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(480, 'und', 'node_search', '  40m soil testing lab for tain campus  40m soil testing lab for tain campus 40m soil testing lab for tain campus webmaster sat 12022017 1930 farmers will soon be able to make a better judgment of the soil now that local rice company nand persaud and company limited has invested 40m in the university of guyana ug to have a soil testing facility built at tain campus berbice the company s managing director ragindra persaud signed a memorandum of understanding mou with the university of guyana ug at the 10th session of turkeyen and tain talks at the pegasus hotel on thursday evening studies have proven that the practice and use of soil testing has become widely accepted in agribusiness both by farmers and industry internationally and guyana will not be left out said persaud during his address to the pegasus gathering the facility is expected to give farmers from across the country the opportunity to understand what the soil needs in order to know what fertilisers to use and increase their yield persaud believes the cost of production will also be reduced because farmers will know exactly what to apply and to what amount according to research soil test reports generally provide farmers with appropriate fertiliser such as application recommendations for nitrogen phosphorous potassium and limestone soil testing also allows for determining the micronutrient requirements of crop it is a farm management tool with a potential benefit to the farmer mainly increased yields reduced operating costs and superior environmental risk management we are in rice and we decided to take on this project because we think that farmers are doing things and they are not doing it scientifically said the managing director of nand persaud and company limited he said farmers should be looking in the direction of reducing costs especially in the rice industry because the demand for rice has increased and will continue to rise in the future persaud made reference to the recent cuban and mexican rice deals with guyana and pointed out that those two countries import some one million tonnes of rice annually guyana however lacks the ability to fully supply those markets because it exports only an average of 500000 tonnes of rice annually ug vice chancellor professor ivelaw griffith was in full support of the businessman but called on more corporate and international organisations to partner with the university to initiate similar programmes article adapted from  http guyanachroniclecom 2017120140msoiltestinglabfortaincampus nand persaud and company limited ', 0),
(481, 'und', 'node_search', ' rice manufacturer university of guyana partner to improve soil water testing rice manufacturer university of guyana partner to improve soil water testing rice manufacturer university of guyana partner to improve soil water testing webmaster sat 12022017 1934 one of guyana s leading rice manufacturers exporters has agreed to help the university of guyana ug establish a gy 40 million soil and water testing research centre at the berbice campus the memorandum of understanding was signed by the chief executive officer of nand persaud group of companies rajendra persaud and vice chancellor of the university of guyana professor ivelaw griffith at the 10th turkeyen and tain talks held at the pegasus hotel on thursday persaud told the public forum on climate change that his company was motivated to ink the deal with ug because rice farmers are not taking a scientific approach to their work we take this gesture to do this here because we feel that farmers are doing things and they are not doing it very scientifically he said while the center would be located in berbice he said it would be accessible to farmers from other areas of guyana he expects that the centre would help rice farmers conduct soil tests with the aim of increasing yield by applying the right fertilizer and eventually lower their cost of production as a company we would like to see the industry be successful he said the ceo of nand persaud forecast an increase in demand for rice by cuba and mexico which together import almost one million tonnes of the grain while guyana exports half of that amount with those two markets we cannot supply enough rice so i think we need to start doing things more scientifically so that we can maximise yield maximise profit for the farmers and i think this lab will definitely help farmers to do better he said article adapted from  https demerarawavescom 20171201 ricemanufactureruniversityofguyanapartnertoimprove  nand persaud group of companies ', 0),
(482, 'und', 'node_search', ' nand persaud invests 40m in ug tain campus for soil testing lab nand persaud invests 40m in ug tain campus for soil testing lab nand persaud invests 40m in ug tain campus for soil testing lab webmaster sat 12022017 1939 with guyana lacking the capability to fully support international markets with rice the industry will soon benefit from a multimilliondollar soil testing lab at the university of guyana ug tain campus berbice this new initiative will help farmers to make better judgment of the soil nand persaud and company limited recently donated 40m to start the project signing the memorandum of understanding mou last thursday evening at the pegasus hotel was the company s managing director ragindra persaud and principal of ug professor ivelaw griffith the ceo of the company said that studies have proven that soil testing plays a critical role in the production of all crops since soils are necessary for the various produces the soil laboratory will help farmers all across guyana to be better able to make the right judgments when it comes to the soil and what it needs rather than guessing he added that the lab will assist the farmers to make scientific decisions on what fertiliser to apply to the soil persaud said that after the soils are tested one would know what deficiency the soil has and the farmers will replace that the farmers will also reduce the spending on fertilisers cost since they will know the right and adequate amount they have to apply to the soil persaud told the audience that farmers should be looking in the direction of reducing cost especially in the rice industry since the demand for rice is on the rise he added that guyana exports an average of 500000 tonnes of rice annually he reminded about the cuban and mexican rice deal the countries import some one million tonnes of rice annually the equipment for the soil lab will be supplied during the first part of the new year according to persaud article adapted from  https wwwkaieteurnewsonlinecom 20171202 nandpersaudinvests40minugtaincampusforsoiltestingl  tain campus nand persaud group of companies ', 0),
(483, 'und', 'node_search', ' cops recognised for top performance at ug cops recognised for top performance at ug cops recognised for top performance at ug webmaster sat 12022017 2050 in recognition of their exemplary achievements and qualifications acting commissioner of police david ramnarine on friday congratulated those ranks of the force who recently graduated from both the turkeyen and tain campuses of the university of guyana ramnarine made the comments at an event he held in the commissioner s board room in his congratulatory remarks the acting commissioner applauded the graduates for their efforts but also drew to their attention that they are members of a noble institution whose services are in demand adding that they are now endowed with higher learning ramnarine said it is expected and required that their performances on the job in particular the quality of leadership and supervision they exhibit must improve to their benefit and that of the organisation and the society at large two superintendents brian eastman and mahendra siwnarine who received the prestigious prime minister s medal have been awarded a plaque each by the force in recognition of their achievementeastman won his on the 49th convocation of the university whilst siwnarine won his last monthsuperintendent eastman who is currently pursuing his masters in public management is head of special branch with superintendent siwnarine is his deputy the graduates eight in total are superintendents julius wright and mahendra siwnarine degree in public management inspectors nicola kendall and kevin london commonwealth masters in public administration inspector dellon elexey degree in international relations inspector alexis david degree in communication sergeant pearl jacobs degree in business management and constable darryl thompson diploma in public management thompson graduated at the tain campus article adapted from  http guyanachroniclecom 20171202 copsrecognisedfortopperformanceatug guyana police force ', 0),
(484, 'und', 'node_search', ' guyana s oil sector should fund green economy divert fossil fuel cash to climate change resilience experts guyana s oil sector should fund green economy divert fossil fuel cash to climate change resilience experts guyana s oil sector should fund green economy divert fossil fuel cash to climate change resilience experts webmaster sat 12022017 2059 guyana s oil revenues should be used to finance the development of renewable energy sources and cash normally spent on fossil fuels should be fund systems that can resist the impact of climate change say top local and regional officials anticipated earnings from the oil and gas sector should fund guyana s transition to a green economy and provide a mechanism for a greenhouse gas setoff to compensate for greenhouse gases emanating from this sector presidential adviser on the environment retired rear admiral gary best told a university of guyana ug organised forum titled climate change the guyana imperative for prospering in a climate altered world he said guyana would require significant obligated public and private financing to address climate change adaptation and mitigation best noted that guyana was on track to ensuring that sufficient funds are made available in this regard given the endless debate on what constitutes new and additional financial resources he argued that climate adaptation measures do not yield significant profits and climate financing institutions have not provided new and additional cash as mandated by the united nations framework convention on climate change causing many countries count overseas development assistance as climate finance contributions best also took issue with the recently introduced insurance mechanism to cover most vulnerable persons against the the most adverse effects of climate change this is now an insurance mechanism driven and controlled by the developed countries it is not new and additional climate finance this is another control mechanism and deviation from public funding of adaptation efforts he said he noted that an adaptation fund which should have been funded by public funds as a key adaptation bank has been overtaken by a green climate fund now being capitalised through significant private sources the caribbean community s caricom programme manager for energy dr devon gardner added that guyana and other caribbean countries should not depend need to generate a renewable energy plan that could allow them to divert a lot of their fossil fuel expenses to developing infrastructure and other systems that can resist the impact of climate change gardner he said guyana has the capacity to produce bioenergy at 1213 us cents per kilowatt hour solar energy and small hydropower stations a system that is properly planned and a system that is suitably designed can in fact just not just mitigate greenhouse gas emissions but really derive a greater benefit that of adaptation he said gardner agreed with best that the region could no longer depend on the international community to pay for climate adaptation we must find ways of means of being able to raise resources from within our internal structures that can support some of our adaptation plans and the place to find much of those resources is in the energy sector because the energy sector is where most of our economies bleed the caricom secretariat official told the 10th turkeyen tain talks named after ug s campuses in georgetown and berbice the caricom programme manager on energy noted that energy costs are up to 29 percent of gross domestic product gdp in some countries and in the case of guyana energy imports last year accounted for 24 percent of gdp he also highlighted the vulnerability of the caribbean to higher oil prices as a result of hurricanes that slam the gulf of mexico further depleting the region of much needed foreign exchange that should be spent on social sector development salaries and develop infrastructure that could withstand the effects of climate change if the system is properly designed those numbers can in fact go down to the extent where much of that money that is being spent on energy imports could be channeled elsewhere to design the kind of agricultural systems that are more adaptable to climate change to improve some of the coastal infrastructure to make them more resilient to climate change to the flooding that is likely to come and to the countries of the caribbean where hurricanes are obviously an issue he said finance minister winston jordan in delivering his 2018 national budget speech last week in the house said already the installation of solar photovoltaic panels on 70 government buildings including ministries schools and health centres has resulted in a 186 gigawatt of power savings last year government also installed 10427 led lamps and 3766 motionsensors across 46 buildings government intends to next year install more panels on 74 additional buildings and an additional 10610 lamps and 1486 motion sensors all of which jordan said could save taxpayers gy 455 million per year in energy costs in conclusion gardner said the region needs the 3ps prioritization planning and partnership to build energy resilience article adapted from  http demerarawavescom 20171202 guyanasoilsectorshouldfundgreeneconomydivertfossil  oil turkeyen tain talks ', 0),
(485, 'und', 'node_search', ' gpl operating below industry standard gpl operating below industry standard gpl operating below industry standard webmaster thu 12072017 556 guyana in april 2016 signed the paris climate change agreement amidst public commitments to achieve 100 per cent renewable energy by 2025 but experts have been painting a dire reality about guyana s energy sector one such reality concerns the capacity of the guyana power and light gpl responsible for the distribution of electricity across the length and breadth of guyana experts say gpl has such outdated infrastructure that integrating renewable energy into its grid would be an uphill task head of the caribbean community caricom secretariat s energy unit dr devon gardner speaking during the recent university of guyana turkeyen and tain talks identified gpl s generation and distribution systems as below industry standard he noted that while gpl is contending with reaching unserved areas there is also pressure surrounding the utility company going green he painted a picture of a company that has bitten off more than it could chew to start with the grid they currently operate is not in the best of shape to say it mildly there s not a lot of investment that is going into the grid right now and the fact is it s always difficult to manage and maintain infrastructure in countries like guyana where the population density is very small compared to the distance over which the grid is run dr gardner explained that the longer the transmission line the more a utility company s losses are likely to be from both a technical and criminal standpoint from the increased possibility of theft the specialist noted that this all amounts to lost revenue and investment diverted away from upgrading the grid looking at the generation system not even talking about the fact that it is fossil fuel based the capacity at which power is being generated by gpl is 10 to 15 per cent less efficient than the standard the average rate for the generators is around 8200 btu british thermal unit per kilowatt he said adding that this is around 10 per cent higher than what is average in the industry so gpl is 10 to 15 per cent less efficient in addition the transmission losses are currently 28 per cent for perspective gardner explained that the industry standard of transmission losses is five to six per cent compared to gpl s 28 per cent he noted that as a result of these statistics gpl could stand to benefit from the introduction of renewables he noted the potential not only to reduce carbon emissions but to also lighten the load on the pockets of consumers if gpl were to switch to renewables but he said the issue is a complicated one and he cited gpl s infrastructure as a major hindrance to renewable energy even if gpl wanted to put wind and solar right now it s going to be difficult to put significant amounts because the critical issue is because the grid is so unstable it s not modern it means you would run the risk of the system becoming destabilised by the fluctuations and variations of the solar and wind generation he explained so the grid issue is a primary source of concern because without fixing that it limits the ability to put certain types of renewables into your grid but there are opportunities for gpl to look at the way it is currently expanding its gridding he declared notwithstanding the state of its infrastructure dr gardner said gpl is taking steps in going green initiatives sharing the panel with him was project officer for the project management department of gpl amir dillawar while the young engineer confirmed the stark reality of gardner s contributions he identified what the company is doing about it what we have done is advertised recently for three utility scale solar sites dillawar said one is in demerara one in berbice and one in anna regina the intention is to shortlist from that public round persons to move to proposal stage where we will enter a build own operate and transfer boot arrangement dillawar explained essentially the company would build own and operate the solar sites he said adding we will buy power from them so there are three threemegawatt sites and there are ongoing negotiations on finalising the hope beach windfarm project there are restrictions to what and how you can technically put infrastructure but we are making moves to have a greening of the sector little by little he explained in the finance ministry s 2017 midyear report it was detailed that gpl s expenditure increased from 93 billion in the first half of 2016 to 126 billion in the same period this year interestingly enough this increase in expenditure was noted to be due to higher costs for heavy fuel oil hfo reinforcing the need for clean and renewable energy if the government hopes to cut costs recent issues with the transmission of power have caused the private sector commission psc to take the power company to task for the spate of blackouts article adapted from  http wwwinewsguyanacom gploperatingbelowindustrystandard  gpl dr devon gardner turkeyen tain talks caricom ', 0),
(486, 'und', 'node_search', '  waitandsee attitude won t work  waitandsee attitude won t work waitandsee attitude won t work webmaster thu 12072017 652 presidential adviser on the environment rear admiral gary best sharing his take on climate change with the audience at the pegasus hotel on thursday while climate change may be regarded the world over as one of the biggest crises facing humanity most caribbean leaders seemingly beg to differ the was starkly brought to the fore thursday evening by dean of the faculty of earth and environmental sciences at the university of guyana ug dr paulette bynoe within the caribbean we have a culture of waitandsee when it comes to environmental management we are reactive and in most cases when we react it is too late she said a riskbased approach is needed in order to mitigate or adapt to the effects of climate change she told participants gathered at the pegasus hotel to ponder upon the subject the guyana imperative for prospering in a climatealtered world as defined by the united nations framework convention on climate change unfccc climate change is a change of climate that is attributed directly or indirectly to human activity altering the composition of the global atmosphere due to climate change the world is faced with global warming which is the increase in the overall temperature of the earth s atmosphere generally attributed to the greenhouse effect caused by increased levels of carbon dioxide chlorofluorocarbons cfcs and other pollutants that and other adverse effects of climate change are being felt by almost every country including those in the caribbean but according to dr bynoe in spite off all the evidence before them some regional leaders are still taking a reactionary approach to dealing with the matter still reeling countries such as dominica and the british virgin islands she said are still reeling from the effects of hurricanes irma and maria which tore through parts of the caribbean in august and september leaving scores dead and infrastructure destroyed beyond repair and while some are still in doubt as to whether the intensity of hurricanes maria and irma had to do with climate change the experts know better the intensity of both hurricanes had seemingly taken the countries by surprise since most caribbean leaders were reportedly not expecting them to be so severe most speakers present at the discussion shared their views on climate change but maintained their focus on the subject at hand turning her attention to the local economy dr bynoe said there needs to be a stronger political commitment and will in order to address climate change there must be political commitment for not just a specific time but over a period of time so that the commitments can translate to policies that are geared towards dealing with the effects of climate change she said she made reference to several assessments and agreements which the government can use as a guideline when patterning policies one agreement in particular that was touted by most of the speakers was the paris agreement accord de paris paris climate accord or paris climate agreement which guyana is a part of it is an agreement within the unfccc dealing with greenhouse gas emissions mitigation adaptation and finance starting in the year 2020 the paris agreement the language of the agreement was negotiated by representatives of 196 parties at the 21st conference of the parties of the unfccc in paris and adopted by consensus on 12 december 2015 as of november 2017 195 unfccc members have reportedly signed the agreement and 170 have become party to it bynoe said the agreement aims to respond to the global climate change threat by keeping the global temperature rise this century well below 2 degrees celsius above preindustrial 1840s levels and to pursue efforts to limit the temperature increase even further to 15 degrees celsius students of ug and persons who were present at the discussion questioned how global warming can be mitigated if most of the economies are driven by fossil fuel and have increasing populations the intergovernmental panel on climate change ipcc fifth assessment report had highlighted that because of the aforementioned factors there has been an increase in the surface temperature and it is expected to get far worse heat waves will occur more often there will be extreme precipitation events and the ocean will warm and acidify added to the rise in global sea levels said bynoe she believes that if guyana is going to respond to those changes then there must be economic empowerment through financial flows since the developed countries have held back on their promise to financially support lesser developed countries in the area of climate adaptation oil money since guyana is expected to be an exporter of petroleum after 2020 presidential adviser on the environment rear admiral gary best believes that the earnings from that new industry should fund guyana s transition to a green economy guyana s contribution to reducing climate change impacts according to his interpretation would require public finance flows for the adaptation of climate change and private finance for mitigation he added that overall mainstreaming of adaptation and mitigation measures into the national budget seem to be a matter of course the adverse effects of climate change have been evident in guyana since 2005 when almost the entire country was flooded due to heavy rainfall according to vicechancellor dr ivelaw griffith the damages incurred during that period cost the country some us 450m which is almost 60 per cent of the country s gross domestic product gdp since then the government of guyana was able to recognise the issue and implemented the lowcarbon development strategy lcds through which guyana benefited from a us 200m agreement with norway to preserve the rainforest and by extension mitigate the effects of climate change on the other hand access to funds for adaptation has been a challenge since the international adaptation fund was overridden by the green climate fund which was established within the framework of the unfccc to assist developing countries in adaptation and mitigation practices to counter climate change he said although the unfccc had declared that guyana bared no responsibility for climate change it is still an issue which affects the global population so best urged persons to help the government work towards the realisation of a green economy article adapted from  http guyanachroniclecom 20171205 waitandseeattitudewontwork turkeyen tain talks gary best climate change ', 0),
(487, 'und', 'node_search', ' university of guyana commissions new registry building university of guyana commissions new registry building university of guyana commissions new registry building webmaster thu 12072017 710 registration the issuance of transcripts and everything in between will now flow smoothly for the students of the university of guyana following the commissioning of a new registry building at the turkeyen campus according to vicechancellor of the university of guyana professor ivelaw griffith the building aims to benefit the registry staff and students of the turkeyen university is it necessarily all that we want no but it is much better than what we have had allowing us to enable our staff to be in a place of comfort and enabling us to have the students be served in a place of comfort professor griffith said meanwhile president of the university of guyana student society ugss norwel hinds said the new building should also serve to encourage the renewal of services being provided although it serves the building the practical purpose of consolidating services and consolidating your focus on student services in particular it also serves as a symbolic indicator on the focus on renewal for campus the forging of new attitude consistent with the philosophy of servant leadership hinds posited immediate past registrar of the university vincent alexander in noting his satisfaction at witnessing the building come to fruition outlined several changes made over the past few years and the importance of a registry for students attending the university the 863m threestory building is outfitted with several air conditioner systems and laptops that will enhance the services provided to over 8000 students at the turkeyen campus georgetown the construction of the new registry was financed under the ministry of education s annual budget article adapted from  http ginagovgy universityofguyanacommissionsnewregistrybuilding  registry c nigel gravesande ministry of education ', 0),
(488, 'und', 'node_search', ' ug opens new registry building at turkeyen campus ug opens new registry building at turkeyen campus ug opens new registry building at turkeyen campus webmaster thu 12072017 717 the university of guyana ug in its aim to provide more effective and efficient service to students has opened a new registry building at its turkeyen campus yesterday s opening ceremony saw the cutting of the ribbon to the new building and the unveiling of a plaque as well as the handing over of 10 laptops to the admissions division from the education resource ambassadors in north america the construction of the threestorey building was funded by ug with support from the ministry of education at a total cost of 86265000 immediate past registrar of the university vincent alexander recalled the eightyearlong challenge that had been faced in making the new building a reality he related though that even before the building s construction the department was restructured inclusive of the upgrading of the job requirements and job parameters and the computerisation and digitisation of the system he noted that although the student population has been growing rapidly the registry has retained the same number of staff currently the registry department of the university is staffed with 87 full and parttime staff members all of whom service approximately 8000 students across two campuses and four institute of distance and continuing education idce centres registrar dr nigel gravesande emphasised that the registry is the first and last point of interaction for university students and therefore should be studentfocused and studentfriendly the student experience begins at the registry from the time of application and school visits in a structured outreach programme and can continue long after graduation when testimonials and transcripts are required from our alumni ours is a mission to provide a studentfocused and a studentfriendly environment servicing the needs of prospective current and past students gravesande stated ug vicechancellor dr ivelaw griffith made a plea for students to respect the resources of the university in a bid to not reverse the work put in by others to develop it he stated that despite the challenges that have come with managing a university where the student enrolment has grown beyond the physical and other support systems efforts have been made to ensure that today there is a facility that persons can be proud of please students and staff view this place as your place please students and staff protect this place as you would protect your own place griffith charged we have the unfortunate reality of being a microcosm of our broader society where you sometimes don t see ownership and respect by the way in which people keep their surroundings treat the facilities let us not undo the work of many people over the years and people who are continuing to do work with this university by disrespecting this place he added also delivering remarks yesterday was norwell hinds president of the university of guyana students society the building itself although it serves the practical purpose of consolidating services and consolidating their focus on student services in particular it also serves a symbolic purpose symbolic in the case of focus on renewal for our campus the forging of a new attitude to the system with a philosophy of servant leadership and that type of leadership recognises the student as an asset as a client as a partner hinds stated appearing in the stead of the minister of education nicolette henry yesterday was assistant chief education officer owen pollard who said that the development of the building would in turn aid the development of the country article adapted from  https wwwstabroeknewscom 2017 news stories 1206 ugopensnewregistrybuildingatturkeyencampus  registry turkeyen campus c nigel gravesande ', 0),
