Dear Editor,
We are still a developing country, and unfortunately, our job economy is very poor. Countless numbers of persons are rendered jobless each year. Another shocking truth is that among the unemployed, are staggering numbers of university graduates, many of whom graduate with very high grade point averages. Also, there is the strain of the added competition for jobs by new graduates each year, coupled with those from previous years. This is truly a sad scenario. Of course, our youths deserve better, but before this situation improves, the quality of the University of Guyana education and administration must be enhanced also.
For too long, the University of Guyana, the premier tertiary education provider in this country has been in a slack and dilapidated state. There is little respect for this institution in Guyana and in other countries. In fact, even students realize the shortcomings of the university, and employers are usually hesitant and sceptical about the quality of graduates. The saddest truth is that English is our standard language, and many of these graduates cannot even speak and write the English language in a decent way. How much lower can any university fall when it fails to provide its students with basic, necessary, everyday skills to survive and compete in the job market. This is truly a point to note, as this most common concern of employers cannot be ignored.
Further, are there any appropriate statistics course in the social sciences curriculum of this university? The very shameful answer here is ‘no.’ Do we not realize how fundamental the understanding of research methodology is to an individual’s intellectual development? And what exactly is the criterion that has to be met in order to become employed as a lecturer of the University of Guyana? How many first degree only lecturers do we have at UG? How many fully accomplished professors do we have in relation to the number of students formally registered?
They say the pen is mightier than the sword, meaning that even if everything you have is snatched or stolen from you, no one can ever take your education from you. What education?! Our youths are being robbed every time they sit in a classroom and listen to notes from twenty years ago that are just about obsolete today. They invest hard-earned money to pay for transportation to UG to write a test based on those outdated notes. They endure the lengthy and time-consuming (dare I say draining) registration process, and pay their tuition to the University of Guyana in order to input, process and regurgitate ineffective material. How can UG cater to the changing needs of this changing society, when these very basic changes are not being effected? It is simply erroneous that this continues to happen.
Yours faithfully,
Rachael Bakker
