of higher education –Vice-Chancellor
University of Guyana Vice-Chancellor, Professor Lawrence Carrington says that he des not envisage the local university becoming another campus of the University of the West Indies (UWI) but believes that UG can become part of a “regional federation of higher education institutions” which could adequately meet the educational needs of the region.
At a recent press conference arranged by the Guyana Manufacturing & Services Association (GMSA), Carrington opined that “the independent integrity of the University of Guyana is important for a number of national and historical reasons” and consequently stated that the university becoming another campus of the University of the West Indies structure was not necessarily the way to go. The Vice Chancellor believes that it is possible for an independent institution to participate in some kind of regional federation of higher education institutions. To go beyond this, he suggested, would have its own complications.
Carrington emphasized that it was necessary for the relationship between UG and UWI to go as far as possible. He identified this as a process that does not have an end and said that the institutions have to grow closer. He said that UG and UWI had already developed a partnership, and he outlined several development areas, where the two institutions could collaborate. These included a Quality Assurance Initiative, Administrative Reform (for UG), support for Curriculum Review, support for the development of common courses that can be offered and distance delivery of programmes. He said that the relationships between institutions within the region has to grow closer if these bodies are going to produce students that meet the demands of the society.
Chairman of the Private Sector Commission Capt Gerry Gouveia, at a recent GMSA-sponsored luncheon held at the Regency Suites, had called for UG to become part of UWI. He was also present at the press conference last week and he called for UG to become a campus of UWI. He said that with the emphasis on Caricom Integration, education should be one of the lead players in this regard. He also opined that this would benefit the Caribbean with its limited population and resources. Gouveia further stated that this collaboration would help the University of Guyana with its curriculum and he said that persons from across the Caribbean would be able to come to Guyana and be enrolled as students.
In response, Carrington opined that the same impact could be achieved with closer networking between UWI and UG, without the latter becoming another campus of the regional university. He said that UWI itself had its own issues and tensions and opined that the same kind of forces which had put Caricom “in a precarious position” had also put the integrity of the regional university “in a precarious situation.” He, however, said that there was enough background experience to work towards a co-operative initiative to enhance all of their outputs.