(492, 'und', 'node_search', ' lucas sees 2018 as breakout year for ug s school of business lucas sees 2018 as breakout year for ug s school of business lucas sees 2018 as breakout year for ug s school of business webmaster sat 12092017 1129 five months after the university of guyana s school of entrepreneurship and business sebi was launched dean of the new institution guyaneseborn professor leyland lucas has told the stabroek business that some of the challenges that repose in ensuring that the institution delivers on its mandate repose in the fact that it is different it is not an orthodox business school from the outset sebi had committed to what it had determined from careful research was the need to respond to a counterproductive deficit in disciplines related to operating in both the public and private sectors in areas related to the effective delivery of goods and services not surprisingly therefore sebi has found itself challenged by a student body that is anything but conventional comprising as it does classes ranging from students with orthodox academic ambitions to those whose livelihoods depend on grasping the essentials necessary to run a business of their own some of our students have come to us with challenges that have nothing to do with academia they are simply preoccupied with finding answers to those questions that have to do with running their own businesses lucas told stabroek business frankly we recognize that some of our courses are still not fully developed to meet those needs we hope that this will happen in the second term but there is he says an upside to the complex mix of interests that comprise sebi s classes lucas embraces the outcomes of interaction on business issues that bring together the orthodox students and the hardnosed hustlers in exchanges that pit the orthodoxy of business theory against how it works in practice lucas believes that the outcomes of these exchanges are almost always more rewarding what has transpired since july has reinforced his view that sebi itself remains a work in progress and that the tweaking to ensure that it becomes the correct fit to meet the needs of the students will have to persist for some time for the lecturers the journey has been an interesting one lucas says that they have learnt to deal with the dichotomy between and amongst the interests that obtain inside the classroom what this means is that we tend to have conversations rather than lecturers they are structured in a manner that allows for conversations rather than lectures we want the business people to be part of the conversations long before sebi had launched its classes it had been engaging both public and private sector institutions those discourses lucas says persists with agencies like the staterun small business bureau which has already collaborated with sebi to stage a business symposium professor lucas sees 2018 as a breakout year during which sebi will intensify its engagements with both the public and private sectors with a views to determining how its offerings can improve the effectiveness of their operations outside of the state agencies that include entities like the guyana office for investment goinvest sebi s 2018 to do list also includes meetings with the private sector commission the guyana manufacturing services association the georgetown chamber of commerce and industry gcci and the guyana association of bankers in 2018 sebi seeks to further promote what it has to offer professor lucas told stabroek business that ongoing discussions with the banking community could lead to the rolling out of a diploma in banking and finance next year will also see sebi offering a customer service certificate programme for the medical sector article adapted from  https wwwstabroeknewscom 2017 business 1208 lucassees2018asbreakoutyearforugsschoolofbusiness  sebi leyland lucas ', 0),
(493, 'und', 'node_search', ' company to oversee guyana s commercial petroleum interests to be created next year company to oversee guyana s commercial petroleum interests to be created next year company to oversee guyana s commercial petroleum interests to be created next year webmaster sat 12092017 1142  local scientific institute logistics base also on the cards natural resources minister raphael trotman has disclosed three key objectives which the government of guyana will be pursuing in 2018 to consolidate its capacity to effectively service a modern oil and gas industry including a national oil company which will be charged with responsibility for overseeing the country s commercial interest in the sector at the same time trotman said that during next year government will be seeking the support of the government of mexico in pursuit of the creation of a scientific institute to support cutting edge regulation and development of the sector and an onshore logistics base that will serve both as a revenue earner as well as to support the development of other local industries making these disclosures during a presentation to a november 24 stakeholder symposium at the university of guyana titled identifying and meeting the demands for engineering and operations management skill required in guyana s emerging oil and gas industry trotman also cautioned his audience on the importance of us disabusing ourselves of the notion that large capital investment in the oil industry translates into significant levels of direct employment guyanese he said must instead continue to bear in mind that the oil industry generates revenue levels that can be made available to expand development and provide jobs in other sectors of the economy trotman declared addressing a gathering at the turkeyen campus that included both lecturers and students trotman said that the advent of an oil economy will have the effect of creating many more jobs outside of the sector as you shift think also of enhancing skills that are transferrable to other sectors trotman told his audience contextually the natural resources minister cited fabrication which he said could be utilized in mining and shipbuilding information technology and telecommunications which can be applicable across a wide range of sectors as well as welders chefs mechanics logistics marketing and business administration in effect trotman said the advent of an oil economy could see highly trained professionals as well as an inherent culture integrated into other pertinent sectors in the nation s economy in his presentation trotman also sought to update the university community on the inventory of institutions that have already been created and those that are scheduled to be created in the period ahead to help manage the sector he disclosed that at the level of cabinet government has created a subcommittee for the petroleum sector comprising the ministers of state natural resources finance infrastructure business and the presidential advisor on petroleum whilst at the ministerial level a petroleum sector ministerial committee had been created comprising the ministers of state natural resources finance infrastructure and business at the level of the ministry of natural resources itself the minister disclosed that the ministry had been consistently expanding its internal capacity by engaging expert advisors and establishing a petroleum department in addition to supporting key governance initiatives including the recently created guyana extractive industries transparency initiative geiti that allowed for the country s subsequent membership of the international institution the extractive industries transparency initiative eiti the eiti is a global standard to promote the open and accountable management of oil gas and mineral resources it seeks to address the key governance issues of the oil gas and mining sectors article adapted from  https wwwstabroeknewscom 2017 business 1208 companytooverseeguyanascommercialpetroleuminterest    ministry of natural resources raphael trotman oil gas ', 0),
(494, 'und', 'node_search', ' gti graduation gti graduation gti graduation webmaster tue 12192017 741 this year 793 students have graduated from the government technical institute gti certified in several disciplines the institute s sixtysixth graduation ceremony was hosted at the national cultural centre on thursdayregistrar of the university of guyana dr nigel gravesande told the students that it was their hard work and dedication that has ushered them to the point where they are now qualified for the world of work the department of public information dpi saidvaledictorian hardial sawh who received a diploma in mechanical engineering advised his fellow graduates that they were just embarking on their lifejourney this is not the end it is just the beginning of our lives some of you will go on into the world of work and become professionals in your own field some of you will go on to pursue higher levels of education whatever your dreams and goals are i wish you all the best and may we all be successful with whatever decisions we make in the future the young man saidsome of the graduates dpi photos article adapted from  https wwwstabroeknewscom 2017 photos 1208 gtigraduation2  guyana technical institute ', 0),
(495, 'und', 'node_search', ' final facing the nation for 2017 dave martins interview final facing the nation for 2017 dave martins interview final facing the nation for 2017 dave martins interview webmaster tue 12192017 745 press secretary and television anchor malika n ramsey chats it up with guyanese music icon dave martins as he does a residency with the university of guyana university of guyana vice chancellor professor ivelaw griffith and deputy vice chancellor professor paloma mohammed also join the conversation  dave martins ', 0),
(496, 'und', 'node_search', ' kangalangs in parliament kangalangs in parliament kangalangs in parliament webmaster tue 12192017 748 the legislative arm of the government of guyana has seemingly been taken over by kangalangs kangalangs are uncivil persons who have no regard for the norms of an institution group or social gathering and act to deliberately create disarray in their environments in such manner as to disrupt normal functioning kangalangs display blatant disrespect for others and moreso are indifferent to any consequences for their actions they are by no means sociopathic but are instead selectively irresponsible they engage in chaotic behaviors not with the aim of achieving any specific outcomes but purely out of calculated and reckless disregard for others and prevailing norms this social type must not be mistaken for the conventional protestor kangalangs show up at events showering contempt on others and promoting chaos on proceedings regardless of its nature or its course some parliamentarians of the opposition people progressive party ppp civic at the monday december 11 sitting of the nation s parliament behaved like kangalangs their actions served to bring disrepute on this legislative arm of the national government the authority of the speaker of the parliament to moderate proceedings was disregarded raucous behavior ensued law enforcement officers who stood guard at parliament were summoned and allegedly subjected to abuse by the opposition ppp c parliamentarians in this openly public forum false accusations of rape and police misconduct were shouted by opposition mps in the highest law making body of the land the kangalang drama is said to have found its way on to facebook and therefore spotlighted to the whole world needless to say this public display of kangalangism is an utter embarrassment to the government of guyana of which the opposition ppp c is a part and to the guyanese people what sort of country is guyana becoming can investors and tourists take guyana seriously kangalangs in parliament are enemies of the country s progress and development this is by no means the first kangalang chaos in the parliament unless resolute remedies are urgently found and implemented it will certainly not be the last political parties in opposition all around the world are invariably dissatisfied with the procedural conduct of their respective legislatures i am not in a position to determine whether or not the opposition ppp c parliamentarians have serious and justifiable concerns about the management of parliament and the stewardship of its speaker they may well have in a political system that is still oriented to winner takes all politics there are certainly longestablished protocols for conducting the business of the parliament and even appealing the rulings of its speaker there are therefore no justifications for kangalang behaviors in the nation s parliament such behaviors accomplish nothing but show its perpetrators the institution and the country in a very negative light guyana is already a country in which there is a prevalence of incidents of open disregard for laws and public decency to have our nation s leaders its parliamentarians engage in such reprehensible conduct and in the legislature at that set a horrible example for everyone else the message being sent by such parliamentarians is that parties with differences of opinion must resort to vitriolic conflict to resolve such differences and that cussing out is better than civil discourse it is imperative that a formal inquiry be conducted into the ruckus which led to chaos and the breakdown of order if not also law in the nation s parliament on december 11 suspending a bishop alone may work in a game of chess when will kangalangs erupt again in parliament immobilizing its functioning it is becoming systemic a new normal in the functioning of the legislature good governance however depends on the integrity and credibility in the operation of key institutions an impartial inquiry that can determine the causes of failures and breakdowns in this revered government institution and arrive at functional remedies is crucial the leader of the ppp c has pledged noncooperation with the incumbent apnu afc government and promises to disrupt its policies programs and functioning if the ignominy that was inflicted on the august parliament and people of this country on december 11 was a deliberate tactic then the responsible leader of the governmental opposition ought to reconsider such actions i would rather like to think it was neither planned nor deliberate but it must never happen again article adapted from  http guyanachroniclecom 20171216 kangalangsinparliament ken danns ', 0),
(497, 'und', 'node_search', ' inaugural university of guyana press board meeting inaugural university of guyana press board meeting webmaster tue 1092018 1741 duke lodge kingston georgetown professor ivelaw llyod griffith the tenth vicechancellor of the university of guyana requests your presence at the inaugural university of guyana press board meeting january 20th 2018 at duke lodge kingston georgetown  contact details telephone 592 2228063 592 2224932 email  danniebellemohabir uogedugy   strategy uogedugy ', 0),
(498, 'und', 'node_search', ' upcoming event upcoming event inaugural university of guyana press board meeting webmaster tue 1092018 1744 events inauguraluniversityguyanapressboardmeeting learn more image  ', 0),
(500, 'und', 'node_search', ' register today register today inaugural entrepreneurship conference webmaster sun 2182018 2003 notices inauguralentrepreneurshipconferencecallpapers call for papers image  ', 0);
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(501, 'und', 'node_search', ' guyana celebrates 165 years of chinese arrival today guyana celebrates 165 years of chinese arrival today guyana celebrates 165 years of chinese arrival today webmaster fri 1122018 1026 dear editor  on january 12 2018 guyana celebrates 165 years since the arrival of the first chinese immigrants on the shores of british guiana at windsor in 1853 details of the history of migration the long voyages and the several issues of indentureship have not all been happy but the causes for celebration of the social development of a people who have made considerable contributions to the building of a nation are infinite the various sources advise us that hundreds of those who left the different ports in china perished at sea and the system of indentured labour that they joined in the colony is one whose notoriety cast a shadow of darkness over guyanese history but the story of the chinese presence in the developing guyanese society is a much happier sequel what is worthy of the highest commendation and sincere congratulations to the chinese community are the resoluteness and strength of character of an industrious people and the role they performed in the triumphs of the guyanese nation as it stands today several of those who arrived did not complete their contracts and joined other enterprises elsewhere in the colony many others either returned to china at the end of their contracts or left to join the growing chinese communities in the west indian islands of jamaica and trinidad and the neighbouring colony of dutch guiana now suriname many more of those who finished their contracts left the sugar estates to build other industries providing goods merchandise and various services to the local population becoming pillars of construction in the industrial and private sector advancement of the country several chinese men between 1853 and 1879 became deeply integrated into local domestic society outside of the plantations which was remarked upon by historians and anthropologists after 1920 many chinese descendants began to join the professions and the intellectual class leading to their further contributions to politics and culture as well as business and industry what stands out however but has largely gone unfabled is the guyanese chinese contribution to sports most exceptional is the dominance in hockey of chinese players in the 1960s and 1970s making up most of the national teams during those years with the commensurate impact on the building of the sport chinese have also been famous in other sports such as table tennis squash and motor sports in the years after independence the confucius institute at the university of guyana is an institution arising from the increasing close relations between the respective republics of guyana and china that have multiplied and diversified in contemporary times and have included the large and growing community of a new wave of chinese immigrants during the last 20 years the institute taking the lead on behalf of the university has a responsibility for academic training and cultural exchanges to foster knowledge and learning and foster a more enlightened guyanese population where the chinese presence in guyana is concerned it is our honour to congratulate the chinese association the chinese community and join the nation in this observation of the 165th anniversary of chinese arrival in guyana yours faithfully  al creighton director of confucius institute university of guyana   article adapted from  https wwwstabroeknewscom 2018 opinion letters 112 guyanacelebrates165yearsofchinesearrivaltoday  china ', 0),
(502, 'und', 'node_search', ' lgc ug golf programme growing rapidly lgc ug golf programme growing rapidly lgc ug golf programme growing rapidly webmaster tue 1162018 909 students of the university of guyana commenced the new year with an enriching session of golf as part of their ongoing project in partnership with the lusignan golf club lgc aimed at fusing sport and academics the first session of 2018 was held on the makeshift greens near the university s sports faculty on friday afternoon the interactive session featured a number of students lgc president aleem hussain and former guyana cup women s champ and one of the country s best golfers joaan deo as well as a few members of the club with golf on the rise the aim of the session was to teach the students the basics of golf while taking them on a path of becoming the next crop of top golfers areas such as putting chipping driving and accuracy were instilled during the near twohour long session as sports and academics continue its path of matrimony in guyana the sessions help bind the undergraduates book work with golf the team features roughly 15 university attendees mostly ladies who work closely with deo and others during the sessions when guyana times sport visited the university the students were in the midst of being taught the basics of drives and putts in an environment which mirrored that of a mini lusignan course each of the upcoming golfers was outfitted with their own pieces of gear as the lgc seeks to properly teach the craft to the newbies feedback from some of the students were positive as most of them seemed to already be getting into their groove both hussain and deo said the project which will feature weekly session at the lusignan course should benefit all the participants by the end of the duration of the introductory session also the project is geared towards ensuring that all the students continue down the path of golf and become members of the club the course also affords those interested in pursuing a future in golf to easily become members of the fraternity and further increase their prowess in the sport the facilitators further noted that they expect the current number to triple in the near future as the feedback regarding the project is positive sessions continue this friday at the newly refurbished lgc greens from 1600h article adapted from  https guyanatimesgycom lgcuggolfprogrammegrowingrapidly  sports golf lusignan golf club ', 0),
(503, 'und', 'node_search', ' crop protection certification programme to be introduced at ug tain campus crop protection certification programme to be introduced at ug tain campus crop protection certification programme to be introduced at ug tain campus webmaster wed 1172018 4 farmers from across berbice will now be provided with the opportunity to be trained and certified in crop protection according to the director of the university of guyana berbice campus gomathinayagam subramanian a special certification programme has been drafted to engage farmers in berbice with mostly practical training on crop protection the certification programme is only for farmers and it does not contain much reading or writing it is designed in a way that farmers can do the practicals which are expected to start this academic year in september subramanian explained registration for the programme will soon commence and will cost farmers 50000 each the director noted that persons who are not farmers are also welcome to join maybe in the future we will expand to turkeyen but this is what the berbice campus is going to offer i already submitted everything to my faculty and they will take almost two months to confirm everything but if other persons want to join they are free to do so but it s for mostly farmers the director clarified this exercise is expected to last for six weeks and subramania noted that the certificate that farmers will receive on completion of the course will be recognized similarly as any other certificate received the university of guyana article adapted from  http ginagovgy cropprotectioncertificationprogrammetobeintroducea  tain campus agriculture farmers ', 0),
(504, 'und', 'node_search', ' guyana s borders boundaries barriers or bridges  guyana s borders boundaries barriers or bridges webmaster fri 1192018 1713 the theatre guild these conversations invite participants and the general public to examine the legal ramificationsof social issues and the social ramifications of legal issues through research and refection dialogue and debate they provide an opportunity for the university the public to share ideas and contribute to positive changes in our society law society the university of guyana  ', 0),
(507, 'und', 'node_search', ' committees archives unit committees archives unit all about committees archives unit  ours is a mission to create a conducive environment at ug to facilitate the teaching learning process to provide support to all students and departments in the realisation of this mission  dr c nigel gravesande registrar university of guyana the committee archives unit forms the major pillar for the smooth processing of meetings for policy formulation governance academic and budgetary decision making of the university of guyana the unit also handles the safekeeping of all official institutional records of the university our functions secretarial duties provide secretarial duties to all statutory committees and subcommittees instituted by the council academic board or the finance and general purposes committee record security ensure that all institutional records are secured for future retrieval record preservation  include the capacity to select preserve and make available for administrative or research purposes all institutional records of the university this new dispensation will include archival functions along with the creation of an electronic records management system policies for retention and discard of records databs entry and indexing manuals webmaster fri 1192018 2143  ', 0),
(509, 'und', 'node_search', ' ms juneann garnett ms juneann garnett webmaster fri 1192018 2213 juneann garnett ms assistant registrar committees juneanngarnett uogedugy committees archives unit registry 20  ', 0),
(510, 'und', 'node_search', ' our staff our staff webmaster fri 1192018 2219  ', 0),
(511, 'und', 'node_search', ' mr gerald harry mr gerald harry webmaster fri 1192018 2221 gerald harry mr registry assistant committees archives unit registry 50  ', 0),
(512, 'und', 'node_search', ' ms alisa ally ms alisa ally webmaster fri 1192018 2224 alisa ally ms registry assistant committees archives unit registry 50  ', 0),
(513, 'und', 'node_search', ' ms fiona sancho ms fiona sancho webmaster fri 1192018 2226 fiona sancho ms maid cleaner committees archives unit registry 50  ', 0),
(514, 'und', 'node_search', ' mr rudra chinapen mr rudra chinapen webmaster fri 1192018 2229 rudra chinapen mr office attendant committees archives unit registry 50  ', 0),
(515, 'und', 'node_search', ' mrs danniebelle mohabir mrs danniebelle mohabir danniebelle mohabir has been employed at the university of guyana for over six 6 years during her tenure as a senior assistant librarian and historian she has learned to pay keen attention to details and is very organised her ability to manage and supervise various departments effectively in the university library has been commended by her superiors danniebelle values effective communication and regularly emphasizes among students and staff the dissemination of information mrs mohabir obtained a bachelors of arts in history a postgraduate diploma in education social studies and is presently pursuing a master of science in urban planning and management at the university of guyana she brings to the university a high level of professionalism and looks forward to working on the renaissance of the university of guyana webmaster fri 1192018 2243 danniebelle mohabir mrs special assistant danniebellemohabir uogedugy office of the vice chancellor 50  ', 0),
(518, 'und', 'node_search', ' ug begins planning to commemorate the 100th birth anniversary of dr cheddi jagan ug begins planning to commemorate the 100th birth anniversary of dr cheddi jagan ug begins planning to commemorate the 100th birth anniversary of dr cheddi jagan webmaster wed 1242018 351 the university of guyana ug has commenced planning to commemorate the birth centennial of the late president dr cheddi b jagan in march this year the commemoration envisages a series of academic activities to honour the cofounder of guyana s premiere tertiary institution which was established in 1963 vicechancellor professor ivelaw lloyd griffith recently convened the inaugural meeting of the twelvemember broadbased planning committee tasked to recommend a comprehensive set of commemoration events under the chairmanship of dr nigel gravesande university registrar who is an historian the committee includes professor paloma mohamed deputy vicechancellor for philanthropy alumni and civic engagement professor subramanian gomalthinayagam director of the berbice campus and mr tota mangar former deputy vicechancellor and a respected historian also part of the planning committee are ms indra chandrapaul of the cheddi jagan research centre ms gwyneth george university librarian ms emily king director of the national library ms paulette paul ug s public relations officer dr cheddi joey jagan jr dr nigel westmaas associate professor of africana studies at hamilton college in new york mr kadasi ceres of ug s faculty of social sciences and assistant registrar june ann garnett who is secretary to the planning committee according to vicechancellor griffith this commemoration is intended to be consonant with universities do facilitate discourse on significant personalities policies programmes and events analysing relevant aspects some of which might be contentious at the inaugural planning committee meeting the vicechancellor stressed that the commemoration will not be a partisan pursuit nor will it facilitate such the committee is expected to organise a series of exhibitions on the life and works of the late president hold symposia at both campuses and install a commemorative plaque at the cheddi jagan lecture theatre on the turkeyen campus the opportunity will be taken to raise funds to renovate the lecture theatre and to increase awareness about dr jagan among the younger generation  ug in brief with a current enrollment of some 8000 students the university of guyana ug has graduated more than 20000 students who have gone on to successful careers locally regionally and internationally the university is also a major contributor to the national economy and to business and industry established in 1963 on a parttime basis with shared space at queens college ug moved to its own campus at turkeyen in 1970 and expanded in 2000 with the addition of the tain campus it now offers more than 60 undergraduate and postgraduate programmes including engineering environmental studies forestry urban planning and management business entrepreneurship tourism studies education creative arts economics law medicine optometry and nursing several online programmes are available and ug also offers extramural classes at four locations through its institute of distance and continuing education idce the ug also offers the opportunity for student engagement in debating sports and cultural religious and professional activities public relations division january 23 2018 dr cheddi b jagan ', 0),
