University of Guyana (UG) Pro-Chancellor Dr Prem Misir says a decision is yet to be taken on raising current tuition fees.
At a media briefing last Thursday, UG Vice-Chancellor Professor Jacob Opadeyi proposed that administrators must find ways to increase UG’s “ridiculously low” tuition fees if it is to be rebranded a high-quality tertiary institution boasting highly qualified lectures and offering a high-quality learning experience to students.
Since then, there has been a wave of criticisms by persons convinced that an amount and an implementation date for the increase may have already been decided upon.
The prevailing view is that plans are in train to raise tuition fees to $355,000 per year, after Opadeyi said that a study revealed that the university spends this sum per student per year while the standard tuition fee for most programmes average around $127,000 per year.
When this newspaper contacted Dr Misir on the matter, he said that persons have been calling to find out when the tuition increase would take effect.
Misir was pellucid that any increase in tuition could only be authorised by the government, although it could be suggested by the UG Council. He also made it clear that his statements are in no way in opposition to Opadeyi’s but to still the storm of confusion stemming from Thursday’s media address.
According to him, while in principle a tuition increase may very well be a good idea, such a hike would only be done after careful consideration. An increase in tuition would extend government liability in terms of government loans which are made available to students to cover tuitions, many of which, he said, are never repaid.
Dr Misir also noted that an increase may place additional strain on persons who are already finding it difficult to afford the tuition at its current cost. Care would have to be taken to ensure that those from low-income households or those who hail from remote areas are not excluded from being able to access tertiary education, he explained.
Opadeyi had noted that there is an economic cost attached to running UG which should not be borne by government subventions. “Up to now the university is run as a social programme and this must change,” he said. Low fees coupled with insufficient subventions and other factors were blamed for the $300 million deficit incurred by UG last year. The new VC said the lack of funds causes many problems for the university and hampers its ability to attract and retain highly qualified lecturers. “A better tuition means more money to pay lecturers,” he said, echoing a position long-held by the members of ‘Operation Rescue UG.’
Misir supported Opadeyi’s view that government cannot continue to bail out the university, noting that because UG depends on government subventions and tuition fees for its financing, the provision of particular programmes have been hampered.
“UG is in a financial rut,” he said, reiterating the vice chancellor’s suggestions that it should look to endowments and partnerships with the private sector to increase its financial capacity.
Nevertheless, Dr Misir said that the institution must continue to remain accessible to members of lower-income households and that this consideration must be including when determining any increase. He also noted that while suggestions can be made, as had been done by Opadeyi, and by the UG Council, the decision to raise fees and by how much ultimately lies with the government.
