The University of Guyana Council has approved the creation of a UG Trans-formation Task Force. This is according to newly appointed University of Guyana Chancellor, Professor Nigel Harris.
During his keynote address at the university’s 49th convocation on Saturday, the chancellor explained that the task force will work with all sectors of the nation to develop a “credible plan” to decisively address some of the challenges facing UG.
Professor Harris praised outgoing Vice Chancellor, Professor Jacob Opadeyi for several achievements including the enhancement of the financial accountability and management systems of UG, reduction of the institution’s deficit by negotiating additional government funding, facilitating the promotion of a number of faculty members while working to ensure that a greater percentage of academic staff has higher degrees, and enhancing linkages with the private sector.
Praise was also given to Opadeyi for his major role in managing the World Bank-funded UG Technology Support project which it is hoped would help transform Science, Technology and Engineering education at UG.
Harris however explained that “issues of an underfunded institution, non-competitive staff salaries, gaps in capacities to undertake some teaching and research programmes and inadequate infrastructure and differing views about how best to address these issues create difficulties for both managers and staff.”
Noting that UG is not the sole responsibility of the government nor that of the management and staff, Harris said, “it is critical that all sectors of our nation re-engage more to carry this institution to the next level for our sake and for the sake of generations to come.”
“To this end Council approved [on Friday] the creation of a UG Transformation Task Force that will work with all sectors of our nation to devise a credible plan to address some of the chronic governance and resource problems we face,” he told the attendees.
