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The A Partnership of National Unity and Alliance for Change is of the opinion the People’s Progressive Party Government does not see the University of Guyana (UG) playing an important role in society.
In a release the APNU+AFC blasts the government for its promised phased in approach to tuition fee education at UG, stating it is clearer now than ever the government does not see the institution as a priority.
Flaying the government for not budgeting form the UG in the oil rich economy the Opposition pointed out it was doable to set set a few billions of offset the cost of education.
Article 27 in the Constitution of Guyana protects the right to free education expressly stating it is free from nursery to university.
See full statement below:-
THE PPP SEES NO ROLE OF IMPORTANCE FOR THE UNIVERSITY OF GUYANA
Guyana for years, without oil money, offered the youth and people of this country free education at the University level. It is therefore mind boggling that the Irfaan Ali/Bharrat Jagdeo administration is unwilling to immediately ensure that Guyanese enjoy free university education.
It is clearer now than ever that the PPP does not see the University of Guyana community as a national priority. Rather, they view the students, faculty and other workers as an electoral football, to be kicked around as the government pleases. This is the only explanation for the President’s anti-climactic announcement that the University of Guyana would “step by step” be free by 2025, a likely election year, when it should be free and well-funded right now. We have repeatedly called for the University to be made free of charge, but rather than respect the constitutional right of Guyanese to free higher education, the PPP has continued to impose tuition and other fees.
As the national budget ballooned last year to over $900 billion, given the multiple supplementary budgets, there was ample opportunity to provide the few billion dollars required to make the University free of charge. The government chose not to. This is an indication that government spending is in large measure a mechanism to put wealth in the hands of its cronies.
Worse, the President announced that the government will impose a requirement for students to work DURING their studies in any decision to remove tuition. In the President’s own words delivered to University students in mid-December: “When we move to free education and you don’t have the responsibility of an education loan it becomes even more difficult to get you in the workforce while you are studying… our education system must provide a requirement for hours at work.”
While we are of the view that university students should contribute to national development, the Opposition wants to make it absolutely clear: there must be no requirement to work while completing a program, or any similar burden, imposed on Guyanese exercising their right to free higher education. Should this be imposed on students by the current government, we will swiftly and completely reverse this action when in office. Students must be given the opportunity to focus on their studies and must be free to decide whether or not they wish to concurrently work.
We believe in liberating students from the burden of student debt, and will write off all loans for students who work in Guyana after graduation. Removing the burden of such debt will help to stimulate our economy as well as encourage Guyanese to pursue further studies at the University. We will also offer student stipends up to $50,000 a month to University students (as well as students in other tertiary institutions) to encourage the pursuit of education and to reduce the cost of pursuing education. Our goal, as the next Guyanese government, is to liberate and uplift each and every citizen, not to enslave, ensnare or otherwise oppress them. This is our contract with the past and present students of UG.
But our plans go further. We will also uplift the University of Guyana as an institution. Our local university can be one of the best centers of knowledge in the region in numerous academic areas if supported with funding and an enabling environment. We will thus substantially increase funding to the University, with a focus on promoting research, teaching, facilities and other critical elements of faculty and student life. Staff must be paid competitive wages, and we should strive to attract the best talent from across the globe.
The University of Guyana can and will be the beating heart of knowledge creation and application in Guyana. We envisage our academic community as a key catalyst of social and economic development. To this end, the next coalition government will engage the university administration in upgrading the institution’s capacity in data-driven national policy making, applied research, and strategic planning.
Our commitment to the University community is not one of political convenience. The University of Guyana is central to the development of our country and any right-thinking government would appreciate its importance. The University has been left behind as national budgets have soared. We will remedy this tragic error when in office. We will work together with the UG community, both staff and the student body. This is our contract with the University of Guyana and our people generally.
