Education Minister Priya Manickchand said the recently-installed University of Guyana Council is more accountable so far.
Manickchand made this statement at an end-of-the-year press conference on Monday. She said there have been significant changes made to the operations of the University of Guyana, under the stewardship of the new university council and Vice Chancellor Dr Jacob Opadeyi, who has also been more accountable and transparent.
Manickchand told media operatives that while the ministry has no direct supervision over the tertiary institution, it allocates finance to the university to assist in its daily operations.
The education minister added that despite the ministry having no authority over UG, both institutions are in constant contact to ensure that the curriculum at the secondary level matches the entry level for the university.
Asked whether government is in support of the increased tuition fees the intuition is proposing, Manickchand said various consultations are being undertaken and based on the results of these, a decision will be made.
She said, “As to whether Cabinet has taken any decision on it… I think Cabinet will be guided by what the council discovers with those consultations.”
Major financial irregularities were unearthed at UG, Turkeyen Campus following a financial audit conducted by experts from the University of the West Indies (UWI). In addition to the financial discrepancies, the premier tertiary educational institution has incurred a debt of Gy$ 482 million.
Based on the reports submitted from the audit, Vice Chancellor Dr Jacob Opadeyi said the university’s accounting system had collapsed over the years, creating major financial loopholes.
