Dear Editor,
After reading the Stabroek News editorial ‘Fixing things’ (February 5) about the state of Guyana’s university, I have read up a little about UG.
The University of Guyana is saying that it is underfunded by $160M, about 10% of the current budget and they feel that since the cost of training a graduate has shot up from US$1000 to US$1600 per graduate that tuition fees should be raised. Student numbers have dropped from some 5700 to 5400 which results in fewer tuition fees collected to the amount of $40M.
The Guyana Government could provide this funding but they need results, as in improved quality of graduates and number of graduates. Or, businesses could be approached, as they are in the West, for grants.
I suggest that the Government of Guyana look into providing additional funding to the tune of $160M (US$0.8M) to boost staff and student morale. This will have a domino effect as increased morale leads to better performance, and improved performance leads to increased morale.
Yours faithfully,
Sean McLean