(521, 'und', 'node_search', ' turkeyen tain talks 11 education as freedom education reform and socioeconomic development in guyana turkeyen tain talks 11 education as freedom education reform and socioeconomic development in guyana webmaster tue 1302018 15 pegasus hotel kingston georgetown the tenth vicechancellor of the university of guyana professor ivelaw lloyd griffith request the pleasure of your company at the   education as   freedom education reform and socioeconomic development in guyana   on wednesday january 31 2018 at the pegasus hotel kingston georgetown from 1800 to 2000hrs education reform socioeconomic development in guyana the university of guyana  ', 0),
(523, 'und', 'node_search', ' ug press holds first editorial board meeting and charts course ahead ug press holds first editorial board meeting and charts course ahead ug press holds first editorial board meeting and charts course ahead webmaster tue 1302018 1923 the editorial advisory board of the recentlyestablished university of guyana press ugp held its inaugural meeting on saturday january 20 2018 at duke lodge duke street kingston georgetown and laid the foundation for its work this year and beyond the board which is headed by professor george ken danns of the university of north georgia and a former lecturer at the university of guyana ug is comprised of distinguished scholars and respected professionals from within and beyond guyana ugp was established in 2017 following the signing of a partnership agreement between the university of guyana and ian randle publishers of jamaica in addition to the local members the meeting was attended by members from belize jamaica barbados trinidad and tobago and from new york georgia and florida in the united states members from nottingham in the united kingdom jamaica and new york and connecticut in the usa joined the meeting by skype among the key outcomes of its work the board crafted ugp s vision mission and what we do statements to facilitate its operations and decided on 13 publication themes namely education for sustainable development ict economics trade and public policy public health and policy indigenous knowledge systems integrated natural resources management institutions and society food security social protection and policy climate change energy and the green economy globalization poverty and inequality restorative justice and disaster vulnerability and resilience each theme has subthemes in outlining its work plan for 2018 and beyond the board agreed to publish four sets of products books monographs scholarly journals and digital materials in relation to books the first is expected to be  dynamics of caribbean diaspora engagement people policy practice  which is one of the outcomes of the diaspora engagement conference hosted by the university in july 2017 his excellency president david granger has agreed to write the book s foreword in addition to manuscripts submitted for consideration ugp will also solicit works in keeping with its themes and reprint classics of guyanese history politics literature and other areas as regards journals it was decided to put on a firm footing the longstanding and respected university of guyana journal called  transition  which has had a chequered publication history working papers and occasional papers will be core monograph publications with the renaissance papers being a part of the occasional papers series the 2018 renaissance papers will publish the lectures delivered at the distinguished lectures named for distinguished professor cy thomas professor emeritus sister noel menezes and dr ulric trotz as well as the professorial lectures delivered by professors michael scott and paloma mohamed to boost ug s work in biodiversity and its support of the government s green state initiative the board decided to launch a new journal to be called  the guyana shield  and it established a task team to help implement the decision the team is headed by professor percy hintzen of florida international university and it includes dr ulric trotz of the caribbean climate change centre dr paulette bynoe and mr alim hosein from ug and dr david singh of conservation international the journal is expected to be a multilingual publication in addition to vicechancellor ivelaw griffith and board chair george danns the meeting was attended by ms christine randle ian randle publishers professor percy hintzen florida international university dr paulette bynoe ug professor gomathinayagam subramanian ug mr alim hosein ug dr annette insanally uwi mona dr kimani nehusi temple university dr keith nurse uwi cave hill professor olajide oladipo city university of new york dr david singh conservation international dr kelwyn thomas morehouse school of medicine dr ulric trotz caribbean community climate change centre dr joseph tyndall university of florida college of medicine and dr fitzgerald yaw ug while dr dennis canterbury eastern connecticut state university professor stafford griffith uwi mona dr penelope seibert university of nottingham and mr vivian williams vivian williams and associates new york joined the meeting by skype ian randle publishers managing director christine randle led the meeting s review of the work done so far on the ugp website which is expected to be released at the end of february a competition for a permanent ugp logo will be held soon as well vicechancellor griffith announced that the university of guyana press office will be staffed by the office of strategic initiatives with ms danniebelle mohabir serving as manager ugp also has a management advisory board which is headed by ambassador ronald austin director of the foreign service institute that board will hold its inaugural meeting soon board members applauded the formation of the press with several of them noting that it had long been promised indeed mr alim hosein recalled that his first job at ug in 1984 was to work with a ug press that never materialised according to vicechancellor griffith ugp is a historic milestone in the maturation of the university it is an integral part of project renaissance and it is intended to boost the institution s research enterprise and overall credibility he also noted that the research and publishing pursuits will not be limited to academic staff but will include postgraduate and undergraduate students especially those in the undergraduate research programme  ug in brief with a current enrollment of some 8000 students the university of guyana ug has graduated more than 20000 students who have gone on to successful careers locally regionally and internationally the university is also a major contributor to the national economy and to business and industry established in 1963 on a parttime basis with shared space at queens college ug moved to its own campus at turkeyen in 1970 and expanded in 2000 with the addition of the tain campus it now offers more than 60 undergraduate and postgraduate programmes including engineering environmental studies forestry urban planning and management business entrepreneurship tourism studies education creative arts economics law medicine optometry and nursing several online programmes are available and ug also offers extramural classes at four locations through its institute of distance and continuing education idce the ug also offers the opportunity for student engagement in debating sports and cultural religious and professional activities public relations division january 29 2018 press release university of guyana press ', 0),
(524, 'und', 'node_search', ' career open day 2018 career open day 2018 webmaster wed 1312018 1933 turkeyen campus tour our campus facilities and get firsthand information about who we are visit the booths set up by both private public sector organisations to learn about career options expanding horizons exploring the possibilities  ', 0),
(526, 'und', 'node_search', ' guyanese warned of security risks when crossing guyana venezuela border guyanese warned of security risks when crossing guyana venezuela border guyanese warned of security risks when crossing guyana venezuela border webmaster sun 2042018 149 observing that law enforcement at the border with venezuela is very weak major general retired joseph singh has warned guyanese to be cautious when crossing the frontier in search of work or for other purposes i don t believe that the venezuelans are paying as much attention on what is happening on the eastern side they are more concerned about what is happening in caracas and the urban centers so the law enforcement on that eastern venezuelan frontier bordering our western frontier is very weak the security expert stated during a public conversation on guyana s borders on thursday evening february 1 2018 held at the theatre guild the event was organised by the university of guyana and forms part of a series of public discussions on various issues impacting the country singh a former chief of staff of the guyana defence force gdf was at the time responding to a participant s question on what can be done to ensure tighter security at the borders in light of the recent killing of a guyanese miner purportedly by the sindicato gang of venezuela he explained however that there is little guyana can do except to stay alert and to caution the people we have little control over the mining area except to ensure these reports are acted upon and they are publicized there is little we can do except to warn people to be very conscious of securities at risk when crossing the border he stated singh acknowledged that there are a lot of entry and exit points along the border for people of both nationalities as he underscored the importance of keeping a consistent watch on those areas the people who are crossing the frontier are a source of information and they can identify where the entry points are and exit points are those are areas we need to keep under constant scrutiny the former chief of staff explained in an earlier presentation on the border controversy with venezuela singh expressed hope that guyana s western neighbour does not take actions to compromise the country s security he made reference to the controversy being referred to the international court of justice icj and stated what i hope is that however long this process takes at the icj that there is some clear commitment that venezuela will neither compromise our security nor inhibit guyana s development in his presentation as one of the guest panelists singh also touched on the social ramifications of the legal issue deriving from the territorial claims and explained that there are a lot of guyanese who stand to be affected he recalled that in 1993 there were 50000 guyanese living in delta amacuro venezuela those numbers have likely increased over the years as there are now third generations residing there on the converse singh noted that there are a lot of venezuelans living in guyana many in recent times would have fled the harsh conditions of their country in addition to the issue with venezuela the event saw presentations on the border controversy with suriname over the new river triangle the other panelists were ambassadors keith george and cedric joseph article adapted from  https newsroomgy 20180202 guyanesewarnedofsecurityriskswhencrossingguyanaven  venezuela border dispute ', 0),
(527, 'und', 'node_search', ' ug revised administrative fees were approved by duly constituted body of the university council ug revised administrative fees were approved by duly constituted body of the university council ug revised administrative fees were approved by duly constituted body of the university council webmaster mon 2052018 2127 new administrative rates for the provision of services for prospective and current students and graduates at the university of guyana were approved at a special meeting of the finance and general purposes committee f gpc on thursday june 1 2017 the f gpc is a statutory arm of the university council the council itself includes representatives from the university of guyana students society ugss the ministries of education and finance the private sector the trades union council civic bodies the campus unions and the administration the immediate past president of the ugss participated in the meeting that approved the new fees apart from tuition and facilities fees there are other expenses associated with studying at the university these are commonly called administrative fees and they cover a wide range of services including fees for processing applications for degree diploma and certificate programmes adjusted from 500 to 1000 and late applications adjusted from 2000 to 3000 late registration adjusted from 10000 to 12000 supplemental examinations adjusted from 1500 to 5000 the cost of personal transcripts will move from 3000 to 5000 some services were entirely free and now attract a fee included here are the resit examinations which now cost 6000 and letters for students that are used for visa applications and other purposes they now will attract a charge of 5000 importantly these fees are only payable if use is made of the services to which they relate thus the new administrative fees do not affect all students indeed some fees do not affect current students they affect graduates seeking transcripts and other services a significant proportion of the request for transcripts comes from graduates residing abroad and dispatching those transcripts carries additional costs further it is to be noted that the administrative fees were last adjusted by the university about a decade ago a comparative analysis of administrative fees being paid at other local tertiary institutions reveals that the new ug fees are far from exorbitant as adjustments to service fees are being made at the university of guyana at this juncture it must be underscored that over the past two years students at the university have been witnessing numerous improvements that directly enhance their learning environment and educational experience these include construction of a modern student social complex that would be commissioned by the start of the 2018 2019 academic year air conditioning of the george walcott lecture theatre gwlt and the small lecture theatre slt and the installation of new bathrooms in in the gwlt improved wifi access at turkeyen tain and the dennis irvine hall new pa systems in the lecture halls and placement of fans in classrooms extended service hours of the registry and the bursary including opening on saturdays and partnering with gtt to offer mobile money to enhance services to students provided g 100000 each to 13 students and three staffers who were fire victims in cummings lodge and in berbice in addition the university started the etiquette training programme for student leaders paid for from the vicechancellor s fund with 56 student leaders being the first beneficiaries created the undergraduate research programme hosted successful inaugural student research conferences at turkeyen and tain and funded students to travel to attend conferences in trinidad florida georgia and elsewhere the university also began processing and dispatching transcripts for current and past students within 72 hours of request opened a new registry building with larger space for the delivery of enhanced student services and opened a fullyairconditioned new classroom building called the sebi building began offering counselling and medical services monthly to students at the berbice campus and the institute of distance and continuing education centers at anna regina new amsterdam and linden and improved the facilities at the denis irvine hall of residence at goedverwagting and the new building society hall of residence at the turkeyen campus the new administrative fees were approved by the f gpc last year with the understanding that they would be instituted during the 20172018 academic year it is envisaged that with additional resources student services at the university of guyana will be further enhanced during this year and beyond vice chancellor professor ivelaw griffith noted that while none of us wish to add to the costs of our students educational experiences the practical reality is that running the university costs and the government subvention does notand cannot be expected tocover all the costs he added for instance when the new student social complex is opened later this year the university will have to bear additional costs of utilities for the facility moreover that is not the only new or renovated facility for which we have to cater finally it is to be stressed that at no point did the vicechancellor the registrar or any other senior official act unilaterally in instituting the revised fees the new rates initially were to take effect from january 1 2018 but they were deferred to be effective from march 1 2018 after formal and extensive engagements with the current ugss president and executive members in a spirit of genuine and transparent collaboration ug in brief with a current enrollment of some 8000 students the university of guyana ug has graduated more than 20000 students who have gone on to successful careers locally regionally and internationally the university is also a major contributor to the national economy and to business and industry established in 1963 on a parttime basis with shared space at queens college ug moved to its own campus at turkeyen in 1970 and expanded in 2000 with the addition of the tain campus it now offers more than 60 undergraduate and postgraduate programmes including engineering environmental studies forestry urban planning and management business entrepreneurship tourism studies education creative arts economics law medicine optometry and nursing several online programmes are available and ug also offers extramural classes at four locations through its institute of distance and continuing education idce the ug also offers the opportunity for student engagement in debating sports and cultural religious and professional activities public relations division february 3 2018  fees tuition rates ', 0),
(528, 'und', 'node_search', ' black history month film i am not your negro black history month film i am not your negro webmaster mon 2052018 2334 education lecturer theatre the institute for gender studies invites you to a viewing and open discussion of the film i am not your negro on thursday february 8 2018 in the education lecturer theatre elt at 1730 hrs  ', 0),
(530, 'und', 'node_search', ' discussion on the government of guyana s vision for the oil and gas sector discussion on the government of guyana s vision for the oil and gas sector webmaster mon 2052018 2342 education lecturer theatre you are invited to attend the discussion on the government of guyana s vision for the oil and gas sector by dr jan mangal petroleum advisor to he president david granger on  wednesday february 7 2018 at 1500 hrs in the education lecture theatre  oil gas government of guyana the university of guyana  ', 0),
(532, 'und', 'node_search', ' union input vital for education sector reform union input vital for education sector reform union input vital for education sector reform webmaster mon 2052018 2356 the active involvement of unions particularly the teachers union is critical for true and serious reform of the education sector according to coretta mcdonald general secretary of the guyana teachers union gtu mcdonald made the case on wednesday during her address at the university of guyana s 11th turkeyen and tain talks which explored the role of education reform for the nation s development the forum which was held at the pegasus hotel under the theme education as freedom education reform and socioeconomic development in guyana featured presentations from speakers professor michael scott deputy vice chancellor of academic engagement at ug ed caesar chair of the education reform commission petal jetoo national science coordinator christopher fernandes chair of the st stanislaus college school board mcdonald david singh vice president of conservation international and joel simpson of the guyana equality forum chief education officer marcel hutson appeared on behalf of minister of education nicolette henry the presentations made cases for reforms in the management of education education for sustainable development and reform in regards to the delivery of science and sex education within the education system it is easy to conclude that education is critical to the sustainable development of our people and this country it is even more critical when unions are allowed to be a part of educational reforms at all levels we cannot talk education reform when we want to sideline the union we cannot talk education reform when we only have the union at forums just to say that they are present mcdonald stated mcdonald s impassioned speech was packed with examples of how the treatment of teachers and the union that represents them continues to stifle development within the education sector she spoke of the unavailability of resources in the classroom the workload often dumped on teachers who are forced to perform tasks in addition to their own including secretarial duties and the disrespect often meted out to members of a profession once considered noble mcdonald argued for the continuous professional and academic development of teachers programmes that have merit financial or otherwise as well as adequate remuneration for teachers she called for more engagement and the marrying of local institutions with tertiary institutions overseas to adopt best practices revamping of the teachers training programme at the cyril potter college of education and an update of the policies within the sector including the code of conduct governing teachers we cannot talk educational reform when there is no serious desire to deal with the professional or the academic aspect of upliftment of the practitioners we cannot talk educational reform when we keep doing what we ve been doing since 1923 and we want to do it in 2018 we have to keep moving and adjusting to the time as we go she said if you re seriously talking education reform we have to go and relook at a number of the policies we have many of them are outdated and they need to be divorced and separated we have to go to the table put our heads and minds and hearts there of course with the union involved actively that is to sit and look at some of those policies that we have with a vision of reviewing and making them relevant if we re seriously talking education reform then the need for all the talking and the writing and everything else must stop now and we should start walking and have the actions happen mcdonald stated taxfree remuneration for teachers fernandes presentation like mcdonald s focused on the areas within the sector that need improvement particularly in relation to the teaching profession fernandes a businessman and chairman of the st stanislaus college board posited that in order to create a welltrained workforce the teaching profession needs to be made more attractive his suggestions for achieving this goal included having the remuneration of trained teachers be free of income tax providing dutyfree perks to teachers at the end of a predetermined period of satisfactory service and possibly having teachers be eligible for a house lot with concessionary low interest financing to construct a two bedroom house he suggested that this can be limited to 5 million he also recommended revisiting the retirement age we cannot longer afford to lose our good experienced teachers who are currently mandated to retire at age 55 since we are unable to replace them with persons of similar competence and experience he said our intention therefore to improve the quality of education would be to encourage better quality individuals to the teaching profession by making the profession more attractive expose them to active career guidance allowing for the teacher to regain the respect of the population and students which they once commanded fernandes added he also recommended a revision of the management of the ministry suggesting that there be a total audit of the management system of the ministry in which the minister should just be the executive chairman and where the day to day administration needs to be handled by a highly qualified and well trained professional he said that this professional the ceo would be supported by at least two equally well qualified deputies article adapted from  https wwwstabroeknewscom 2018 news stories 202 unioninputvitalforeducationsectorreform  turkeyen tain talks educational reform ', 0),
(533, 'und', 'node_search', ' guyana can go to world court alone on border controversy diplomats guyana can go to world court alone on border controversy diplomats guyana can go to world court alone on border controversy diplomats webmaster tue 2062018 2 guyana can go the international court of justice icj alone on the border controversy even if venezuela refuses to participate in that process according to two leading frontier experts their assurances came against the background of concerns about whether venezuela first has to agree to have the case taken there ambassador cedric joseph and former head of the frontiers division of the ministry of foreign affairs ambassador keith george made their positions known at the university of guyana s second conversation on law and society titled guyana s borders boundaries barriers or bridges held at the theatre guild thursday evening january 1 2018 if venezuela says they are not going to the court i think taking into account whatever case we put up the history of the geneva agreement we will have to show that jurisdiction is acknowledged we would have to make the first move to the court and see if venezuela will stay out joseph told the wellattended event between 1899 and the late 1940s venezuela had acknowledged the tribunal award that had settled the boundary until claims by a junior lawyer in the tribunal that there appeared to have been a conspiracy against that spanishspeaking nation joseph and george s position came one day after the venezuelan government dismissed united nations secretary general antonio guterres decision to refer the guyanavenezuela border controversy to icj on whether venezuela would comply with an icj ruling joseph noted that in 2016 the philippines brought the case of the south sea china against the powerful people s republic of china who did not participate and the court went ahead examined all the documents and issued a substantial judgment in support of the rights of the philippines which applied to malaysia and vietnam instead venezuela reiterated its position that the controversy over whether the 1899 arbitral tribunal award was full final and perfect should be settled politically through the un chief s good officer s mediation process on that point ambassador joseph said that is not a political issue and venezuela would have to advance legal arguments to establish your case of nullity before the icj one body established in the un system to do so while venezuela is not a party to the icj ambassador joseph argued that the 1966 geneva agreement refers to judicial settlement in accordance with article 33 of the united nations charter the last means in the geneva agreement and article 33 is judicial settlement when you speak about judicial settlement in the united nations framework you speak of the body established within the united nations framework to facilitate a judicial settlement and that is the icj he said legal expert neville bissember jr speaking from the floor during the question and answer session said article 36 1 and article 36 2 of the icj requires parties in a dispute to agree to have it settled at that un judicial body it s a consent regime you can t take venezuela kicking and screaming to the court it s a consent regime i have said that publicly i have said that privately and nothing in the geneva agreement specifies the icj said the former guyana foreign ministry official while there are several new issues he is confident that guyana s lawyers would produce the desired results ambassador george said guyana remained hopeful that venezuela would participate in the judicial process but so far that appeared unlikely there are two possible outcomes of course venezuela joins us we hope and concludes the process and accepts the award the signals are that perhaps that will not happen if that does not happen there are some other countries that have gone through the same said george who is now guyana s ambassador to suriname he said there have been similar instances such as cameroon and nigeria in which the latter for several years had refused to remove its military facilities from cameroon until several years guyana maintains that it no longer wants to engage in now 51year old fruitless political talks through the good officer s mediation process but instead wants a judicial settlement the un secretary general earlier this week decided to refer the controversy to the world court because there was no significant progress in 2017 the highlevel mediation by his special representative dag nylander former chiefofstaff of the guyana defence force retired major general joseph singh said when he accompanied a united nations team on a flyover of the essequibo region they were surprised that that area of guyana was inhabited he remarked that guyana s social studies curriculum was not going in too much depth to educate students about local history he said the protection and preservation of guyana s sovereignty was also the responsibility of the education system and ordinary guyanese who provide information to police and soldiers we have produced a lot of stuff which perhaps need to be republished vigilance and this is not only the preserve only of the military and the police we all have to be vigilant we all have to recognise read and listen and that includes our diaspora who have access to information which will be very helpful to us and our diplomats said singh who was up to recently special assistant to the president of guyana ambassador joseph remarked that the serious problem that would face venezuelans is how to convince themselves that essequibo is not theirs when the icj rules in guyana s favour that is a major problem informing conditioning venezuela s response to a definitive settlement i am not making a judgement of right or wrong i am stating a fact top current and retired police and military officers academics and policy makers were among those who attended the public forum article adapted from  http demerarawavescom 20180202 guyanacangotoworldcourtaloneonbordercontroversydip  border dispute venezuela ', 0),
