By Umadevi Bux –
Speaker after speaker at an interfaith service to mark the 50th Anniversary of the University of Guyana last Friday, urged citizens to embrace the institution as the nation’s university and work towards ensuring it fulfills its mandate to students.
Dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences, Dr Paloma Mohamed, who also chaired the anniversary’s planning committee, said it was hoped that the institution’s 50th anniversary will be a call for action. She believes that the university’s importance cannot be understated if Guyana is to stand confidently in the international arena.
“The occasion is one to take pride in as a nation, this is an auspicious event and we cannot allow it to pass us,” said Dr Mohamed, “discussions must be backed by actions.”
Dr Mohamed also noted that the university is a national institution and great are the challenges, but there should be inclusiveness in its development, which should be followed by pride. Dr Mohamed also encouraged private stakeholders such as non-government organisations, businesses and even private citizens to include the university in their yearly planning, noting that no donation will be considered small.
Do all that is possible
Representing President Donald Ramotar was Public Service Minister Dr Jennifer Westford who called on all to pledge to do all that is possible to ensure the university is propelled from strength to strength.
“Knowledge is one thing and virtue is another, the success of the university is inter-dependent on moral characteristics of teaching and learning,” said Minister Westford. She noted that University of Guyana is the country’s highest educational institution and it has brought tremendous success to Guyana.
Vice Chancellor Professor Jacob Opadeyi reiterated that the national university cannot solely depend on the government. He noted that the university is a national asset and should be all-inclusive. Professor Opadeyi said that the “University of Guyana is open to ideas for development and encouraged all to be proactive in moulding the nation’s future leaders”.
He emphasised that to make a campus proactive and successful; there is a need for happy students and staff, good modern infrastructure, and most importantly, finances. He too, reiterated the need for citizens to see the institution as a national university and therefore of national interest.
Life begins at 50
University of Guyana Students Society President Ganesh Mahipaul said: “With a new vice chancellor, there is optimism that the university is on the right course; after all, life begins at 50.”
He said if the university intends to celebrate 100 years, then “we need to get our acts together and education should never be a gift for the rich and a dream for the poor”. He reiterated calls for the involvement of stakeholders and for the nation as a whole to take the interest of the nation’s youths to heart.
Meanwhile, presenting on behalf of past lecturers, Emeritus Professor Sister Mary Noel Menezes noted that the first batch of students paid a fee of Gy$100. She said the university is still under-funded, and this has caused, over time, a loss of staff and expertise.
UG’s combined population from the Turkeyen and Tain campuses stands at more than 8000 students, with a staff population in excess of 600. The aims of the institution are to discover, generate, disseminate, and apply knowledge to the highest standard for the service of the community.
