University of Guyana (UG) Registrar Vincent Alexander yesterday said confidential documents on the institution’s financial situation were leaked to the press.
Alexander, in a statement, said that items which have appeared in the media on the financial situation are based on illicit access by persons unknown to confidential documents of the University’s Council.
He added that the documents were not intended to be in the public domain.
Alexander made no specific mention of what documents but a report which was recently prepared by Vice-Chancellor, Lawrence Carrington, was made public. “No official of the University of Guyana has been responsible for disclosure to the media of any aspect of the documents to which reference has been made,” Alexander, however, said. “Any deductions drawn from these documents and items are purely speculative and do not represent decisions of the Council of the University or of the administration of the University,” the statement added.
Carrington’s report bemoaned the lack of government support for the institution, while pointing out that the financial situation at the campus was dire.
He said too that Guyana cannot afford to continue neglecting the needs of its university.
The report said the university’s continuing deficit and its impact on its cash flow is sufficient basis for an increase in the 2011 subvention; the university is now requesting that an additional sum of $250 million be the minimum consideration by the Finance Ministry.
But Education Minister Shaik Baksh said on Monday that government had called for a review of the UG’s strategic plan, which he said is tied to any increased funding for the institution. Baksh said government is committed to improving the University but Cabinet raised concerns about certain aspects of the plan.
UG’s proposed strategic plan 2009-2012 was approved by the University Council in 2009 and Baksh said that it had been the subject of a lot of discussions, both at the Ministry and Cabinet levels.
He said after Cabinet did not accept the plan in its entirety, UG was given the opportunity to conduct a revision of the plan with a view to incorporate the concerns that were expressed.
He said 19 concerns were cited and pointed out to the administration at UG but to date there have been no amendments.