(534, 'und', 'node_search', ' guyanasuriname maritime boundary dispute settlement influenced exxonmobil s oil search guyanasuriname maritime boundary dispute settlement influenced exxonmobil s oil search guyanasuriname maritime boundary dispute settlement influenced exxonmobil s oil search webmaster tue 2062018 9 the settlement of the guyanasuriname maritime boundary dispute several years ago was an incentive for exxonmobil to explore and eventually find huge oil fields offshore this country former head of the frontiers division of the ministry of foreign affairs keith george said if it weren t for the 2007 arbitral award liza would not have existed liza is just a few kilometres away from where suriname itself was claiming and exxon would have been even more fearful because of what suriname did in june 2000 it used its gunboats said george who is currently guyana s ambassador to suriname the dispute was settled by the united nations tribunal on the law of the sea in 2007 seven years after surinamese gunboats chased out a canadian oil exploration rig from an offshore concession that had been awarded by guyana in a surprise move that had caught suriname by surprise after the june 2000 incident guyana took its case to the tribunal in 2004 because of the fact that we have a boundary we can move forward and suriname can move forward as caricom caribbean community partners george told a university of guyanasponsored conversation on law and society titled guyana s borders boundaries barriers or bridges held at the theatre guild thursday evening january 1 2018 meanwhile the guyana ambassador to suriname remarked that despite the outstanding land boundary dispute over the new river triangle guyana is suriname s fifth largest trading partner especially in relation to suriname our borders are not barriers he said george noted that between 2014 and the first half of 2017 trade between the two countries was valued at an estimated gy 53 billion gy 37 billion of which was in suriname s favour so we have a huge deficit in spite of the fact that they are claiming our territory the land boundary dispute is said to be the agenda of a joint commission between the two neighbouring south american countries article adapted from  http demerarawavescom 20180202 guyanasurinamemaritimeboundarydisputesettlementinf  guyana suriname maritime boundary dispute exxon mobil ', 0);
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(535, 'und', 'node_search', ' university launches line of branded memorabilia university launches line of branded memorabilia university launches line of branded memorabilia webmaster tue 2062018 25 students of the university of guyana ug as well as alumni staff and members of the diaspora are being encouraged to share awareness and experience a sense of pride for their university by equipping themselves with ugbranded items these items include tshirts bags ties caps water bottles mugs pens and many more to be introduced according to the business development manager of the office of strategic initiatives at the university caroline english in addition to the groups previously mentioned the university wants to involve other guyanese we want if possible every individual in guyana to have a branded ug item she said we want guyanese to become aware it s creating a sense of ownership within guyanese and a pride for their university one of the branded items is the guyaneseinvented prolonged mug by professor suresh narine which reduces the temperature of toohot beverages within minutes to recommended temperatures preventing possible developments of cancer of the esophagus narine s amazing invention has helped him cop the anthony n sabga caribbean award for excellence in science and technology in 2015 these and other items are available at the university s campus store and other outlets such as giftland mall the cheddi jagan international airport and metro on quamina street and in new amsterdam speaking to two students of the faculty of forestry they gave their take on the newly introduced items it s nice that ug s publishing the logos on these items now so that people can know more about the university commented paul white who added that he would definitely utilise the items meanwhile his friend obeki sobers said i think it s great to have this product available for the students some of our classes are at eight in morning so we can use the mugs to put coffee or water making a final call to the public english remarked to the alumni you ve been here continue to carry the ug banner to the diaspora recognise that we re here and support us and to ug students staff and fellow guyanese own the university of guyana it belongs to us as guyanese feel a sense of pride in ug get one of their branded items article adapted from  http guyanachroniclecom 20180202 ugpride campus store memorabilia ug pride ', 0),
(536, 'und', 'node_search', ' get involved joe singh urges total vigilance from citizens on border controversy get involved joe singh urges total vigilance from citizens on border controversy get involved joe singh urges total vigilance from citizens on border controversy webmaster tue 2062018 34 retired majorgeneral joe singh said guyanese near and far should be vigilant in defence of guyana s territorial integrity noting that vigilance is not reserved only for the guyana defence force gdf and the guyana police force gpf this is not reserved only for the military and the police we all have to be vigilant we all have to recognise read and listen and that includes our diaspora who have access to information which may be very helpful to us and our diplomats he said at the time the former army chiefofstaff was delivering remarks alongside ambassador to suriname keith george and ambassador cedric joseph at the university of guyana s second conversation on law and society titled guyana s borders boundaries barriers or bridges at theatre guild thursday evening the retired majorgeneral recalled that in the past the military and the police had developed linkages with the porkknockers loggers and even fishermen who had frequented the country s borders most of our information on which we then developed our intelligence was provided by ordinary citizens who had a very patriotic fervour saying literally not a blade of grass he posited additionally the former army chiefofstaff said as guyana moves to the international court of justice icj to resolve the territorial controversy with venezuela major emphasis should be placed on educating the populace it is no secret that venezuelans have been falsely indoctrinated into believing that essequibo forms of part of their country we have produced a lot of stuff which perhaps need to be republished i remember very little books produced by the ministry of foreign affairs speeches by sir shridath ramphal research on ankoko island so we need to revive and resuscitate that form of education singh told his audience meanwhile in a statement on friday ambassador emeritus drodeen ishmael alluded to the fact that venezuela s demand has grown progressively over the years it requested before the arbitral tribunal all the territory west of the essequibo river with the exception of an area marked by a line stretching from the mouth of the moruca river to the junction of the mazaruni and the essequibo the claim also included the essequibo watershed south of the junction of the essequibo and the rupununi rivers today the claim has extended to all territory west of the essequibo river including the islands in the river it has also been expanded to include guyana s maritime region rich with oil deposits dr ishmael explained he said it is no secret that venezuela seized guyana s half of the border ankoko island and its armed gunboats brazenly venture into guyana s section of the cuyuni river ideal venue  but in all of its actions venezuela has failed to adequately defend its position that the 1899 arbitral award is null and void according to him the international court of justice icj is an ideal venue for venezuela to make its argument united nations secretarygeneral unsg antonio guterres has referred the guyana venezuela territorial controversy to the icj but the spanishspeaking nation has rejected the decision holding fast to its position that the good offices process should be allowed to continue having commenced since 1990 ambassador ishmael said venezuela s position on the unsg decision comes as no surprise when the unsg announced his proposal in december 2016 the venezuelan government at first expressed its satisfaction but within a month it backtracked and insisted on the continuation of the good offices process which had failed to produce any tangible forward momentum for the past quarter of a century guyana since 2014 had informed the unsg of its decision to abandon the good offices process and urged the involvement of the icj a proposal now opposed by venezuela therefore that country s recent statement on january 31 has not come as a surprise to anyone he explained it was pointed out that the 1966 geneva agreement conferred upon the secretarygeneral the power and responsibility to choose a means of peaceful settlement from among those contemplated in article 33 of the charter of the united nations the geneva agreement signed by the venezuela british and guyana governments also provides that if the means so chosen does not lead to a solution of the controversy the secretarygeneral will choose another means of settlement in this respect the last means in article 33 is judicial settlement stating that the member states of the united nations are no doubt hoping for a judicial solution he said it is possible that their quiet diplomacy can help to propel venezuela to work along with guyana towards this direction artilce adapted from  https guyanachroniclecom 20180203 getinvolved venezuela border dispute ', 0),
(537, 'und', 'node_search', ' education as freedom education as freedom education as freedom webmaster tue 2062018 38 the university of guyana should be commended for creating the space to address topics relevant to the development of the country through its turkeyen and tain talks series a recently concluded forum addressed the theme education as freedom education reform and socioeconomic development in guyana from a number of diverse and highly relevant perspectives on a more philosophical level it raised questions regarding how we as a people define education and the role it should serve within our society it captured the essence of a longstanding debate between the more utilitarian approach to education whereby education nation building and human capital are intricately linked concepts diametrically opposed to the ideas of progressivism humanism and democratic education it highlighted the emancipative potential inherent in educational pursuits on both an individual and communal level it also probed the questions of who should be the individuals in authority to make key education decisions such as defining the content of our education or how education services and resources should be distributed on a more practical level i believe that the forum sought to examine the extent of progress we have made in shaping and defining an education system that is relevant to the guyana we know in 2018 and beyond it raises the fundamental questions of to what extent and in what ways has education served to liberate us as a people from the preexisting oppressive system and who is the guyanese the education system should be producing solid arguments can be made that we have done little to free ourselves from the vestiges of the colonial education structures that we inherited over half a century ago an analysis of various structural and education delivery dimensions of the system would bear this out structurally for the most part we have retained the highly elitist and delimiting education system we inherited we have been successful in significantly increasing access to education at the primary and secondary levels quality education has been highly elusive however with the number of students mastering the expectations at the various levels progressively decreasing as each cohort moves to the higher levels of the system a proper analysis would show that as they ascend to the critical secondary level only about thirty percent matriculate and less than half of those actually access tertiary level education such a pyramid does not provide equal opportunities for all students to attain their full potential it gives credence to the mindset that the school one attends is as much a determinant of one s potential success as it was fifty years ago in addition our system is rigid and narrow in many ways it provides few opportunities for second chances or reentry all realities that run counter to the concept of education as freedom until a few years ago there was such blind adherence to outdated rules that when pupils who would be above age eleven by grade six were discovered in the system they were skipped a grade or two to ensure they wrote the elevenplus examination at the right age damning them to sure failure students who attain the age of sixteen are still forced out of the secondary system regardless of their level of attainment and degree of competence as per similar archaic rules there is no facility for students to reenter the system to rewrite one or two subjects they might have failed there are few secondchance options for adults or dropouts who might not have had the best initial experience and wish to reenter the system which institution in guyana allows you the freedom to come as you are regardless of qualifications with the intent of building the capacity of the masses for a more productive citizenry education as freedom also relates to what it is we learn and how we learn it theorists have argued that the content of our education system is the same outmoded irrelevant colonial product for the most part we all learned the same things in our day the same way pupils do today regardless of the prevailing concepts of relevance critical and divergent thinking and problem solving in secondary schools spread across this country all of the students in any given class go through the identical curriculum at the same rate with little accommodation of exceptionality at either end of the continuum we have had students in our system who by grade nine had excelled beyond the csec expectations in particular subjects but who was forced to progress at the same rate of their counterparts one student was writing his own mathematics equations by sixth form to challenge himself since there was nothing new his teachers could teach him both our gifted and students with learning disabilities suffer similar faiths of unfulfilled potential as it relates to relevance we must investigate why the reforms aimed at through community high and multilateral schools failed there are key lessons to be learned since the evidence shows that we have reverted to preexisting practices and our children are overwhelmingly opting to specialise in highly westernized service oriented pursuits that have little relevance or viability within our local context we must ask ourselves how can we create more balance in the system by improving the quality of the available options for the most part the highly academic csec route is the only fully developed pathway within the education system in guyana despite the value and relevance of technical and vocational education the reality is that our freedoms are curtailed in many ways both by the limited available options and the rules that govern the system the majority of our students are pressured into streams at age fifteen that ultimately force them to specialize limiting their study options and potential choices later in life as an example the need to declare a major upon entry to the university and the absence of the flexibility to devise special majors that might combine different areas of pursuit can be likened to academic tyranny the interests and talents of the average sixteen or seventeen year old guyanese are so varied and complex that we do them a disservice in the way we rigidly structure the menu of available options at the same time those who are financially able or fortunate enough opt to attend external liberal arts institutions that afford them the freedom to wade through those varied talents to find their true calling and fulfill their innate potential such is the desirable nature of education as freedom the freedoms alluded to above must be afforded in equal measure to every citizen of our country and should in no way be determined by economics or other factors it is therefore incumbent on us within our respective contexts to examine and address these issues this forum has opened the door to question the extent to which the system creates the enabling environment within which a broader crosssection of citizens have the opportunity to contribute to shaping and defining our education structures thereby ensuring they reflect the full extent of our diverse social and other contemporary realities the university of guyana is ideally positioned to lend its voice but must be supported by other stakeholders in answering the question who is the guyanese the education system should produce if the ideal caribbean person as defined by caricom is one who among other things demonstrates multiple literacies independent and critical thinking questions the beliefs and practices of the past and present and brings this to bear on the innovative application of science and technology and to problem solving values and displays the creative imagination in its various manifestations and nurtures its development in the economic and entrepreneurial spheres and in all other areas of life we are duty bound to ensure that education affords all the freedom to selfactualise article adapted from  https wwwkaieteurnewsonlinecom 20180204 educationasfreedom  turkeyen tain talks educational reform ', 0),
(538, 'und', 'node_search', ' ug schools ace warriors ug schools ace warriors ug schools ace warriors webmaster tue 2062018 42 the georgetown cricket association gca new building society nbs second division competition resumed yesterday at the muslim youth organization myo ground with the university of guyana ug schooling ace warriors in the 40oversaside contest despite mortland ward s heroics ace warriors won the toss elected to bat and stumbled to post a meagre 117 being all out in the 26th over opener roger aarons was the first to go without scoring while ward scored a quick fire 23 before he too departed off of omesh dhanram clayton halley also scored 23 while davendra lall was the only other batsman to reach double figures dennis haywood was the pick of the bowlers accounting for four wickets in his 42 overs that went for just 12 runs while the other four bowlers claimed one a piece in the ug innings dwayne dodson was the first to fall with the score on seven and his contribution one soon after d george followed for four and dhanram 9 was trapped lbw by ward who had at that time had accounted for all three wickets to fall with ug 433 ward struck once more after heron siwnarine had struck two boundaries on the small ground by bowling a wide delivery which siwnarine flashed at and smart work from the wicketkeeper who noticed siwnarine straying from his crease had him stumped for eight however lindon austin joined opener m persaud and the pair dug deep to put on a 52run partnership persaud fell to a clumsy shot and was bowled by lall after scoring 45 runs including seven fours and a massive six ug were just 10 runs from victory when new man at the crease suresh dhani was bowled trying to heave a delivery from lall over midwicket but austin along with ershaud alli saw ug cross the line on 19 and one respectively ward was the chief destroyer bagging figures 433 article adapted from  https wwwstabroeknewscom 2018 sports 204 ugschoolsacewarriors  cricket sports ', 0),
(539, 'und', 'node_search', ' activist calls for teachers code to prohibit lgbt discrimination activist calls for teachers code to prohibit lgbt discrimination activist calls for teachers code to prohibit lgbt discrimination webmaster tue 2062018 46 the ministry of education s code of conduct for teachers should be amended to prohibit discrimination against youth on the grounds of sexual orientation director of the society against sexual orientation discrimination sasod joel simpson has recommended simpson was at the time offering suggestions on how to decrease the high school dropout rate within the lesbian gay bisexual and transgender lgbt community during a presentation at the university of guyana s latest turkeyen and tain talks held last wednesday at the pegasus hotel the theme for the event was education as freedom education reform and socioeconomic development in guyana simpson who represented the guyana equality forum which is a civil society network of 21 local groups working to achieve equal rights and justice for guyanese focused on policies that could decrease the number of lgbt youth and teenaged mothers who are subjected to bullying and who are forced out of the education system annually in addressing the former simpson recommended a widening of the ministry of education s code of conduct for teachers which already states that teachers cannot discriminate on the grounds of ability race colour or creed simpson stated that discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation exists not only among peers but in teacherstudent relationships and said that the trend of behaviour has been documented by sasod and the guyana teachers union gtu he mentioned that these behaviours are usually displayed in the plain view of witnesses the ministry of education s policy on their website titled code of conduct for teachers under part d commitment to students states teachers cannot discriminate on the grounds of ability race colour or creed it does not have any protective clause in it for lgbt students while no laws or policies exist that specifically prevent lgbt persons from accessing education many lgbt guyanese reportedly leave the education system early due to homophobic and transphobic bullying and discrimination thereby preventing them from practically realising their right to education he stated reintegration of schoolaged mothers additionally simpson directed the audience to the fact that guyana holds the second highest rate of teenaged pregnancy in the latin america and the caribbean region it is documented that 97 out of every 1000 girls between 15 and 19 years old give birth despite this the government of guyana is yet to introduce a comprehensive reintegration policy for pregnant and parenting adolescent girls to be able to continue their secondary education in public schools he noted he added that adolescent mothers are often denied their right to education and fall out of the system as a result simpson recommended that guyana look to jamaica for an example of how to tackle this issue while pointing to the women s centre of jamaica foundation programme wcjf for adolescent mothers which was established as a result of the country s high teenage pregnancy rate at the time he related that the centre offers support services which include counselling for schoolaged mothers the fathers of their children their parents and even guardians family planning time management and budgeting wcjf s programme for adolescent mothers encourages the continued education of pregnant or lactating girls under the age of 17 years the goals are for teen mothers to return to school after the birth of their babies to delay a second pregnancy until their professional goals are achieved and to raise the employment potential of young mothers so that they have a viable alternative to depending on men for support simpson related inadequate sex education meanwhile simpson criticized the public sex education programme stating that it lacks relevance denies sexual and reproductive health information and services and is inadequate for meeting the needs of adolescents grpa guyana responsible parenthood association evaluations of the publiclyfunded and implemented abstinenceonly programme commonly known as the health and family life education hfle found that it ignores young people s basic right to the highest attainable standard of health by denying them critical lifesaving information and the fundamental public health principle of accurate balanced sex education he related simpson said that research done by the grpa shows that comprehensive sexuality education cse can actually delay the onset of sexual activity reduce risky sexual behaviour and the number of sexual partners and increase responsible behavior particularly when it came to protecting against sexuallytransmitted infections and unwanted pregnancies importantly the evidence shows youth who receive cse are not more likely to become sexually active increase sexual activity or experience negative sexual health outcomes contrary to what others may believe also research by the youthled international organisation advocates for youth shows that cse programmes do not encourage teens to start having sexual intercourse do not increase the frequency with which teens have intercourse and do not increase the number of a teen s sexual partners he stated he added that evaluations of hfle on the other hand showed that the programme ignores young people s basic human right to the highest attainable standard of health by denying them critical lifesaving information and the fundamental public health principle of accurate balanced sex education article adapted from  https wwwstabroeknewscom 2018 news stories 204 activistcallsforteacherscodetoprohibitlgbtdiscrimi  lgbt turkeyen tain talks educational reform ', 0),
(540, 'und', 'node_search', ' petroleum dept food institute for ug petroleum dept food institute for ug petroleum dept food institute for ug webmaster sat 2102018 1855 the university of guyana ug is in the process of establishing a petroleum department as well as a food and nutrition institute vice chancellor of the university professor ivelaw griffith said the new facilities are timely since guyana is becoming an oil producing nation but at the same time needs to improve its capacity in the traditional economic sector of agriculture professor griffith announced on the final day of the gipex summit that a study is underway to develop a department of petroleum engineering we have a working group helping to figure out the varying contributing elements to that what kind of faculty do we need what will be the curriculum what are the lab equipment we might need what are the linkages with industry who might we have on the advisory board for that department he explained according to the university s vicechancellor as guyana becomes an oilproducing nation its students need access to training in all aspects of the industry in this regard professor griffith said the university is conducting a gap analysis to determine other areas that need improvement the analysis we re doing is with a view of the whole university enterprise what is it we need to do better to prepare in law what is it needs to be better prepared to do in the social sciences what is under occupational health in the medical field what is it we need to do in nursing we re taking a comprehensive approach to the energy venture and adventure he stated the vicechancellor cautioned that oil and gas should not consume all of the peoples energy since guyana is and will remain an agriculturebased society as such he said efforts are underway to launch a food and nutrition institute on world food day on october 16 2018 the food and agriculture organisation fao had donated us 30000 to the university of guyana to conduct a feasibility study for the establishment of the institute meanwhile professor griffith reiterated that the university of guyana stands ready to play a leading role in the country s development article adapted from  https newsroomgy 20180209 petroleumdeptfoodinstituteforug  oil gas petroleum food and nutrition institute ', 0),
