Dear Editor,
I write to voice my full support for the recent sit-in and protests by lecturers and students of the University of Guyana. A letter by the UGSS President which appeared in Saturday’s edition of the Stabroek News presents a bleak picture of what the students at UG have been and continue to be faced with.
I attended Guyana’s so-called leading tertiary learning institution from 2004-2007 and was absolutely appalled at its surroundings and general administration. In the three years that I spent there, there were no functioning washrooms or proper eating facilities for students. What happens to students who have to be on campus all day? The surroundings of the university were filthy. There were packs of dogs roaming about, and flooding and leakages in the classrooms. There was a general lack of choice for programmes as there were no proper facilities and/or qualified lecturers to administer these. The library could be described at best, as mediocre. Consequently, apart from attending classes, I never had the desire to spend more time than necessary on campus.
As a young professional who has chosen to live and work in this country (at least for now), it pains me to see my fellow Guyanese having to go through this on a daily basis. We have one University of Guyana (with two campuses) and in 2012 we are still unable to cater to the basic needs of some 1,500 students.
That is astonishing. Why is it that it is a constant battle for Guyanese to enjoy or to be consistently afforded the basic needs of any civilized society, such as a sound education in a comfortable environment? Students are constantly engaged in fund-raising efforts for simple things such as textbooks, lab equipment, furniture, fans and desks for classrooms, because these are either not available at the university or are simply dilapidated.
It is my fervent hope that, as with everything else in this country, it does not take those responsible another few decades to transform UG into an institution of which we can all be proud.
Yours faithfully,
Nazlah Williams
