Dear Editor,
I read in your March 1, 2008 edition that there was no provision for the subvention to the Critchlow Labour College (CLC) in the 2008 budget.
I have been following in the media this issue of the subvention which has traditionally been paid to the CLC for over three decades. This institution has become an integral part of the educational infrastructure in Guyana, helping many people to improve themselves to become useful contributors to Guyana’s development. It helped me to complete my Bache-lor’s Degree at the University of Guyana (UG) as when I was studying at UG due to constant blackouts where I lived in Georgetown I had to study at nights at the CLC.
If the government is serious about its commitment to the country’s development and if it is also serious about the important role of education in Guyana’s development then it needs to reconsider its position on the withdrawal of the subvention. I agree that the CLC would need to ensure that the people’s money is spent wisely, that appropriate reports are made available on a timely basis, and that there is government representation on the management board of the CLC. The management board of the CLC should also reflect the diverse nature of the trade union movement in Guyana. However to argue that the subvention has been withheld because of disunity in the trade union movement in Guyana is spurious at best.
Yours faithfully,
Fitzgerald Yaw jr
New York