(541, 'und', 'node_search', ' big oil can influence govts but not the people guyana s petroleum advisor big oil can influence govts but not the people guyana s petroleum advisor big oil can influence govts but not the people guyana s petroleum advisor webmaster sat 2102018 1910 advisor to president david granger on petroleum dr jan mangal has outlined the power of the people to make their voices heard about what is taking place in the oil and gas sector especially as it relates to the 2016 production sharing agreement psa signed between the government and exxonmobil dr mangal made the declaration in response to questions from students of the university of guyana following an indepth presentation on the government of guyana s vision for the oil and gas sector what you will find is that oil companies and this is not looking at guyana are very powerful and experts in everything they do they know how to influence governments to a t however they can t influence people the only thing they are scared of are people that s why it is important for guyanese to have an intelligent debate dr mangal stated responding to several questions which highlighted a number of shortcomings in the psa mangal stated that a lot of people in guyana are questioning who negotiated on guyana s behalf the psa was released in december and since then there have been daily debates about the provisions of the contract with growing concern that guyana did not get a fair deal what i would say is let s see how the public debate goes on over the next couple of months mangal noted the presidential advisor is on record pointing out that zero taxes on oil and the two percent royalties in the psa is not the international norm for oil agreements we can all sit down and talk about it the way i would be more happy and you would be more happy as well is if a process was followed and we knew who was involved and we knew their competencies and their expertise and they were respected and that they went out there to bat for guyana and they did the best they could mangal pointed out exxonmobil is a multinational corporation with powerful reach which was run for a number of years by rex tillerson the current united states secretary of state mangal has pointed out that regardless of how powerful the company is the people s view will weigh on the decision makers of the country dr mangal is a guyanese who has spent 18 years in the industry 13 of them with chevron working on major oil and gas projects in the united states west africa and asia amid growing calls for the contract to be renegotiated dr mangal noted that contracts should always be reviewed as new information becomes available contracts are always changed a contract is an agreement between two people both parties need to be comfortable if one party becomes really uncomfortable it will be changed dr mangal pointed out he stated that the question of renegotiating the contract is one that the people of guyana must answer according to dr mangal the focus last year was to get the exxonmobil contract released to the public he expressed his happiness that the information is out there and people are doing the analysis for themselves article adapted from  http wwwpetroleumworldcom story18020905htm petroleum oil gas ', 0),
(542, 'und', 'node_search', ' president granger s petroleum advisor criticizes exxonmobil s low royalty payment control of large concession president granger s petroleum advisor criticizes exxonmobil s low royalty payment control of large concession president granger s petroleum advisor criticizes exxonmobil s low royalty payment control of large concession webmaster sat 2102018 1923 guyana s two percent royalty on earnings from exxonmobil s oil sales is low compared to global standards raising concerns about whether there was transparency about the negotiating system dr jan mangal petroleum advisor to president david granger said wednesday what we can do is look at what are the international norms royalty when you look around is more between ten and twenty percent not two percent dr mangal told a discussion on the government of guyana s vision for the oil and gas sector held at the university of guyana s education lecture theatre he also noted that the tax is usually between 20 percent and 30 percent or more mangal remarked that the 5050 percent profit share is not bad however the zero tax and two percent royalty that is in guyana s agreement has not gone down well with the advisor asked whether the contract should be renegotiated he said that was a question for guyana to answer but he for the time being would withhold his view i am not at a stage yet where i am sharing that view publicly but it is under discussion he said with a lot of suspicion still around about the oil sector he said civil society and the wider guyanese community need to develop greater trust of government and their representatives on the issue of whether the contract should not only be reviewed but also amended the petroleum expert said both contracting parties need to be comfortable if one party becomes really uncomfortable it will change guyana is a sovereign country he said at the same time he said policymakers would have to examine the tradeoffs and be careful about scaring away investors guyana has to be careful because that could be the perception will be the perception but i don t think it s black and white we have to be careful not to simplify too much and it s not black and white and there could be a role for the grey area in the middle he said mangal said he was pushing for experts from the interamerican development bank and the international monetary fund and other agencies to conduct a thorough a review of the contract and for government to decide what it would do with the results while minister of natural resources raphael trotman continues to stress the benefits in the 2017 agreement with exxonmobil when one considers the political enormous financial and security risks facing that company mangal said guyanese would be happier if there was transparency about the negotiating system the way i would be happy and you would probably be happy as well is if a process was followed and you knew who was involved and we knew their competencies and their expertise and they were respected did they go out there and bat for guyana and they did they best they could but i think a lot of people in guyana are questioning that he said mangal noted that guyana s oil reserves discovered so far are of a very high quality and requires less processing i know it s light oil which means it s good oil and that s a huge factor he said the presidential advisor whose latest shortterm contract ends in march 2018 said generally oil companies are very powerful and experts in everything they do and they know how to influence governments to a t but they could buckle under intense public pressure however they can t influence people the only thing they are scared of is people so that s why it s important for guyanese to have intelligent debate he said at the same time he cautioned against scaring away investors after pushing for the exxonmobil contract to be released he welcomed the brilliant analysis that is leading to questions being asked mangal promised to make his views known more frankly in the public in the coming months the presidential advisor expressed grave concern about the fact that based on the 1999 agreement and the new 2017 deal exxonmobil is controlling the entire stabroek block of about 600 blocks or 10 times more than what guyana s laws allow it is not good for one company owning too much of your acreage exxon already owns over fifty percent of the acreage in guyana that s not good for guyana he said mangal argued that countries should benefit from diversity and competition in its acreage from companies from several parts of the world such as europe and south america oil is highstakes governments companies they will do things at a high level he said he recommended that guyana examines how the acreage is allocated for the long term the presidential advisor warned against guyana neglecting its agricultural sector and instead recommended that a lot of the oil revenues be ploughed into that sector as well as developing physical infrastructure and the social sectors article adapted from  http demerarawavescom 20180207 presidentgrangerspetroleumadvisorcriticizesexxonmo  dr jan mangal exxon mobil oil gas ', 0),
(543, 'und', 'node_search', ' ministry of the presidency distances govt from petroleum advisor s criticisms of exxonmobil contract ministry of the presidency distances govt from petroleum advisor s criticisms of exxonmobil contract ministry of the presidency distances govt from petroleum advisor s criticisms of exxonmobil contract webmaster sat 2102018 1929 about five hours after dr jan mangal petroleum advisor to president david granger delivered a number of hardhitting criticisms of the controversial exxonmobil contract government sought to dissociate itself from his positions the ministry of the presidency puts on record that dr jan mangal presidential advisor on petroleum is not authorised to speak on behalf of his excellency president david granger or the government of guyana the ministry of the presidency said in a oneline statement issued at 950 pm mangal delivered his presentation between 3 pm and shortly after 5 pm in his capacity as presidential advisor on petroleum as was stated on the university of guyana programme for its discussion on the government of guyana s vision for the oil and gas sector he was introduced by that designation and at no time did he say whether or not he was speaking in his private or official capacity he stopped short of saying whether or not he would like to see the contract revised opting only to remark that he would make known his views known in the coming weeks mangal s latest shortterm contract expires in march at the forum mangal said the two percent royalty that guyana secured from exxonmobil in the 2017 production sharing agreement was way below the globally accepted norms of between 10 and 20 percent no tax on oil revenues did not find favour with mangal who has worked in several oil producing nations he however welcomed the 5050 percent split in profit oil taking credit for pushing for the release of the exxonmobil contract in december 2017 mangal said that was needed to stimulate public debate so that civil society and the wider guyanese community could determine whether it is a good or bad deal mangal said he was also behind efforts to have the contract reviewed by experts from the international monetary fund imf and the interamerican development bank idb to review contract at the same time he cautioned against amending the contract because that could send a bad signal to investors minister of natural resources raphael trotman has repeatedly defended the contract saying that previously there were no provisions for funding training and corporate social responsibility and there was no real royalty he said the contract takes into consideration the political financial and bordersecurity related risks associated with the guyanavenezuela boundary controversy guyana begins commercial oil production from the liza well at a rate of 120000 barrels per day exxonmobil is also eyeing the possibility of increasing its daily production soon after with the addition of another floating production storage and offloading fpso vessel article adapted from  http demerarawavescom 20180207 ministryofthepresidencydistancesgovtfrompetroleuma  petroleum oil gas ', 0),
(544, 'und', 'node_search', ' uk based company wants to hire ug students uk based company wants to hire ug students uk based company wants to hire ug students webmaster sun 2182018 2120 some university of guyana graduates and others in the disciplines of technology business and other fields of study will cash in big time as a world renowned firm has shown interest to not only hire them but also to prepare them for the upcoming oil and gas industry this announcement was made by vice chancellor professor ivelaw griffith  united kingdom oil gas ', 0),
(545, 'und', 'node_search', ' 7th vicechancellor s renaissance lecture the belt and road initiative of china 7th vicechancellor s renaissance lecture the belt and road initiative of china webmaster mon 2192018 2126 education lecturer theatre the belt and road initiative of china his excellency mr cui jianchun ambassador extraordinary and plenipoteniary of the people s republic of china to the cooperative republic of guyana tuesday february 27 2018 education lecture theatre university of guyana turkeyen campus the belt and road initiative of china  ', 0),
(546, 'und', 'node_search', ' don t neglect food security in pursuit of oil ug vicechancellor don t neglect food security in pursuit of oil ug vicechancellor don t neglect food security in pursuit of oil ug vicechancellor webmaster mon 2192018 2132 the university of guyana is keen to widen its educational offers to include the oil and gas sector but in this pursuit vicechancellor professor ivelaw griffith has warned that there is a role for the university in maintaining guyana s food security we also recognize that we cannot neglect who we essentially are professor griffith told students at oil and gas presentation held on the university s turkeyen campus on wednesday last he added we are an agricultural society and we will not do ourselves and prosperity well to neglect the agriculture sector according to prof griffith a feasibility team to look at establishing a food and nutrition institute at the university has been established the team met for the first time in january to start the journey of ensuring that in partnership with other entities in guyana and internationally the university plays a vital role in food security one of the international agencies supporting the initiative is the food and agriculture organization of the united nations fao which has provided us 5000 to start the study prof griffith noted that the university wants to ensure that connectivity with natural science agriculture earth and environmental science and social science will enable partnerships with national agricultural research extension institute narei guyana school of agriculture gsa ministry of education and public health we don t neglect food security especially since there is an opportunity for guyana not only in regard to the caribbean but in regard to being part of south america where we have some competitive advantage but we need to stop viewing it as potential and we need to actualize it prof griffith stated in relation to preparing the university for the oil and gas sector prof griffith said that they are ramping up what is being done across all faculties he suggested changing the name of the faculty of technology while still catering for current programmes such as industrial and mechanical engineering whether you want to do simply petroleum engineering or as we have committed to not neglecting mechanical electrical and civil we ve got to do better physics we got to do better chemistry we got to do better math the investments we are going to argue will have to do the whole of the university prof griffith pointed out he outlined that the university is being proactive in its approach to the oil and gas sector by reaching out to other entities to establish partnerships prof griffith stated that he sent a member of the law department to an oil and gas seminar last year in addition last year teams were sent to the university of alberta canada and the university of the west indies trinidad campus we cannot wait until all is available here for us to do what we need to do we ve got to partner we have to develop and be prepared to offer relevant courses in the oil and gas industry prof griffith stated there are plans to engage experts in the oil and gas industry for a series of talks dubbed campus conversations which will aim to educate students and faculty members on the emerging sector note the grant from the fao for the feasibility study is us 50  and not us 5000 article adapted from  https wwwkaieteurnewsonlinecom 20180213 dontneglectfoodsecurityinpursuitofoilugvicechancel  oil gas food security food and agriculture organisation ', 0),
(547, 'und', 'node_search', ' bigger investments in guyana highest learning institution needed vc bigger investments in guyana highest learning institution needed vc bigger investments in guyana highest learning institution needed webmaster mon 2192018 2139 the university of guyana ug is appealing for bigger investments in order to effectively prepare thousands of guyanese for the country s emerging oil and gas o g sector so says the institution s vice chancellor professor ivelaw griffith who this past week lamented the state of affairs as he appealed to the corporate community including oil companies civil society and government for increased investments in the tertiary institution i want to recommend that you embrace the proposition that we have a university of guyana that we are going to have to invest in appropriately we being the society we being the partners at the international level who think who are convinced that this is a worthy journey on which to enjoin professor griffith said the university administrator was at the time addressing the guyana international petroleum exhibition and summit gipex held at the marriott hotel from february 7 to 9 he was speaking to the institution s preparations in order to meet the projected skills demand as a result of the emerging industry and was adamant the university is not going to be able to make the efforts and have the outcomes desired if we don t want to invest investment he proffered needs to come from the government of guyana it needs to come from the industry partners it needs to come from the citizenry  energy investment plan he told the industry executives delegates and government representatives at gipex 2018 in context of ug just sitting there we got to figure out what the investment will be to make these all happen the university currently has a team working on putting together an energy investment plan and a number of industry partners have already begun collaborating with the university he said professor griffith identified schlumberger haliburton bakerhughes a ge company exxonmobil and technipfmc having already employed 10 university graduates the university vice chancellor disclosed too that technipfmc has committed to directly employing from ug 20 more specialized persons by yearend that exxonmobil tier i contractor last year contacted the university to recruit the engineers six mechanical two electrical and two civil engineers each of the contracted university graduates has since been sent to brazil by technipfmc for further training article adapted from  http oilnowgy news biggerinvestmentsguyanahighestlearninginstitutionn  oil gas ', 0),
(548, 'und', 'node_search', ' secondary school students flock ug career fair secondary school students flock ug career fair secondary school students flock ug career fair webmaster mon 2192018 2207 students from across the country showed up in their numbers with teachers in tow to participate in the university of guyana ug 2018 open career day at the turkeyen campus on friday morning the event which was packed to capacity saw students filling the many booths that were in place to share information on career choices and programmes that the tertiary institution offered in his keynote address professor ivelaw lloyd griffith vicechancellor ug charged the large gathering of students in the george walcott lecture theatre that education is the enabler to make change and for them to become agents of change he added that ug is a place for students to change their circumstances and make use of the 113 programmes offered by the tertiary institution to become professionals professor griffith disclosed that when ug started in 1963 there were only 164 students and only five degree programmes offered he added that today ug has 8255 students with 113 programmes and they are seeking to establish a department of petroleum engineering to gear young people for the oil and gas sector he said next semester ug will launch a psychology degree programme the ug vicechancellor admitted that even though ug is not perfect they are working towards making improvements and advised students to be prepared to embrace certain values to be the change they want he encouraged the gathering of students to follow three tips to becoming successful to desist from being comfortable with mediocrity to focus on excellence and to practise the value of respect he had a lively interactive session with the students in which one a pupil of queen s college who provided the correct answers to his three questions won herself 50000 as part of a scholarship to apply to ug to pursue further studies upon completion of her secondary education meanwhile in opening remarks dr nigel gravesande ug registrar told the students the event is geared towards the premier tertiary national institution to showcase and make a direct appeal for them to expand their academic scope he pointed out that they should consider ug as the institution of their first choice upon completion of their secondary education since they have more than 100 programmes in various disciplines dr gravesande added that ug s mission is to respond to the developmental needs of guyana regionally and globally since many graduates of ug are assisting in many continents which is a testimony to the quality of education they provide he said it is no secret that ug continues to provide quality graduates and the open career day is to whet the appetites of students to get registered for available programmes dr gravesande however encouraged the students to visit the various booths and ask questions in an effort to be informed of their choice of careers also making remarks was assistant registrar students welfare daniella king who said that the event is specially designed to enlighten students of the programmes offered by ug to provide insights into their career choices and for them to be aware of the steps they can take to pursue further studies at ug article adapted from  http guyanachroniclecom 20180217 secondaryschoolstudentsflockugcareerfair career day ', 0);
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(549, 'und', 'node_search', ' ug lecturer dawn fox wins owsdelsevier foundation award for earlycareer women scientists in the developing world ug lecturer dawn fox wins owsdelsevier foundation award for earlycareer women scientists in the developing world ug lecturer dawn fox wins owsdelsevier foundation award webmaster mon 2192018 2216 5 researchers from developing countries are preparing to accept owsdelsevier foundation awards for their work in the physical sciences they re earlycareer researchers from bangladesh cameroon ecuador guyana and indonesia and they re being recognized for their outstanding work in the physical sciences mathematics physics and chemistry and for mentoring young scientists in their communities their research runs the gamut from improving predictions of tsunami behavior to using natural resources for energy storage to developing water filters from recycled materials and they have had to overcome formidable challenges to become scientists function d s id var js fjs dgetelementsbytagname s  if dgetelementbyid id return js dcreateelement s jsid id jssrc https connectfacebooknet enus sdkjs xfbml 1 version v212 fjsparentnodeinsertbefore js fjs document script facebookjssdk  join us as we celebrate 5 extraordinary womeninscience as they accept the owsdelsevier foundation award at the aaasmtg elsevierlife posted by elsevier on saturday february 17 2018 dr dawn iona fox a lecturer at the university of guyana turkeyen campus is being recognized for her research on converting local waste products into materials to solve environmental problems currently she is focusing on on improving drinking water quality at the household level for vulnerable communities and on waterstress events such as floods storms and hurricanes to this end she is developing a household water treatment filter made entirely from recycled and locally available materials which could be deployed internationally in 2016 she cofounded a group called women in science engineering wise to support empower and advocate for girls and women to pursue and flourish in stem careers winning this award she wrote gives me the confidence to continue my advocacy and outreach to encourage girls and women to consider stem careers article adapted from  https wwwelseviercom connect elsevierataaasmtgliveupdateswithwomeninsciencewinn updates dawn fox owsdelsevier foundation award ', 0),
(550, 'und', 'node_search', ' ug s undergraduates could conduct research vicechancellor ug s undergraduates could conduct research vicechancellor ug s undergraduates could conduct research vicechancellor webmaster wed 2212018 2349 in a bid to further elevate the profile of the university of guyana ug vicechancellor professor ivelaw griffith is touting the participation of undergraduate students in research projects speaking to the department of public information dpi recently professor griffith said that a university of substance is not only in the business of teaching but of enabling new knowledge to be created that new knowledge he said is created through research and publishing the vicechancellor said officials from government and civil society should be able to turn to the university to seek out experts in particular areas according to him that is the place where the country s premier tertiary institute hopes to go through research back in 2016 the university launched an undergraduate research programme which has seen much success i have seen the power of getting undergraduate students involved in research the idea is to get students from the first year not waiting until your third and fourth year to be involved in research he told dpi professor griffith recalled that in april of 2017 at the tain berbice campus several students presented their research papers according to the vicechancellor the question is how to motivate students to become involved in research and lecturers to publish with their students the answer to this he said is that the university has to become affiliated with organisations it is hoped that students from the university of guyana could also travel abroad to present their research papers it is not going to be a peerreviewed a1 scientific journal but it is setting the stage for them to be comfortable with having research as something that they do and using that research as something they do to move to the other level professor griffith explained that next level could be postgraduate studies or moving into the workforce but having research capabilities enhances the student s research sense of self while at the same time elevating the profile of the university the vicechancellor said he disclosed that part of the university s plans for reorganisation in this area will see the establishment of a deanery for graduate studies and research speaking about the recentlylaunched university press the vicechancellor said the entity now has a board with a number of overseasbased members and is headed by professor ken danns in march of 2017 the university signed an agreement with the ian randle publishers out of jamaica one of the largest established scholarly publishing houses to establish the ug press the intent of that professor griffith said is to enable research and publishing and create a mechanism the press is part of the project of the renaissance of lifting the credibility of the publication the university s press is hoping to publish books journals monographs and significant lectures there are also plans for digital publications professor griffith said dpi article adapted from  http guyanachroniclecom 20180220 ugsundergraduatescouldconductresearchvicechancello research undergraduate ', 0),
(551, 'und', 'node_search', ' first lady attends ug s international mother language day first lady attends ug s international mother language day first lady attends ug s international mother language day webmaster sun 2252018 2135 first lady sandra granger on wednesday evening attended a lecture at the university of guyana ug held to observe international mother language daythe event which was hosted in ug s education lecture theatre was coordinated by lecturer in the language and culture department charlene wilkinson according to a release from the ministry of the presidencyinternational mother language day imld is a worldwide annual observance held to promote awareness of linguistic and cultural diversity and multilingualism it was first announced by the united nations educational scientific and cultural organisation unesco on november 171999this is the first year that observances are being held in guyana and the focus is being placed on guyanese creole and indigenous languages arawak akwaio carib macushi patamona wai wai wapichan and warrau the release said article adapted from  https wwwstabroeknewscom 2018 photos 223 firstladyattendsugsinternationalmotherlanguageday  sandra granger language and culture department guyanese creole ', 0),
(552, 'und', 'node_search', ' guyanese female scientist awarded guyanese female scientist awarded guyanese female scientist awarded webmaster sun 2252018 2145 five  women scientists  from the developing world have been awarded an international prize for research that promotes socioeconomic development and a better quality of life the awards a partnership between the elsevier foundation and the organization for women in science for the developing world owsd were presented at the annual meeting of the american association for the advancement of science aaas which took place in austin texas this month 1519 february hasibun naher from bangladesh germaine djuidje kenmoe from cameroon silvia gonzalez perez from ecuador dawn iona fox from guyana and witri wahyu lestari from indonesia each received a us 5000 cash prize for their work naher was recognised for her work on  computer simulation  of tsunamis djuidje kenmoe for the study of molecular frictionandwear for improving energy efficiency gonzalez perez for molecular modelling of new sustainable materials fox for work on converting waste into materials with added value and lestari for her research on the synthesis of metalorganic frameworks for various applications in medicine or environmental protection owsd president jennifer thomson says the women distinguished with the award show that if they have the opportunities and support women in the developing world can become leaders in their fields not all women have the opportunity to do so according to  2015 data from unesco  women in much of the world face social political and economic barriers to dedicating their working life to science but those who live in developing countries can face additional different obstacles poverty for instance is strongly linked with unequal access to secondary  education  and this may keep women from obtaining a university degree in almost in any field another obstacle is related to culture and traditions that maintain inequalities between men and women according to a  unesco report  from 2017 parents with more traditional beliefs about  gender  roles tend to discourage their daughters from pursuing a scientific career to become a scientist in a developing country a woman must be creative and committed djuidje kenmoe the cameroonian owsdelsevier prize winner told  scidevnet  this she added is because in addition to academic work she will often be tied to social and familiar responsibilities and duties this highlights the importance of a prize that is specific to women scientists who live and work in developing countries argues hortensia moreno a researcher from the national autonomous university of mexico and a specialist in gender studies according to moreno this prize highlights the need to promote women scientists presence in scientific fields they may have been prevented from entering both in formal ways for example through restrictions on studying or entering into academic life and in symbolic ways through myths stereotypes and narratives that feed the false notion that women do not have an aptitude for science djuidje kenmoe believes that science and education can promote change in her community this is why part of her work is about convincing families that they should offer a girl the same opportunities they offer to a boy girls ought to know that when they have a job they can be financially independent and have an important power in family decisions according to moreno prizes also represent the interests of the organisations that grant them they can legitimize economic power but also have value as they allow even a minimal distribution of wealth the elsevier foundation has faced strong criticism from the scientific communities in several european countries who pay large sums to publish and access articles in journals owned by elsevier at the end of last year  200 german academic institutions cancelled their subscriptions  to the publishing house in a push for national negotiation that offers fairer payments for their publications and open access for the institutions that produce them article adapted from  https wwwkaieteurnewsonlinecom 20180224 guyanesefemalescientistawarded  owsdelsevier foundation award dawn fox ', 0),
