The University of Guyana on Saturday said that it has noted with grave concern the continuous publishing of “un-factual information” concerning the University and several of its officers in specific sections of the media.
A statement from the university did not identify the specific reports. It said that good journalism makes it incumbent upon publishers to check information relating to claims made in letters sent to be published since “publishers may be enjoined in actions which impugn the reputations of noble institutions and reputable individuals”.
It cited a letter published in a section of the Guyanese media on January 01, 2021 and said that Deputy Vice-Chancellors Dr Emanuel Cummings and Dr Mellissa Ifill have not been promoted to the level of Professor.
Further, the University’s Vice-Chancellor Dr Paloma Mohamed is the administrative head of the University and speaks only on matters of policy directly relating to the University.
“She has never and does not make public statements about any political matter since she is not the political head of the University”, the statement said.
The statement added that Dr Emanuel Cummings was not the chair of any committee which appointed the Vice-Chancellor. The University’s Council has outlined the 26-step year-long public process regarding the appointment several times in 2020, the statement said.
The statement further said that “The personal, political affiliations of the Deputy Vice-Chancellors may be a matter of public record and they may represent inclusivity of different ends of the political spectrum. Both the Constitution of Guyana and the University of Guyana’s Acts and Statutes protect the academic citizen’s democratic right to freedom of affiliation, freedom of expression, freedom of speech, or non-speech acts. The University has several internal disciplinary processes which are used if any breaches of policy, laws, or ethics should occur”.
The statement also said that the University as a state institution always works in ”consonance with the government of the day in the best interest of Guyana and all Guyanese”.
