree student. The Chancellor’s Medal for the second best graduating degree student went to Ravina Devi Ramesar, Social Work.
This year also saw UG for the first time conferring Post Graduate Diplomas in Urban Planning, offered through the School of Earth and Environmental Sciences; Water Resource Management, offered through the Faculty of Technology in collaboration with Mc Gill University; the Masters in Business Administration and Public Administration, offered through the Faculty of Social Sciences in collaboration with the Commonwealth of Learning and the Bachelor’s Degree in Dental Surgery offered by the Faculty of Health Sciences.
Written by Kwesi Isles
Saturday, 12 November 2011 20:38
Source
A section of the graduandsSome 1400 persons graduated from the University of Guyana on Saturday with a charge from the acting Chancellor of the Judiciary Carl Singh to find in themselves the patriotism to give back to Guyana.
Justice Singh was presenting the feature address at the university’s 45th Convocation Ceremony held at the Turkeyen campus.
“Guyana has given to you, the time has come for you to give back. It is no secret that our teachers, nurses, engineers and scientists leave our country to offer their talents and skills to other states and I would readily tell you that I am not unaware of the principal motivating factor for this migration.
But I ask what has become of patriotism and loyalty to our country?” Singh queried to some tittering from the graduands.
According to him, he sometimes think that Guyanese should be constantly reminded of the words of the late US president John F. Kennedy who urged his countrymen to think of what they can do for their country instead of the country for them.
He charged the graduands to serve with “diligence, dedication and efficiency.”
carl_singh
Chancellor of the Judiciary (a.g) Carl Singh“By doing so you, we and all others who live in this fair land would be giving true meaning to being Guyanese,” the chancellor said.
Earlier, he had stated that attempts to dilute the university’s autonomy and academic freedom should be “stoutly resisted” and “zealously guarded.” However, he added, attempts to erode those ideals will depend on the perception of the standards of its internal accountability.
“Any public institution which is the recipient of public funds must submit to sensible standards of accountability and be able to withstand rigorous financial scrutiny. In the case of a university, in addition to prudent fiscal management, accountability should focus on very strong management performance systems.”
According to Justice Singh, this should be buttressed on the academic side by established policies and practices which allow for effective systems of peer review for teaching and research.
Financing the institution has long been a thorny issue and it did not go unremarked by Chancellor Dr. Compton Bourne who noted that UG alumni continued to excel at the post graduate levels despite the challenges.
“Their success is testimony to the heights that can be reached despite the handicaps imposed on the university by its constant state of financial under-provision and by uncompetitive salaries. Their success should be a charge to the public and private sectors to loosen their purse strings and expand the capacity of the university,” Dr. Bourne stated.
The chancellor added that universities could only fulfil their potential for social and economic liberation if their business of education and learning is conducted within a framework of intellectual openness and tolerance and respect for differing opinions.
Further, he said, it is important that the community outside the university accept that diversity of opinions and ideas is “an intrinsic, highly valuable characteristic of universities” which should be preserved even in the “most provocative of circumstances.”
“One does not cultivate and develop intellectual ability by stifling individual opinions, to suppress independent thought and its expression would be to fatally damage the foundation upon which the edifice of the university rests,” Dr. Bourne stated.
He also called on members of the university community to adhere to their societal responsibilities like every other citizen while adding that the institution should not be a “safe haven for those who behave irresponsibly” or “an agency for punishment.”
Valedictorian Vineeta Persaud is congratulated by UG Chancellor Dr. BourneVineeta Persaud, who graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Science, was adjudged the valedictorian and received the President’s Medal for the best graduating bachelor’s degree student. The Chancellor’s Medal for the second best graduating degree student went to Ravina Devi Ramesar, Social Work.
This year also saw UG for the first time conferring Post Graduate Diplomas in Urban Planning, offered through the School of Earth and Environmental Sciences; Water Resource Management, offered through the Faculty of Technology in collaboration with Mc Gill University; the Masters in Business Administration and Public Administration, offered through the Faculty of Social Sciences in collaboration with the Commonwealth of Learning and the Bachelor’s Degree in Dental Surgery offered by the Faculty of Health Sciences.