(553, 'und', 'node_search', ' guyanese languages and identity guyanese languages and identity guyanese languages and identity webmaster mon 2262018 2108 a natural language is the archive where the experiences knowledge and beliefs of a community are stored the above words were uttered by the late spanish linguist fernando lazaro carreter it underscores the relationship between language and identity guyana s many languages are a testament to our rich culture language preservation needs to be one of our priorities as we move forward as individuals and as a people mashramani and international mother language day are reminders of that wednesday last marked the first time that international mother language day was celebrated in guyana the worldwide observance is held on february 21 every year since february 2000 with its goal being to promote linguistic and cultural diversity and multilingualism for us here in guyana it may be considered fortuitous that the occasion is so close to our mashramani a time when we celebrate our cultural diversity the event was held in the education lecture theatre of the university of guyana by the guyana languages unit working group and the faculty of education and humanities attendees were seated in a circle for the festivities creating the ambience of a village gathering throughout the event which lasted for over two hours the audience was able to listen to stories and songs told in arawak akawaio patamuna wapichan guyanese creole or creolese and english it was clearly evident very early on in the afternoon s programme that it would be remiss to categorise all the indigenous languages together into a group as such each of the languages spoken at the event had its own cadence and stress its own identity for some in attendance it was their first time hearing those languages from michael khan in his persona of ole man pappie who told a nancy story in creolese to aunty joan s story of one of the legends of the village of wakapoa to name but a few of the presenters the audience was invested to the end after the event and as preparations were getting underway for the graduation of the students of the creolese writing class the pepperpot magazine was able to speak to charlene wilkinson wilkinson a lecturer in english at the university of guyana was one of the event s organisers she explained that she had no intentions of letting the international mother language day pass by this year as it had in previous years with wilkinson receiving support from her colleagues dhaniswary jaganath dr tamir de lisser michael khan students of the creolese writing class and others the group was able to put together the event wilkinson acknowledged that the event was not as organised as it could have been she clarified that she had put out a call for participants but that in most cases participants came in at the last minute the event was thus not able to have a structured programme this though worked in its favour for she said there is danger in too much planning too her dream she told the pepperpot magazine is to have the event continue without a rigid structure in years to come if people get to understand each other s aesthetic then we will begin to learn to blend together which for me is what nationbuilding is about she said her firm belief is that we can create unity through the arts and through similar events language and identity are two concepts that are tied up in each other indeed wilkinson emphatically noted that they are inseparable indeed the talk she had prepared to deliver at the graduation later that evening was titled not a blade o grass not a word guh loss the talk s purpose was to show the relationship between environmental preservation and language preservation our languages especially the indigenous languages still carry the secrets and the knowledge and the wisdom of that relationship to the environment that the western culture has destroyed explained wilkinson she conceded that it is true that individual words from the languages can be learnt however she noted that these words come with the language s grammar its body language and the relationship of the human body with the earth itself because of that interconnectedness cutting an indigenous speaker off from their language also means severing that relationship to the earth there is danger in relegating creolese and the languages of the first peoples to the background to put english at the forefront saying english only can begin the process of killing a language indeed wilkinson noted that we have evidence of that right here in guyana berbice dutch she said had been thriving at the time guyana changed from dutch to british hands the british insisted on the speaking of solely english in schools which led to the eventual demise of berbice dutch even after the end of the colonial period and perhaps even today as wilkinson pointed out indigenous children are being admonished for speaking their mother tongue there is a fear she explained that speaking their languages will prevent them from being able to learn english however that is simply not the case it is more natural for us to take on many languages she emphasised one of the most important lessons from international mother language day 2018 is that all languages are valid and valuable it is true that english enables communication with our global community this though does invalidate the worth of creolese arawak akawaio arecuna carib macushi patamuna wai wai wapichan or warrau and that is worth remembering article adapted from  https guyanachroniclecom 20180225 guyaneselanguagesandidentity   international mother language day language and culture department ', 0),
(554, 'und', 'node_search', ' is we own is we own is we own webmaster wed 2282018 2213 over the past few weeks the nation has been in preparatory mode for the highlyanticipated 48th republic anniversary which was celebrated on february 23 as is customary many events were staged across the country in every region there were flagraising ceremonies costume parades for children and adults and a gamut of local talent shows the country was abuzz with activity and revelry in addition to these activities it is also a tradition for the museums and libraries to host lectures and exhibitions with the aim of evoking a sense of patriotism and understanding of the republic celebrations indeed it should be a time of reflection guyana attained republican status on february 23 1970 some 48 years ago prior to the attainment of republican status the country attained independence from great britain on may 26 1966 these are significant milestones in the life of this country more importantly it provided us as a nation with an opportunity to reflect on the path we have traversed over these years as well as the pains and tribulations we experienced in the past while the challenges are still formidable today citizens should be reminded not to lose sight of the patriotism and resilience that brought us this far as a nation our leaders should also be reminded that it is their responsibility to foster a society in which there is peace progress prosperity and a sense of patriotism we have witnessed the coming together of our people over the last few days with respect to the guyanavenezuela border controversy and when thousands gathered as the golden arrowhead was hoisted commemorating yet another milestone in guyana s history while the older generation of guyanese were undoubtedly reflecting on the journey and struggles that led to this point we should pause to consider what the younger folks were thinking of was there a feeling of deep patriotism or national loyalty were there reflections on the struggles of our foreparents more importantly did the pomp and ceremony ignite within them the deepseated sense of national pride over the coming years guyanese at home and abroad will be preparing for the oil and gas sector however in the midst of preparations and the grand plans the border controversy with venezuela has gained new life venezuela has staunchly been against oil exploration in guyana s stabroek block where multiple oil deposits were found by exxonmobil and has since laid claim to the essequibo region which represents two thirds of guyana s territory the united nations recently announced that it would be sending the border controversy between guyana and venezuela before the international court of justice icj for a judicial settlement venezuela however has strongly rejected the move in essence the country s sovereignty is under threat guyana s head of state however anticipates that guyana s successful defence of its territorial integrity will not only boost local development but investors confidence in guyana especially in light of the impending oil and gas production the period ahead therefore will require maturity on the part of the two countries and the eventual acceptance of the icj s decision through it all the citizens of guyana will also be called upon to hold firm to their patriotism and to be steadfast in their support for our sovereignty while there will undoubtedly be many instances in the future for the citizenry to band together guyanese from all walks gathered on sunday at the seawall bandstand for the is we own concert which was organised by the university of guyana and which featured renowned guyanese musician dave martins and his band it was indeed a rousing and proud moment to be in the midst of the crowd singing in unison to the lyrics of the song not a blade of grass it was a fitting culmination of this year s republic anniversary celebrations and reminder of the need for a revival of the patriotism that lies within all of us article adapted from  https guyanatimesgycom isweown2  48th republic anniversary dave martins ', 0),
(555, 'und', 'node_search', ' cdb grant to help fund modern ug library cdb grant to help fund modern ug library cdb grant to help fund modern ug library webmaster sat 3032018 2251 the university of guyana ug library is poised to become a hub for learning and innovation moreover the caribbean development bank cdb has not been opposed to lending financial support to the national university to realise this goal representatives of ug and cdb at a simple ceremony in the vice chancellery ug turkeyen campus announced that a grant of us 149985 approximately 30m has been approved to bring to fruition the construction of a new library with modern designs the library which will be situated on a plot of land west of the current library will see a contribution from government and ug amounting to approximately us 26000 52m towards the project speaking on behalf of cdb yesterday director of economics dr justin ram described the support to the library as yet another initiative of the bank to collaborate with ug and by extension guyana dr ram noted cdb is pleased to be supporting guyana in making progress on goal four as outlined in the united nations 2030 sustainable development agenda ensuring inclusive and quality education for all and promoting lifelong learning even as he labelled the technical assistance grant as another milestone in the bank s partnership with the government of guyana and ug dr ram noted that recently the bank had made available another grant to the university to enhance a regulatory framework to improve its operation yesterday announcement signals that this institution is one step closer to the construction of a new library towards improving the quality of education this campus delivers said dr ram through funding from the cdb grant a comprehensive assessment will be undertaken to determine the adequacy and suitability of the current infrastructure dr ram said that final designs and cost estimates for the new library will be prepared but according to him we are optimistic that this process will place the university further along the path to having new facilities that are environmentally resilient socially inclusive and a place of study and lifelong learning for the men and women who attend this institution according to deputy vice chancellor barbara reynolds the library project which commences immediately will be done in two phases the first of which will be completed within seven months regarding the old library reynolds said that moves will be made to assess its structural integrity and providing it is structurally robust then the sensible thing to do will be to repurpose it according to dr ram the decision to invest in the new library was nestled in the realisation that a library is important to the lives of students libraries boost learning outcomes providing the resources students need to achieve success in their course work libraries open access to students from vulnerable socioeconomic context who otherwise would not be able to afford they can lay the foundation and provide a safe space for the pursuit of innovative ideas that can transform not only guyana but our region and our world said dr ram the move towards a new library comes against a backdrop of a ug library that has been fraught with many deficiencies over the years even as he expressed appreciation for the support ug vice chancellor professor ivelaw griffith said we are all anxious to move the process with alacrity so that we can access the funding to start the various components of what we envisage things that will be helpful to this university once completed the new library will include a number of modern amenities complete with a layout that incorporate collaborative as well as independent spaces according to chief librarian ms gwyneth george she informed that reading rooms in the new library will have a structure unlike the old library and we want to incorporate the technology in such a way that we create learning and creative spaces article adapted from  https wwwkaieteurnewsonlinecom 20180301 cdbgranttohelpfundmodernuglibrary  library cdb caribbean development bank ', 0),
(556, 'und', 'node_search', ' cdb 31m grant launches process for new ug library cdb 31m grant launches process for new ug library cdb 31m grant launches process for new ug library webmaster sat 3032018 2253 the university of guyana ug yesterday signed a grant with the caribbean development bank cdb for just under us 150000 31m to begin the process for a new library while government has provided us 26  towards the project the us 149985 grant which has been provided under the bank s technical assistance programme will fund a sevenmonth design and costing exercise which is the first phase in the construction of a modern library which will have less shelves and more computers according to university librarian gwyneth george the new building which will be located west of the current library will have a layout which caters for both collaborative and independent spaces she explained that in designing the building ug will focus on incorporating technology in such a way that both a space for learning and creating will be realized spaces where people are free to sit where they wish and converse special rooms and special equipment where students can prepare tutorials or design projects as wells as an auditorium to teach librarians so that they can better assist student to access online learning material such as electronic books and journals are expected features of the new library george explained that since a 1997 assessment found the current library to be lacking the department has included a request for a library upgrade in every annual report and she is excited to finally see work being done deputy vicechancellor dr barbara reynolds explained that the construction will be done in two phases with cdb s grant being specifically earmarked for the first phase while we have a conceptual layout we will have a team of civil and construction engineers do the highly detailed technical work we will then have drawing and designs at the end of seven months we anticipate that very soon you will see in the newspapers calls for expression of interest to provide these designs reynolds explained cdb director of economics justin ram further explained that the bank is aware of the constraints and deficiencies of the current library which prevent it from operating at an optimal level and is pleased to assist in addressing one of these primary constraints poor infrastructure under this technical assistance grant a comprehensive assessment will be undertaken to determine the adequacy and suitability of the current infrastructure and final designs and cost estimates for construction of the new library will be prepared he said noting that the cdb is optimistic that this process will place the university further along the path to having new facilities that are environmentally resilient socially inclusive and a place of study and lifelong learning for the men and women who attend this institution once completed the building will be big enough for the needs of the university community and have facilities for those members who have special needs the current library building will then undergo an assessment of structural integrity providing it is structurally robust or can be made structurally robust it will be repurposed reynolds noted article adapted from  https wwwstabroeknewscom 2018 news stories 302 cdb31mgrantlaunchesprocessfornewuglibrary  library caribbean development bank ', 0),
(557, 'und', 'node_search', ' ug business professor wants more commercial bank backing for business startups ug business professor wants more commercial bank backing for business startups ug business professor wants more commercial bank backing for business startups webmaster sat 3032018 2257 visiting professor at the school of enterprise and business innovation sebi at the university of guyana dr leyland lucas is advocating more robust support from the commercial banking sector for startup business ventures in their greatest time of need as one of the building blocks for the creation of an entrepreneurial ecosystem in guyana in an article written for publication in the forthcoming issue of the guyana review professor lucas argues that while regulatory demands place constraints on banks lending practices this does not remove them from the realm of responsibility for promoting entrepreneurship and supporting the ecosystem commercial banks lucas contends must find ways to embrace entrepreneurship and the creation of new entities he says that special programmes must be designed by banks to meet the needs of entrepreneurs such that the ecosystem can thrive and become selfsustaining adding that banks cannot survive by simply lending to established businesses if banks are not there for entrepreneurs in the embryonic stage and their greatest time of need then how can they expect to be embraced later such behaviour is tantamount to the absentee parent who upon a child s rise to a position of prominence suddenly emerges and seeks to benefit lucas meanwhile is also calling for credit unions which he says are the guardians of significant financial assets to play their role in the entrepreneurship system as enablers of economic activity rather than guardians of savings a position which he says can be realized with enlightened management and not much risk and which can contribute to the creation of a new group of wealth generators such a move lucas says requires personnel with the necessary knowledge to effectively perform the duties associated with the new duties of the credit union in terms of providing support for programmes designed to aid entrepreneurship according to lucas if an enabling entrepreneurship is to be created state policies must be designed to make it easy for entrepreneurs to access public sector systems and laws enacted to help promote entrepreneurship additionally he writes that regulatory frameworks must be developed to facilitate access to critical information incentives created to support entrepreneurial ventures and effective enforcement mechanisms must be established and while government has tagged the guyana office for investment goinvest and the small business bureau sbb as critical players in attracting both local and overseas private sector investment and supporting local small and mediumscale entrepreneurial ventures respectively lucas opines that these alone are not sufficient for entrepreneurship to grow the ministries of business trade communications and our foreign missions he says have particularly important roles to play in the development and sustenance of an entrepreneurship ecosystem and lucas says that while the onestop shop system which facilitates access to all government services has been the focus of government s promotion of the country s openness to foreign investment what is seldom emphasized is the importance of trust to the smooth operations of this system unfortunately within our own society this is a scarce commodity lucas adds in adding his voice to those that have already bemoaned the absence of supporting physical infrastructure for the creation of a convivial entrepreneurial ecosystem professor lucas alludes to the need for products created and ready for market to be supported by effective logistics systems reliable power supplies and communications networks he says national resources must be devoted to creating an exceptional road and air transportation system a reliable power grid and a telecommunication system that is dependable products must be delivered on time to customers delays in production due to power outages must be minimized contacts between producers and customers must be reliable these support mechanisms he says are particularly important within the context of business opportunities associated with the discovery and production of oil and gas entrepreneurship cannot thrive if these essential support systems are not dependable part of an enabling support infrastructure for an entrepreneurial ecosystem lucas says is a stable environment in which prospective entrepreneurs can work in which context he is advocating the creation of regionally clustered entrepreneurship parks within which various services should be provided to enhance the prospective entrepreneur s experience with the nature of these parks varying from one region to another article adapted from  https wwwstabroeknewscom 2018 business 302 ugbusinessprofessorwantsmorecommercialbankbackingf  sebi ', 0),
(559, 'und', 'node_search', ' period for submission of online applications period for submission of online applications webmaster sun 3042018 17 university of guyana explore admissions  here  make the most of the incredible opportunities available in pursuit of your uog degree  ', 0),
(560, 'und', 'node_search', ' online registration for courses online registration for courses webmaster sun 3042018 22 university of guyana  ', 0),
(561, 'und', 'node_search', ' commencement of semester commencement of semester webmaster sun 3042018 24 university of guyana  ', 0),
(562, 'und', 'node_search', ' orientation week for new students orientation week for new students webmaster sun 3042018 26 university of guyana  ', 0),
(563, 'und', 'node_search', ' resit examinations period in respect to academic year 20172018 semester 2  resit examinations period in respect to academic year 20172018 semester 2 webmaster sun 3042018 29 university of guyana  ', 0),
(564, 'und', 'node_search', ' ug public management students maintain shirley fieldridley playfield ug public management students maintain shirley fieldridley playfield ug public management students maintain shirley fieldridley playfield webmaster sun 3042018 1759 public management students of the university of guyana ug have been engaged in the rehabilitation of community grounds and other facilities as part of their municipal and regional government course donna mckinnon head of department for government and international affairs and the lecturer for local municipal and regional government course told the guyana chronicle on friday that this is the first time she has decided to have her students engage in the practical aspect of the course she explained that there are several groups of approximately 12 students each who are engaged in community projects across regions three and four they have been given a project as part of their course assessment this year and so in different communities we have students who have chosen a project said the lecturer who was at the time at the shirley fieldridley square where a group of her students were busy rehabilitating that community s playground that playground has been in a state of disrepair since the early 2000s residents said and since then the children of the community have not been able to benefit from it though the projects are not funded by the university of guyana the students have reached out to civil society the business community and residents for assistance the students have taken it upon themselves mostly to engage the community fund raise approach sponsors for donations and so that s how they are being funded not by the university but through their own means of funding the project should be completed by the second week in april mckinnon stated she added that some of the students are working in north ruimveldt plaisance and diamond in region four as well as communities in region three further the lecturer noted that several orphanages will benefit from the projects local government should not just be theoretical they are expected to go into the community and do these things if we want to have them involved in the community these things are necessary these are ways they can start contributing to their communities she said the students have received permission from the georgetown mayor and city council m cc to execute their projects meanwhile sandra barker a resident of shirley fieldridley square told the guyana chronicle that she is pleased that the students of the university of guyana have chosen her community i think it is a very good initiative and it should give impetus to the community to continue the good work to maintain and sustain the effort so that as the president said we can have a real green space in shirley fieldridley barker who started living in shirley fieldridley square in the 1990s said the playground went into a state of disrepair in the early 2000s i guess the young people that grew up in the community with their parents a lot of them have migrated and you have new persons coming in this effort should motivate persons to really maintain it she stated like ms barker other residents are happy that the playground is being rehabilitated article adapted from  http guyanachroniclecom 20180303 ugpublicmanagementstudentsmaintainshirleyfieldridl public management shirley fieldridley ', 0),
