UG students block campus gate, police intervene
Written by Denis Scott Chabrol
Wednesday, 08 February 2012 12:46
Unrest at the University of Guyana on Wednesday morning appeared to be taking a new twist as a number of students, clamouring for better conditions, took their protest to the Turkeyen Campus entrance.
Mainly from the Faculty of Agriculture, the 14 students blocked the gate intermittently by standing across the roadway.
They chanted "Students power, no dictators," and "Tell the government hands off UG."
Unarmed uniformed police arrived at 12:19 PM and warned the students against blocking ingress and egress. "If you all don't move, we will have to lock you all up," said Sergeant 14761 Taitt.
They held up placards and encouraged their lecturers and fellow students to join the picket line but with little success.
The also bore placards reading, among other slogans, "Better equipped labs for more practical sessions," "Provide us with adequate and efficient educators," "Save UG Save The Caribbean's Future," "Students need an upgraded library, "Let us have better classrooms, stables are for horses," "Students require quality education," and "Finalise our lecturers contracts."
Spokeswoman for the group of protesters, Student Bernice Anthony explained that they were supporting their lecturers' demands for no political interference in UG's affairs, the recruitment of experienced and qualified staff and the installation of laboratories.
When told that several classes were in session and a number of administrative services were being carried out despite the commencement of a four-day sit-in on Tuesday, Anthony suggested that those not participating might be politically motivated.
"That's why we are out here because the sit-in isn't doing them anything," she said.
"Like everything else there is always a faction of the community that doesn't stand with you but you can't let that distort your view," added Anthony, a final year BSc Animal Science student.
Against the background of Guyana being a largely agro-based economy, she emphasized the need for students to be properly equipped in their areas of study.
"Most of the students of the Faculty of Agriculture believe that if we are going to have an economy built on agriculture, we don't wish to be virtual scientists, we need to be agriculturalists for real," she said.
The students' shifting of their protest action to UG's gate for the first time since uneasiness began followed a meeting between stakeholders and Pro Chancellor, Dr Prem Misir on Tuesday.
Representatives of UG Workers Union and the UG Senior Staff Association say the meeting was fruitless because Misir wanted to address only matters of physical infrastructure. However, the students and staff want to deal with more systemic issues such as the composition of UG's Council, seemingly politically motivated granting of contracts to lecturers and poor laboratory and other teaching-learning facilities.
The now almost one-month old tension stems from the termination of Political Science Lecturer, Freddie Kissoon's contract without offering him future employment at the institution.
Written by Denis Scott Chabrol
Wednesday, 08 February 2012 12:46
Unrest at the University of Guyana on Wednesday morning appeared to be taking a new twist as a number of students, clamouring for better conditions, took their protest to the Turkeyen Campus entrance.
Mainly from the Faculty of Agriculture, the 14 students blocked the gate intermittently by standing across the roadway.
They chanted "Students power, no dictators," and "Tell the government hands off UG."
Unarmed uniformed police arrived at 12:19 PM and warned the students against blocking ingress and egress. "If you all don't move, we will have to lock you all up," said Sergeant 14761 Taitt.
They held up placards and encouraged their lecturers and fellow students to join the picket line but with little success.
The also bore placards reading, among other slogans, "Better equipped labs for more practical sessions," "Provide us with adequate and efficient educators," "Save UG Save The Caribbean's Future," "Students need an upgraded library, "Let us have better classrooms, stables are for horses," "Students require quality education," and "Finalise our lecturers contracts."
Spokeswoman for the group of protesters, Student Bernice Anthony explained that they were supporting their lecturers' demands for no political interference in UG's affairs, the recruitment of experienced and qualified staff and the installation of laboratories.
When told that several classes were in session and a number of administrative services were being carried out despite the commencement of a four-day sit-in on Tuesday, Anthony suggested that those not participating might be politically motivated.
"That's why we are out here because the sit-in isn't doing them anything," she said.
"Like everything else there is always a faction of the community that doesn't stand with you but you can't let that distort your view," added Anthony, a final year BSc Animal Science student.
Against the background of Guyana being a largely agro-based economy, she emphasized the need for students to be properly equipped in their areas of study.
"Most of the students of the Faculty of Agriculture believe that if we are going to have an economy built on agriculture, we don't wish to be virtual scientists, we need to be agriculturalists for real," she said.
The students' shifting of their protest action to UG's gate for the first time since uneasiness began followed a meeting between stakeholders and Pro Chancellor, Dr Prem Misir on Tuesday.
Representatives of UG Workers Union and the UG Senior Staff Association say the meeting was fruitless because Misir wanted to address only matters of physical infrastructure. However, the students and staff want to deal with more systemic issues such as the composition of UG's Council, seemingly politically motivated granting of contracts to lecturers and poor laboratory and other teaching-learning facilities.
The now almost one-month old tension stems from the termination of Political Science Lecturer, Freddie Kissoon's contract without offering him future employment at the institution.
