Tuition hike at UG will not necessarily improve the institution

TIMES INT'L

Dear Editor,
The Georgetown Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GCCI) has endorsed the call by the University of Guyana (UG) administration to increase tuition fees, saying that an increase in funds can equip the tertiary institution with the necessary resources to produce a higher calibre of graduates to serve the private sector.
Higher tuition fees can never guarantee a better quality of education. Quality is contingent upon the actual ability and qualifications of the entrants, the course content, and the ability of the lecturer to teach the material.
In recent times, the quality of the degree at UG has been waning. This problem must be backtracked. In many instances, it is that students who are admitted to the university just cannot reach the standard; hence, the course is lowered to suit these or to make a lecturer look good. I can prove this by asking any first year student, even before starting studies, to do a simple diagnostic test in English or Mathematics.
The questions do not reflect solidity of students, nor are they of a very high academic standard. This has been a complaint from many leading lecturers at the institution. I was made to understand that a few lecturers were censured for sticking to that old standard thing.  One even had many problems with the new “copy and paste” plagiarism thing that is now so common. Something is wrong somewhere then. So that hike in tuition fees may not redound into a quality degree.
The prevailing mindset in Guyana will most likely preclude the pursuit of a quality degree from UG. Like I said before, questions hover around how good is a graduate from UG. Then even if the degree is quite weighty, people ask if it can sway other universities and employers outside of Guyana.
Is this why rich people send their children to study outside of Guyana? Is this why the off-shore schools here are attracting more and more people? I am saying that we have to have many long sessions with every possible stakeholder. The matter will take a lot of doing when we are talking fees, quality, and viability of university education.
Yours respectfully,
Heather Gould

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