(565, 'und', 'node_search', ' costing study to help guide future fee increases at ug vice chancellor costing study to help guide future fee increases at ug vice chancellor costing study to help guide future fee increases at ug vice chancellor webmaster sun 3042018 1805 there is currently the need for a costing study to be done at the university of guyana ug discussions in this regard were recently held at the level of the academic board and in the company of student leaders this is according to ug vice chancellor professor ivelaw griffith who shared this development on thursday even as he emphasised the importance of costing he underscored the need to know how much it would cost the university to produce a degree for instance in civil engineering or mathematics he disclosed that although currently the university offers 113 degree programmes we don t have an empirical base for the decision according to professor griffith who was speaking at a ceremony to announce a grant from the caribbean development bank cdb for the construction of a new library for the university while the funding will help to provide critical infrastructure for the library it will also help to do a variety of other things professor griffith disclosed that he has shared his anxiety with the members of the academic board of his desire to see the costing study be done in the coming year this move is important since according to him next year will end the third in a threeyear cycle of tuition increases next year we will need to begin to talk about what might be the increase beyond i would like that conversation to be grounded in evidence what it cost for a diploma for a degree for a master s degree for a phd and so i look forward to moving this process said the vice chancellor just recently the ug administration had cause to defend a decision to hike administrative fees a move that the current ugss body had fiercely condemned complete with threats to take legal recourse but the administration in a statement underscored that the increase was imperative since apart from tuition and facilities fees there are other expenses associated with studying at the university these are commonly called administrative fees and they cover a wide range of services including fees for processing applications for degree diploma and certificate programmes adjusted from 500 to 1000 and late applications adjusted from 2000 to 3000 late registration adjusted from 10000 to 12000 supplemental examinations adjusted from 1500 to 5000 the cost of personal transcripts has moved from 3000 to 5000 the administration outlined it also noted that some services that were entirely free now attract a fee included here are the resit examinations which now cost 6000 and letters for students that are used for visa applications and other purposes they now will attract a charge of 5000 but according to the administration students will only be required to pay the fees if they access the associated services it was noted that the new administrative fees will not affect all students indeed some fees do not affect current students they affect graduates seeking transcripts and other services a significant proportion of the requests for transcripts come from graduates residing abroad and dispatching those transcripts carries additional costs the administration highlighted in defending its decision the university sought to inform that administrative fees were last adjusted by the university about a decade ago a comparative analysis of administrative fees being paid at other local tertiary institutions reveals that the new ug fees are far from exorbitant as adjustments to service fees are being made at the university of guyana at this juncture it must be underscored that over the past two years students at the university have been witnessing numerous improvements that directly enhance their learning environment and educational experience the administration added vice chancellor griffith had said while none of us wish to add to the costs of our students educational experiences the practical reality is that running the university costs and the government subvention does not and cannot be expected to cover all the costs meanwhile professor griffith noted that even beyond the proposed costing study ug must also have in place a statement of economic value we need to know what the university of guyana does for the nation every one of the little more than the 1000 staff we have here permanent and part time pays taxes buys has mortgages so there are economic multipliers we need to be able to calculate what those impacts are professor griffith stated as such he emphasised we are looking forward not only for the library to have a tangible manifestation of the cdb support but for other things that can help us have the rational basis for establishing credibility in what we provide as a resource to the society and beyond the society article adapted from  tuition library fee increases ', 0),
(566, 'und', 'node_search', ' first day of classes first day of classes webmaster sun 3042018 2218 university of guyana  ', 0),
(567, 'und', 'node_search', ' deadline for payment of fees or submission of loan award without late fee penalty deadline for payment of fees or submission of loan award without late fee penalty webmaster sun 3042018 2222 university of guyana  ', 0),
(568, 'und', 'node_search', ' gtt s 18m innov8 fund to aid stem guyana university of guyana gtt s 18m innov8 fund to aid stem guyana university of guyana gtt s 18m innov8 fund to aid stem guyana university of guyana webmaster tue 3062018 1144 an gy 18 million innovative fund established by the guyana telephone and telegraph gtt will be pumped into the science technology engineering and mathematics stem programme locally and the university of guyana ug the announcement was made earlier monday by the telephone giant during a press conference to promote its upcoming innov8 expo and business forum to be held later this month gtt s chief executive officer ceo justin nedd reported that of the earmarked amount some gy 8m will go towards supporting strategic initiatives of stem while ug will be gifted gy 3m for its various programmes nedd s vision is to be able to collaborate with businesses to pump at least gy 200m into the area of technology annually this will especially he stated afford children the opportunity of being part of a grand and everchanging global experience part of gtt s innov8 plan is to also provide free internet service to every primary school across guyana its about time our children are supported and given the tools that they need to push guyana forward the ceo was quoted as saying by government s department of public information nedd said guyana is on to something big where technology is concerned and it is his belief that it is time that businesses and educators collaborate to move the country forward ug s deputy vicechancellor dr paloma mohammed said that the contribution from gtt will be used for a study conference slated for may fund students attending a global innovative club in july and a public conference stem guyana s colin sawh explained that the money will be used for a number of youth projects the innov8 business summit and expo will be held on march 24 and 25th according to nedd the event will demonstrate what technology can do for guyana and how the telephone company is supporting this technology this event will be opened to the public with no cost attached a special forum will be held on the 27th for businesses and leaders in technology innov8 summit launch press conference posted by gtt on monday march 5 2018 article adapted from  http demerarawavescom 20180305 gtts18minnov8fundtoaidstemguyanauniversityofguyana    gtt stem guyana innov8 ', 0),
(569, 'und', 'node_search', ' women in aviation guyana panel discussion women in aviation guyana panel discussion webmaster tue 3062018 1159 education lecturer theatre the women in aviation and the faculty of technology invite you to  a panel discussion on present and emerging trends in aviation  this discussion will be held on tuesday march 6 2018 at 1700 h in the education lecture theatre present emerging trends in aviation  ', 0),
(571, 'und', 'node_search', ' annual track and field championships annual track and field championships webmaster tue 3062018 1227 leonora track field stadium all students of the university of guyana are advised that the annual track field championships will be held on wednesday march 14 2018 at 1000h at the leonora track field stadium  athletes are asked to note that registration should be completed by noon friday march 9 2018 no registration will be accommodated on the day of the championship transportation will leave the turkeyen campus at 0730h   ', 0),
(572, 'und', 'node_search', ' university of guyana presents university of guyana presents annual track and field championships webmaster tue 3062018 1230 events annualtrackandfieldchampionships learn more image  ', 0),
(574, 'und', 'node_search', ' republic bank makes annual awards to high achievers republic bank makes annual awards to high achievers republic bank makes annual awards to high achievers webmaster wed 3072018 1929 one child one teacher one book one pen can change the world was the quote of encouragement from the university of guyana s vicechancellor ivelaw griffith to the best performers at national examinations in the country at republic bank guyana limited s power to make a difference academic achievement awards last wednesday the awardees were best performer at the national grade six assessment ngsa saskia twahir best performer at csec michael bhopaul best performer at cape shannon woodroffe best graduating students from the university of guyana with a bachelor s degree in the faculty of social sciences elsie harry and diploma in banking and finance shania annirood among those in attendance at the ceremony at the head office on new market street were the minister of education nicolette henry and superintendent of examinations of the ministry of education saudia kadir in his address richard sammy the managing director of republic bank guyana stated that the organization continues its tradition of supporting and rewarding excellence in education through its annual partnership with the ministry of education and the university of guyana the bank s social investment programme power to make a difference is an initiative to serve honour encourage and empower guyana s youth towards a life and future of excellence he said he further stated that the bank tracks the progress of the awardees and made special mention of this year s csec awardee michael bhopaul who five years ago received the award for his performance at the ngsa griffith shared with the awardees a quote from the youngest nobel peace prize laureate malala yousafzai one child one teacher one book one pen can change the world griffith then said nothing you have achieved so far you have done by yourself as you celebrate your achievements remember who your giants were because you have been standing on the shoulders of giants some of those giants may be parents who never had a chance to go where you have gone like queen s college or the university of guyana some of those giants may be your grandmother grandfather teachers counselors priests pastors pandits article adapted from  https wwwstabroeknewscom 2018 news stories 307 republicbankmakesannualawardstohighachievers  republic bank awards ', 0);
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(575, 'und', 'node_search', ' university of guyana faculty of agriculture and forestry gets new offices and study room university of guyana faculty of agriculture and forestry gets new offices and study room university of guyana faculty of agriculture and forestry gets new offices and study room webmaster wed 3072018 2248 we had some realities that we needed to change and we must find ways to use this new reality adequately safely and in our best interest this was the declaration by the vicechancellor of the university of guyana ivelaw griffith as he gave remarks at the official opening of new offices and a study room at the university s turkeyen campus with the addition of new programmes within the faculty of agriculture and forestry there was a demand for the expansion of the building in order to create an environment more conducive to teaching and research the project which had been in the pipeline for a number of years came to fruition under the current dean of the faculty owen bovell who noted that the vicechancellor and i worked together and we got an initiation of the process of the building and we are grateful as a faculty for this new facility and we will take pride in it also present at the ceremony was the permanent secretary ps of the ministry of agriculture delma nedd who pointed to the fact that the building s purpose further assists her ministry this enclosure has now created more space for agriculture training research and conversation as we move towards agriculture research and education in guyana nedd remarked the ps also went on to say that due to the economy s domination by natural resources and agriculture production and in light of the fact that a national consultation on establishing a university of guyana institute of food and nutrition security between ministry of agriculture and university of guyana was recently convened the work of the faculty is only just beginning also present at the ceremony were lecturers of the department of agriculture and forestry and president of university of guyana students society the new extension which cost 30m houses five additional offices which would cater for eight more staff members a sanitary block which also caters for the physically disabled along with a study room fire escape and a patio the expansion was managed by a building committee which assessed the needs of students and staff in order to make the space comfortable and accessible article adapted from  http dpigovgy universityofguyanafacultyofagricultureandforestryg  faculty of agriculture forestry ministry of agriculture ', 0),
(576, 'und', 'node_search', ' joe singh appointed new ug prochancellor joe singh appointed new ug prochancellor joe singh appointed new ug prochancellor webmaster mon 3122018 1435 major general rtd joe singh has been appointed the university of guyana s new prochancellor by a unanimous vote the announcement was made at a press conference following the university s first meeting of its new council yesterday singh who had been on the list of the chancellor s nominees for the council yesterday thanked it for placing confidence in him and stated his intention to work to forward the interests of the university last month minister of state joseph harmon announced the composition of the university s new council which would operate for three years with effect from february 22nd 2018 the council was appointed despite objections from the unions at the university of guyana over the selection process the university s council now comprises singh chancellor nigel harris vice chancellor ivelaw griffith jacqueline murray dr paulette bynoe ugss president norwell hinds union representative dr jewel thomas ministry of education permanent secretary vibert welch representative of the ministry of finance sonya roopnauth vincent alexander a yet to be named nominee from the parliamentary opposition jasmin harris patrick degroot mariam andrews alison buttersgrant ivor english timothy jonas dr navindranauth rambarran dr marissa seepersaud myrna bernard and registrar nigel gravesande serving as secretary article adapted from  https wwwstabroeknewscom 2018 news stories 309 joesinghappointednewugprochancellor  ug council ', 0),
(577, 'und', 'node_search', ' minimising political intrusion among proposals for reformed ug council minimising political intrusion among proposals for reformed ug council minimising political intrusion among proposals for reformed ug council webmaster mon 3122018 1440 a proposal to minimise political intrusion in the university of guyana s council through a revision of the overarching legislation was brought to the newlyappointed body yesterday at a press briefing following the council s first business meeting since its appointment last month chancellor e nigel harris said that a report submitted by professor lawrence carrington who led a committee to revisit the governance of the university was among the business discussed carrington is a former vicechancellor of the university harris noted that since the university s establishment in 1963 the university of guyana act has not been revised over the years of the university of guyana and this goes many many years the council itself was politicised and indeed political biases if you will did not only appear in the council but they did in other management decisions within the context of the university harris related stating that they want to do away with the whole question of representation of political parties and other organisations harris said that there are other mechanisms for receiving input from the wider community what we want to do is to assemble people who have the abilities and skills that can contribute in very meaningful ways to the governance of the university in terms of oversight and strategic planning in terms of its financial management financial culpability in terms of its policy making you re trying to get the best talents that can contribute to the rest of the organization rather than saying we designate political groups in order to represent because that does not serve the university of guyana harris asserted the intent is to reduce the vulnerability of the university s operations to political intrusion into the management vicechancellor ivelaw griffith later stated other recommendations in the proposal according to harris are for a reduction in the number of persons on the council the reexamination of the roles of the chancellor vice chancellor and prochancellor and a more accountable system that requires the university to make a report of its activities and finances harris related that the aim is to create a more efficient and effective entity and he opined that in cases where there is trouble separating oversight from management this usually works to the detriment of the university asked about the extent to which government would be involved with the new proposed structure harris said that it is expected that there will be representation from the ministries of education and finance griffith related that consultations will be taken to the wider university community before the final proposal goes to council he also noted that there are other key players that would play a role such as the attorney general whose expertise would be needed to assist with the formal drafting of the legislation this is an important moment for the university a moment of transformation and its essential that its governance its act statutes be modernised in keeping with what we hope is going to be a more modern and dynamic university said harris griffith stated that while there may not be unanimity in the decision there was a sense at yesterday s council meeting that what is proposed takes us a far way ahead to building a genuine university article adapted from  https wwwstabroeknewscom 2018 news stories 309 minimisingpoliticalintrusionamongproposalsforrefor  ug council ', 0),
(578, 'und', 'node_search', ' joe singh is new ug prochancellor joe singh is new ug prochancellor joe singh is new ug prochancellor webmaster mon 3122018 1443 major general ret d joe singh was elected prochancellor of the university of guyana ug by the university s council on thursday singh replaced bibi shadick who had served in the position for a number of years ug chancellor professor nigel harris made the announcement during a press briefing on thursday a prochancellor is an officer of some universities in commonwealth countries the prochancellor also acts as a deputy to the chancellor and is practically the chairman of the university council singh said he is ready to work in the best interest of the team of managers and the university during his tenure i intend to do my utmost in the interest of the university by being a team player it was indeed an honour to have been elected as prochancellor said singh singh in 1956 won a government county scholarship to queen s college where he completed his secondary education and after a short stint in the civil service was among the first batch of guyanese selected by the british army in 1965 to attend an officer cadet training in the uk in preparation for the establishment of the guyana defence force gdf of independent guyana he is a graduate of mons officer cadet school aldershot 1966 the school of infantry warminster 1970 the army school of education beaconsfield 1970 the army free fall parachute school netheravon 1970 the army staff college camberley 1977 and the royal college of defence studies belgrave square uk 1995 his service as a commissioned officer spanned 34 years commencing as a second lieutenant on june 4 1966 lieutenant 1968 captain 1970 major 1972 lieutenant colonel 1975 colonel 1979 brigadier 1986 and major general 1999 he is also a graduate of the university of guyana public administration the uk royal college of defence studies post graduate international relations and strategic studies and of the school of earth and environmental sciences greenwich university uk msc in tourism and protected landscape management article adapted from  http guyanachroniclecom 20180309 joesinghisnewugprochancellor ug council joe singh ', 0),
(579, 'und', 'node_search', ' ug clears 10acre plot for law school ug clears 10acre plot for law school ug clears 10acre plot for law school webmaster mon 3122018 1455 the university of guyana council has approved 10 acres of land to be used by the government to construct the joseph haynes law school and attorney general basil williams said that plans are well advanced to establish the facility speaking at a news conference on thursday ug vice chancellor professor ivelaw griffith said that the matter regarding the allocation of land for the jof law school was dealt with at their recent council meeting and the decision was made to allocate 10 acres of land to move forward with the construction of the law school asked about the financial arrangements for the use of the land professor griffith said one of the realities of the university is by virtue the gift that precludes us from renting or selling land there will be no rent charged our expectations are that services would be funded by the host and services for maintenance would also be honoured by the host he added that the dynamics is between the ag and the governing body so we cannot speak about the timeline for construction but the ag is anxious to get moving but they have to wait on the organisers at that end as to when construction will begin williams told the guyana chronicle that key stakeholders of the projects have already acquired a building plan and designs for the facility which is proposed to be 50000 sq ft with three floors he said construction of the facility is estimated at us 6m williams had recently reassured that the school will be opened here the apnu afc coalition government in january last year announced the project the project comes after some two decades of lobbying for an alternative to the norman manley law school in jamaica the hugh wooding law school in trinidad and tobago and the eugene dupuch law school in the bahamas the jof haynes law school is being established through a publicprivate partnership between the government of guyana the law school of the americas lca and the university college of the commonwealth ucc and will add to the existing options available to holders of a bachelor of laws llb and who intend to pursue their legal education certificate lec a timeline of 2018 was set for establishment of the local institution and according to the attorney general whether or not the time line is met a local law school will be established it is a complex issue we have to have a law school and whether people are putting up obstacles and so the obstacles will have to be broken down williams told reporters recently he explained that guyanese students are faced with hefty sums they have to pay along with the small quota of students accepted into the hugh wooding law school these matters are of concern to his administration guyanese students have struggled with the system that allows them entry to the hugh wooding law school and only late last year williams was able to secure a collaborative agreement between the university of the west indies uwi and the council for legal education cle and ug paving the way for the top 25 guyanese law students to have automatic entry into the hugh wooding law school back in december last year williams had said that he had written the vice chancellor of ug professor ivelaw griffith for him to identify the land that chancellor desiree bernard had in early 2001 2002 identified he said the decision was made then that the building on the university of guyana ug campus at an earlier meeting williams along with the task force looking into the establishment of the joseph haynes law school of the americas had met to examine the provisions in the revised business plan of the university college of the caribbean ucc one of the jamaican partners in the public private partnership intended to establish the law school the business plan was submitted pursuant to a mou entered into between the university college of the caribbean ucc law college of the americas lca and the government of guyana gog which contained a provision for a feasibility study to be done to determine the viability of establishing the law school article adapted from  http guyanachroniclecom 20180309 ugclears10acreplotforlawschool law school basil williams ', 0),
(580, 'und', 'node_search', ' private sector objects to business representative on ug council private sector objects to business representative on ug council private sector objects to business representative on ug council webmaster mon 3122018 1500 the private sector commission psc says it is extremely disappointed with regards to the appointment of the representative of business on the council of the university of guyana in a statement yesterday the psc said that on the 27617 it was written to by the permanent secretary of the ministry of education requesting the nomination of a representative of the psc and it nominated the executive head of the consultative association of guyanese industry cagi the organisation which it consider to be the private sector authority on education and human development matters to sit on the new council this has been the custom and practice for the last over 25 years the psc said however the government announced recently that businesswoman allison buttersgrant would be representing the business community it is unclear who nominated her but the psc objection underlines those by others about interference by the government in the composing of the council buttersgrant has been seen to have formed a close relationship with the government unions at the university of guyana had also objected to the manner in which the council was being composed given efforts over many years by governments to control the council it is important that the voice of the psc which is the umbrella pivate sector organisation for business to be represented on the council the psc statement said we urge that those responsible correct this anomaly forthwith the statement added article adapted from  https wwwstabroeknewscom 2018 news stories 310 privatesectorobjectstobusinessrepresentativeonugco  ug council private sector ', 0),
(581, 'und', 'node_search', ' advancing computing education in guyana advancing computing education in guyana webmaster mon 3122018 2344 university of guyana dr sue sentance is a senior lecturer in computer science education at king s college london uk and responsible for the training of secondary school teachers in computer science at the university her areas of research are teacher professional development computer science pedagogy and physical computing in addition she works closely with computing at school cas a subject association of teachers of computing she is a member of the cas board and also oversees cas london which supports computing teachers across london through teacher networks and peertopeer development of teacher expertise she was also a member of the advisory group for the recent royal society computing education report please contact any of the following for more details lenandlar singh local project lead  lenandlarsingh uogedugy  penelope defreitas head of department of computer science  csihead uogedugy  department of computer science  ', 0),
(582, 'und', 'node_search', ' ug school of business upbeat after first semester ug school of business upbeat after first semester ug school of business upbeat after first semester webmaster sun 3182018 1043 after we had spoken with visiting professor at the university of guyana s school of enterprise business and innovation sebi professor leyland lucas and his support staff early last week we headed across to the new facility created to house the school stabroek business had been told in an interview months earlier with the university s vice chancellor professor ivelaw griffith that much of the focus of sebi would be on building a stronger real world connection between the university and the business community the thrust of his argument being that it made little sense having a university that was not really going anywhere in terms of helping to provide the skills needed to drive what has long been referred to as the engine of growth the private sector we had benefitted as well from an thorough earlier briefing from the vice chancellor at a session that had also included sebi s head professor lucas on the origins and purpose of sebi and particularly on the role that local entrepreneurs and the wider business community had played in the conceptualization of the institution and including arriving at a determination as to the particular role that it would play an earlier attempt had been made to create just such a link between the university of guyana and the business community under the vice chancellorship of professor lawrence carrington the reasons for its failure to get very far are unclear though there is really no persuasive evidence that the private sector was at the time keen on a longterm relationship with ug sebi is currently focused on the staging of its may 2022 inaugural entrepreneurship conference its first excursion into the kind of public discourse that brings together the business and academic communities as much as the students which hopefully will throw up ideas that can be applied across a wide spectrum of challenges not least those that have to do with helping to address some of the broader economic challenges facing the country the school s call for papers for the may forum shared with the stabroek business by its director of communications and corporate relations rennie chester provides clear insights into the agenda numbered amongst the issues listed for discourse amongst participants academics business leaders staterun institutions and students at the forum are entrepreneurship and economic development women s empowerment through entrepreneurship entrepreneurship and the informal sector the role of micro small and mediumsized enterprises in economic development professor lucas holds the view that the institution s role in providing a curriculum in disciplines that would lead to a formal academic qualification should not be allowed to obscure its responsibility to provide the sort of practical tuition directly related to enhancing entrepreneurial capabilities in the business sector across the way from professor lucas office a small group of students had been kept waiting in the sebi building to engage us three of them symbolized what we had earlier been told were the real objectives of sebi paul warner sean langevine and amika persaud have enrolled at sebi in order to further refine their business acumen in preparation for the task of enhancing the roles they already play in businesses warner and persaud are already involved in the management of family businesses warner in the beverages sector and amika persaud in the goldmining industry sean langevine is a manager with the popular oasis cafe though he appears to be busying himself to embark on an entrepreneurial pursuit of his own in the future we had met earlier with tracey alves and cassandra karran two seemingly keen and energetic professionals who serve as academic advisors to sebi and the school s administrative officer tamika profitt ms profitt s job professor lucas explained was to ensure a sense of administrative order the role of the two academic advisors has to do with the intellectual welfare of the students meetings between prospective students and the academic advisors occur before students are enrolled part of the purpose being to offer curriculumrelated guidance and to help students respond to such challenges as they may encounter at the university we ended our visit on an upbeat note there is evidence that though still to a modest extent at this juncture the public private sector partnership that underpins sebi is working it showed particularly in the energetic responses of the three students that we interviewed to questions relating to the nexus between their experiences at sebi and their business ambitions it appears to be a more than promising start https wwwstabroeknewscom 2018 business 316 ugschoolofbusinessupbeatafterfirstsemester  sebi ', 0),
