The University of Guyana (UG) Council yesterday said ‘no’ to a proposal from Vice-Chancellor Ivelaw Griffith to rent the building at the corner of Camp and Lamaha streets, Georgetown, for a downtown campus.
Griffith had submitted a proposal to rent the five-storey building so as to facilitate “pursuit of an entrepreneurial vision and to enable easy access by the potential participants in the continuing and new programming focused on sustainable development through entrepreneurship and innovation.”
He justified the acquisition of the space by stating the there was a lack of appropriate space at the Turkeyen Campus and that there was a need to introduce new programmes and other revenue-generating measures.
The proposal, which was circulated to the council, said that the main cost associated with the campus were a one-time investment of $5 million to alter the facility to suit the needs of the university; a one-time investment of $4 million in furniture and equipment; rent of $6 million per month; utilities of $2,524,000 in the first year; and maintenance of $1,268,000 in the first year.
Using these numbers, rental of the building would’ve cost the university more that $84 million in the first year. According to one council member, who wished not to be named, this was an expense the council decided that the university could not bear.
Stabroek News contacted Griffith for comment on the council’s decision and he promised a press release detailing all decisions made by council yesterday. Up to press time the release had not been received.
