- “EDUCATION is PIVOTAL and opens the door to FREEDOM, with a Path to Possibilities.”
- “EDUCATION is ONE of the KEY DRIVERS to SUCCESS for Individuals and a Nation as a Whole, as Education is a very CRITICAL Social Protection MEASURE and a MEANS of escaping poverty.”
- “A Society without EDUCATION is a Society without Knowledge, which can never be Independent.”
There is an urgent need for a “Development Plan for Education” due to the overwhelming blessings from OIL & GAS revenues, and for Guyanese to be prepared for the many opportunities. We need a visionary leader in education, who listens and consults and is driven to achieve goals, but also very empathetic with equality and justice to all, including the use of “honey” in place of “lemon.”
The Development Plan for Education to be for 1, 2. 3, 5 and 10 years, which can be adjusted yearly. The Government with its vast natural resources revenues is expected to take the lead on all strategic, critical, and needed plans to include citizens, civil societies, and opposition parties. Do recommend a NATIONAL COMMISSION ON EDUCATION with 3 persons from each of Guyana’s 10 Regions, and 3 persons from the Diaspora.
Guyana’s decision makers can readily see, read, and know that OIL & GAS wealth has not benefited the poor in Venezuela, Nigeria, Indonesia, Equatorial Guinea, Chad, and Cameroon. Mexico, Venezuela, and Nigeria are largely Government owned, and New York Times wrote in 2003 “ PEMEX, Mexico with at least USD $1 Billion in internal corruption, and Nigeria is a similar case.” December 25, 2022, Kaieteur News, By Kiana Wilburg, “ Oil-rich Ghana in 2019 was dubbed fastest growing economy on earth but now drowning in debt. West African nation offers a scary lessons for Guyana.”
Few may know that there exists a “National Development Strategy”, “ Low Carbon Development Strategy”, and “ National Competitiveness Strategy”, and it will be wise for these strategies to be widely available to the public.
Globally the 3 key drivers for Nations, are now Education, Health, and Infrastructure. New Zealand is at the very top of the scale – 21.6 percent of the country’s total public expenditure is devoted to education, Mexico is not far behind with 20.5 percent., and is similar in Brazil where a significant proportion of public finances, 19.2 percent, gets spent on the education system.
The Top Twenty countries with the best educational systems are China, Singapore, Estonia, Japan, South Korea, Canada, Finland, Poland, Ireland, Slovenia, United Kingdom, New Zealand, Netherlands, Sweden, Denmark, Germany, Belgium, Australia, Switzerland, and Norway. Guyana has Diplomatic Relations with many of these twenty countries and should arrange to learn their “best practices in education.”
People everywhere with the same dreams, hopes and desires for themselves and families. Governmental Power can be intoxicated with preferences for party supporters, BUT all the great religions of the world, encourages, to be of assistance to all, especially the needy. INVESTMENTS in PEOPLE is a KEY for Human Development. EDUCATION is the key for the ongoing transformations in Singapore, Qatar and Israel, New Zealand, and Norway.
UNIVERSITY OF GUYANA (UG)
The Vision of His Excellency Linden Forbes Sampson Burnham Esq, and His Excellency Dr. Cheddi B. Jagan, was for FREE EDUCATION at UG, and with the OIL & GAS Revenues, it is hoped that Minister Dr. Ashni Singh, will implement this vision in the 2023 Annual Budget.
11th Vice Chancellor of the University of Guyana Professor Dr. Paloma Mohamed-Martin recently at the recent Commencement revealed that the University of Guyana (UG) is owed in excess of GY $600M in student debt. Dr. Mohamed- Martin noted, however, that despite the large sum of monies owed, the University still allows students to complete their education, and consideration should be given for debt write offs, for deserving students. All UG’s graduating students should serve for 3 years in the Civil Service, Private Sector or with NGO’s.
Education in Guyana with Billions USD, and UG to be Pivotal for Education, Better Accreditations, Visiting Faculties, Better Pay and Employment Conditions for staff & Faculty, Enhancement for Infrastructure, retooling and training of staff, building of smart classrooms, new Library building, training for Librarians to manage a state-of-the-art library, enhancing the Library stock and digitizing of collections to build virtual libraries, better funding for all aspects of the University of Guyana.
Strenuous efforts to develop, maintain and expand “ good working relations” with ALL the unions. UG and the Nation suffered with past strikes which greatly affected students, faculties, and administration. reminder, progress is not a straight line, but all can be worked out with trust, dialogue, and faith. It is not wise for different agencies promoting, advocating, and managing educational items, in place of UG.
Items helpful to UG with Government’s sustained support
- Develop appropriate non-monetary benefits, free land, and duty-free concessions
- Major Focus, on Natural and Agricultural science, mathematics, engineering, and Information Technology (IT)
- To make UG a major regional research university
- To establish a regional English-Language center for South America
- Seek assistances from donor countries for educational professionals to work in Guyana on 3 years’ Contracts.
- To utilise the talents of the Diaspora in Education, Health, Training, Management, Technologies, Engineering and Robotics, by creating a list of available persons, with UG’s reach outs.
- To actively recruit Diaspora to spend ONE or MORE Semesters to teach at UG.
UG’s 11th. VC Professor Dr. Paloma Mohamed Martin will need to be an excellent communicator internally and externally, to take the leadership role, when necessary, be a motivator, and listener with notes for follow ups. Delegation is never a substitute for “hands on” when dealing with other Universities and high officials.