(585, 'und', 'node_search', ' sustainable management natural resources sustainable management natural resources call for research proposals webmaster sun 3182018 1109 notices callresearchproposals learn more image  ', 0),
(586, 'und', 'node_search', ' ug in major initiative to reform teachinglearning of computer science in schools ug in major initiative to reform teachinglearning of computer science in schools ug in major initiative to reform teachinglearning of computer science in schools webmaster sun 3182018 1138 the university of guyana s department of computer science is laying the groundwork to shift away from teaching information technology to the teaching of computing from the primary school level with the aim of fostering innovation and creativity a copromoter of a week of activities said beyond word and excel let s make something let s learn some coding let s build something ug lecturer in computer science lenandlar singh said of the week of activities under the theme advancing computing education in guyana eventually he hopes that guyana would be able to influence the caribbean examinations council cxc to revise its syllabus if we make noise at the right level we can influence cxc he said dr sue sentance of king s college in britain is expected in guyana to facilitate a number of sessions with teachers students and members of the public during march 18 24 in georgetown and berbice the teachereducator and doctor in computer science would be holding interactive sessions with teachers in berbice at the john s campus of the university of guyana on tuesday march 20 and on wednesday 21 at ug s turkeyen campus for teachers around georgetown east coast demerara cyril potter college of education and possibly a few from lethem on thursday there would be a halfday session at bishops high school and another on friday for students at queen s college a public lecture is scheduled for next thursday from 6 pm to 8pm at the theatre guild parade street kingston and a public forum on gender in computing on friday at 3 pm to 5 pm at ug s education lecture theatre there is a major gender issue the ug lecturer said adding that there are issues related to security harassment and lack of opportunities singh emphasised the importance of training teachers modern techniques in computer education delivery from the primary level to help foster innovation among young people for a growth industry if you train your teachers well we can build the information society that we want we need to change our curriculum to make it more relevant to be the creators of things rather than just being the users of things he added singh said the ministry of public telecommunications national frequency management unit guyana telephone and telegraph company and the united kingdombased farnell company would be teaming up to make the initiative a success the ug lecturer said farnell has donated to the guyana initiative  20 bbc microbits  a pocket sized computing device that offers its young users a level of programming accessibility and plans are on stream to acquire more the devices would be used to demonstrate programming skills to teachers and students the longterm goals include revamping the school s curriculum and the teaching of computer science firstly in the primary school instead of in secondary school singh assured that guyana is increasingly having the required internet access and hardware such as easier access to computers at home school laboratories and information communication technology ict hubs to help revolutionise the teachinglearning of computer education article adapted from  http demerarawavescom 20180318 uginmajorinitiativetoreformteachinglearningofcompu  microbit department of computer science ', 0),
(593, 'und', 'node_search', ' bridging the divide in tertiary education between developing developed countries bridging the divide in tertiary education between developing developed countries webmaster sun 3182018 1714 education lecturer theatre you are invited to  vicechancellor s 8th renaissance lecture   bridging the divide in tertiary education between developing and developed countries  on april 4th 2018 1800hrs the university of guyana  ', 0),
(594, 'und', 'node_search', ' public lecture computing in school the new fourth science public lecture computing in school the new fourth science webmaster mon 3192018 2327 the theatre guild the university of guyana department of computer science faculty of natural sciences presents computing in school the fourth science a discussion forum featuring computing education researcher teacher educator and project copromoter dr sue sentance dr sue sentance is a senior lecturer in computer science education at king s college london uk and responsible for the training of secondary school teachers in computer science at the university her areas of research are teacher professional development computer science pedagogy and physical computing in addition she works closely with computing at school cas a subject association of teachers of computing she is a member of the cas board and also oversees cas london which supports computing teachers across london through teacher networks and peertopeer development of teacher expertise she was also a member of the advisory group for the recent royal society computing education report the university of guyana  ', 0),
(595, 'und', 'node_search', ' homage to the late wilson harris homage to the late wilson harris homage to the late wilson harris webmaster thu 3222018 1558 the university of guyana extends words of condolence to prof e nigel harris and family on the occasion of the loss of author and theorist sir wilson harris these sentiments are expressed to prof harris as well in his capacity as chancellor of the university an institution long engaged in close association and kinship with sir wilson yet this unfathomable loss will be further felt by the nation of guyana where he was born and the community of the caribbean the united kingdom where he lived the commonwealth of the wider world and the one family of all humanity for those are not only rightful claimants of harrisian literature but are all kith and kin in the cross cultural community as he saw it in the commanding breadth of his vision no less did he articulate in the genius of his art his imagination his fiction poetry and critical theory in his parting mankind is the poorer theodore wilson harris march 24 1921 march 8 2018 was born in new amsterdam british guiana and lived in georgetown until 1959 when he moved to england where he lived ever since his marriage in 1945 to cecily carew sister of another celebrated guyanese writer jan carew ended in divorce on relocating to london he was remarried to margaret native of edinburgh scotland with whom he lived for 50 years until her death in 2010 he is survived by the children of his first marriage eon nigel chancellor of the university of guyana and former vicechancellor of the uwi denise a novelist who won the guyana prize for first book of fiction 2002 alexis and michael harris attended queens college then trained as a surveyor and spent several years on professional government expeditions throughout the vast and deep interior rainforests savannahs and rivers of guyana these experiences as a scientist deepened his contact with the amerindian people their mythology traditions and cosmic vision that led him to create a literature that made a profound impact on the wider world guided by a vision that was at once post colonial and universal he stressed crossculturalism as opposed to multiculturality in which all peoples and cultures are one but fractured and endangered by a history of conquest and colonisation through which mankind wore the masks of different antagonists in a sequential theatre of wars genocide and materialist imperialism these are overriding themes of his 26 novels short stories and the philosophical underpinnings of his literary and critical theories but he started his writing career as a poet contributing to the magazine kykoveral between 1945 and 1951 the turning point in his career came after he published his poetry and a short play in eternity to season in 1954 and his relocation to england in 1959 thereafter he focused on fiction and had a meteoric rise in the literary world with his first groundbreaking novel palace of the peacock 1960 published in london by faber and faber who so believed in the value and importance of his original and innovative contributions to literature that they continued to publish all of his novels this included reprinting some of them including the first four as the guyana quartet palace of the peacock along with the far journey of oudin 1961 and the whole armour 1962 two outstanding examples of the romance novel and the secret ladder 1963 which drew on personal experiences as a government surveyor leading an expedition up the canje river a second group of novels was similarly reprinted together as the carnival trilogy 1993 these were carnival 1985 the infinite rehearsal 1987 and the four banks of the river of space 1990 a fourth work resurrection at sorrow hill 1993 may well be added to these to make a second quartet which extends his preoccupation with crosscultural explorations a concern for the rainforests which are also a warning against the annihilation of mankind through the encounters of history these are among his most experimental postmodernist and postcolonial works wilson harris earned a reputation as a difficult writer whose work is inaccessible michael gilkes described his narrative as maverick while others called it abstract and densely metaphorical however the highest acclaim has been given to his originality and innovation in transforming the form of the modern novel british writer and critic kathleen raine best expresses it as giving rebirth to and rescuing the english novel which had remained static for 100 years mark mcwatt has expounded on the quality of harris relationship with the amazonian landscape quoting his statement the landscape is alive it is a living text moreover he has been acclaimed for the breadth of his vision the range of his fiction extends from deep explorations of the amerindian psyche myth traditions in that series of novels between 1965 and 1971 through a continuing concern for the precolumbian invasions and exploitation of the americas but also for the complexities of culture and history not least among works which engage these is one of his novels set in other countries outside of a guyanese base companions of the day and night 1972 is set in mexico and draws from the ancient posada ritual and carnivalesque dramatisations of the passion of christ while black marsden 1975 is set in edinburgh scotland and da silva da silva s cultivated wilderness plays out in london these innovations in the form of fictive narration include his creation of the fictional autobiography exemplified in the infinite rehearsal as well as his enlistment of science quantum physics quantum theory and the mathematical theory of chaos provided him with quantum fiction best exemplified in his bestselling novel jonestown 1996 sir wilson harris has received extensive critical attention from his closest friends and scholars at the university of warwick michael mitchell and david dabydeen to further afield especially hena maes jelinek in liege and at the university of texas inter alia his honours and awards include the guyana prize for literature twice 1987 for carnival and again the special award 2002 for one of his several nonfiction works the unfinished genesis of the imagination he was more than once nominated for the nobel prize and was knighted by queen elizabeth ii in 2010 for service to literature harris has visited and delivered lectures at the turkeyen campus his work is studied in both undergraduate and postgraduate literature programmes the university of guyana library has mounted an exhibition of his works along with a complete listing for public showing all these links the great honour and the importance of his art are eternally symbolised by the mural painted on the wall of the faculty of education and humanities titled palace of the peacock homage to wilson harris ug in brief with a current enrollment of some 8000 students the university of guyana ug has graduated more than 20000 students who have gone on to successful careers locally regionally and internationally the university is also a major contributor to the national economy and to business and industry established in 1963 on a parttime basis with shared space at queens college ug moved to its own campus at turkeyen in 1970 and expanded in 2000 with the addition of the tain campus it now offers more than 60 undergraduate and postgraduate programmes including engineering environmental studies forestry urban planning and management business entrepreneurship tourism studies education creative arts economics law medicine optometry and nursing several online programmes are available and ug also offers extramural classes at four locations through its institute of distance and continuing education idce the ug also offers the opportunity for student engagement in debating sports and cultural religious and professional activities public relations division march 20 2018  ', 0),
(596, 'und', 'node_search', ' food and nutrition security institute team preparing for next phase of work food and nutrition security institute team preparing for next phase of work food and nutrition security institute team preparing for next phase of work webmaster thu 3222018 1602 the team that is studying the feasibility of the establishment of an institute of food and nutrition security ifans at the university of guyana ug is preparing for a key next phase of its work which is visits to model food security entities abroad in forthcoming weeks at the top of the list is the center for food security and entrepreneurship at the university of the west indies uwi cave hill headed by distinguished scientist professor leonard o garro who is cochair of the ug feasibility team the team was appointed earlier this year by vicechancellor professor ivelaw griffith following a national stakeholders consultation held last november at which minister of agriculture noel holder delivered the keynote address and which involved officials from the ministries of agriculture public health and education the guyana school of agriculture gsa the food and agriculture organization fao of the united nations interamerican institute of cooperation for agriculture iica the national agricultural research and extension institute narei and university officials the fao whose representative in guyana mr reuben robertson is a member of the feasibility team has provided ug with a us 50000 grant to support the team s work the 35member broadbased team is cochaired by vincentianborn professor o garro founding director of the center for food security and entrepreneurship at uwi in barbados and guyaneseborn distinguished food scientist professor verian thomas of florida agricultural and mechanical university in tallahassee florida the team s inaugural meeting was a twoday exercise on january 25 and 26 2018 on the first day members of the team held look listen and learn sessions at global seafood distributors gsa narei guyana livestock development authority glda and the satyadeow sawh aquaculture station on the second day the full team met at the turkeyen campus to begin work on goals the design of the institute and a timeline for action among other things in attendance were representatives from the edward beharry group of companies the ministries of public health agriculture communities and education fao iica demerara distillers ltd glda and ug vicechancellor griffith wrapped up the day s proceedings with a charge to team members to remain engaged with the process inform colleagues at their institutions and to help garner public support for the initiative he also encouraged them to seek to leverage resources to aid the work of the feasibility team and of the institute when it is formally established the team undertook to present a first draft report to the vicechancellor by the end of june after which there will stakeholder consultations in various parts of the country to discuss the report before it is finalised also on february 28 vice chancellor griffith and members of the feasibility team updated minister holder on the team s work according to vicechancellor griffith the advent of oil and gas makes it even more important that we do not forget the essence of what we are an agricultural nation with wonderful potential to satisfy national and regional food and nutrition needs i trust our nation will use some of the soontobe available oil and gas bounty to invest intentionally in agriculture and education he added it would be great to launch the institute on this year s world food day in october ug in brief with a current enrollment of some 8000 students the university of guyana ug has graduated more than 20000 students who have gone on to successful careers locally regionally and internationally the university is also a major contributor to the national economy and to business and industry established in 1963 on a parttime basis with shared space at queens college ug moved to its own campus at turkeyen in 1970 and expanded in 2000 with the addition of the tain campus it now offers more than 60 undergraduate and postgraduate programmes including engineering environmental studies forestry urban planning and management business entrepreneurship tourism studies education creative arts economics law medicine optometry and nursing several online programmes are available and ug also offers extramural classes at four locations through its institute of distance and continuing education idce the ug also offers the opportunity for student engagement in debating sports and cultural religious and professional activities public relations division march 20 2018  ', 0);
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(597, 'und', 'node_search', ' the oil contract debate the oil contract debate the oil contract debate webmaster wed 3282018 1126 by dr leyland m lucas in the late 1990s guyana signed an oil and gas exploration agreement with exxon s subsidiary eepgl that agreement not only permitted significant activity by exxon but also provided guyana with a small subsumed royalty of no more than 1 the agreement was also in clear contravention of guyana s laws which stipulated the number of blocks that could be offered to a single entity though there were clear violations in law guyana has chosen to honour that obligation rather than raise it in other forums or attempt to invalidate it as a nation our word has been our bond fast forward to our current situation where we find much being discussed regarding the current contract and whether or not the nation s best interests have been considered in fact in the past few months we have been privy to an ongoing debate around the contracts signed by the government of guyana and exxon this debate has gotten so intense that some have even questioned the integrity and negotiating ability of governments in other developing countries where the exploration of oil and gas is ongoing yes in the case of guyana there is a great deal of evidence to suggest that better could have been done but who are we to question the outcome when we were absent from the process as my grandmother would often say when a family member chose to criticize others make sure that your house is clean before telling someone else that theirs is dirty in an earlier article on local content i made the point that oil is no longer a critical commodity there is an abundance of oil in the global market prices are highly volatile and the world has begun a gradual process of shifting from fossil fuels to renewable sources of energy these are realities that cannot be ignored for example within our hemisphere we see significant declines in oil and gas production yet very little evidence of a major impact in the global marketplace likewise the kingdom of saudi arabia a major oil producer with onefifths of the world s reserves has also begun the process of delinking its economy from oildependency and looking for newer ways to stimulate growth and development the kingdom of saudi arabia has determined that given the volatile prices oil revenue can no longer be the foundation of economic development instead the kingdom has shifted towards renewable energy sources and undertaken significant activities towards transforming the foundation upon which the future economy will stand guyana as a country has also committed itself to a policy of sustainable development and in so doing must balance issues of production and protection afterall we exist in a very fragile ecosystem having made these observations i d like to proceed with a small contribution to this debate as one of my former bosses mr clarence ellis would say no matter what the situation if you are seen to be truthful reliable and honest in your dealings people will work with you therefore my contribution to this debate for the most part will center on the words reputation and position these words should be at the heart of any conversation about contracts and the subject of renegotiation i hope that the importance of these words will be reflected and help to either advance or bring some closure to the debate the oil contract to some extent what we are dealing with here is a prisoner s dilemma in a simple titfortat version players attempt to match better one another s moves with the hope that the victor will emerge with the lion s share however research has shown that such strategies seldom succeed eventually parties come to recognize that continuous moves and countermoves are less productive and that mutual cooperation works best in essence let s find a middle ground rather than try to be the ultimate winner this is an important point in the ongoing debate around the exxon contract because continuous negotiations and renegotiations will yield no fruitful results hence the situation becomes one of finding an acceptable position of compromise from which both parties can gain some benefit and continue to operate with mutual respect as we focus on the current contract one cannot ignore the fact that a contract previously existed how do we renegotiate this contract within a prisoner s dilemma framework moves and countermoves will only make sense if one party has something that is vital to the other and can force the latter to respond to the actions of the former in this case we have a product that the world wants but does not need any moves by our negotiators could be easily ignored consequently it makes no sense to engage in efforts to renegotiate a contract from a position of weakness moves and countermoves also influence one s position subsequent moves by a party only makes sense if this is being done from a position of relative strength hence i pose the question what is our strength the simple answer to this question is nothing we do not own the wells we do not have the skills necessary to exploit them and we do not have the technology to provide the valueadded products in fact truth be told at this stage we are struggling to meet local content requirements one cannot renegotiate a contract from a position of future possibilities but must do so within the current context so any conversations of renegotiation will take place from a position of weakness rather than one of strength this brings us to the issue of reputation what does it say about a country that signs an agreement and then seeks to change it over time governments and countries develop reputations as either reliable or unreliable bargaining partners each reputation comes with costs and benefits if guyana develops a reputation for being an unreliable partner then all options for future development are lost as a nation and as a government we must realize that our word is our bond if we cannot be relied upon to honour our obligations then there is no place in the world of nations for us recently some have suggested to me that we can do this on our own as i listened to these suggestions i sensed subtle tones of nationalism and nationalization while such suggestions are laudable one must admit that boat has sailed guyana and the rest of the developing world are full of examples of the consequences of nationalization in the absence of an appropriate skill set while it served its political purpose the benefits of so doing left much to be desired oil like sugar and bauxite are primary products with volatile prices and much of the valueadded downstream product quality one of the issues that has been raised in this oil contract debate surrounds the product quality yes there is a great deal of literature that suggests the crude is of an exceptionally high quality like an exceptionally welltailored suit superior quality commands a high price provided that a market exists hence one must ask the question can quality command a high price in a saturated market the simple answer to this question is no as we know primary product prices fluctuate quite significantly so a high price today might hit rock bottom tomorrow for those of us old enough to recall guyana sold its sugar at a high price on the world market in the 1970s rather than honour its obligations to existing contracts not too long after the bottom fell out of the world market as a nation we were profitable in the shortterm but suffered in the longterm particularly with respect to our reputation moreover the wells are not owned by the government of guyana they are owned by exxon and its partners how do we exact additional tribute from these companies simply because we have a product of exceptional quality when the owner opts to not sell it guyana cannot force exxon and its partners to pay a higher premium when they can choose to not pump oil and gas from the wells not doing so provides the government and people of guyana with zero revenue hence the need to be cautious in one s approach to renegotiating of contracts placing this issue of quality into the prisoner s dilemma framework how do two players arrive at a mutually beneficial position when one player ceases to participate more specifically how does one arrive at mutually beneficial positions when the dominant player withdraws the fact is under these circumstances the game ends and there are no winners it s like that childhood experience where the owner of the ball runs home with it because he is unhappy with some decision what we have left is a group of disgruntled children who grumble and look for something else to do unfortunately guyana has very few options and even fewer resources that can be summoned into action frontloading an interesting argument has recently been raised that guyana would be better off receiving a sizeable upfront bonus rather than waiting for later disbursements through royalties while those numbers vary from the wellreasoned to the pieinthesky estimates one needs to look at the domestic reality we are a nation with various needs from education to infrastructure to address those needs we will require a significant influx of financial resources however if that influx is not regulated it will cause significant inflationary pressures such pressures will further damage the economy and leads to a significant decline in living standards with a massive influx of cash one does not speedily correct the errors of the previous decades engineers scientists agricultural experts and doctors are not created overnight it takes years of training to acquire these skills if the nation is to acquire these skills then it must be done over time let s not forget that we are dealing with a product whose price is highly volatile where will the resources come from when an engineer needs specialized training in 5 years but the bottom has fallen out of the oil sector yes this may happen anyway but at least we would not recreate the conditions for another massive brain drain as was experienced in the 1980s when resources for scholarship recipients were scarce let me use a simple example to further elaborate on this point think of someone in the desert with no food or water for an extended period of time he she is rescued and immediately placed in front of a large quantity of food and drink if that person consumes everything without control then he she dies however if he she consumes in moderation until the body is once more accustomed to consuming solids etc then there is a greater likelihood of survival the point i am making here is that a massive unregulated inflow of cash through a significant bonus may entice policymakers to undertake massive investment projects which the economy cannot embrace with its limited skills inventory instead a gradual inflow and expenditure might prove more beneficial to the nation in the longrun so while frontloading of contracts and securing large bonuses might be politically popular it may prove to be economically disastrous book value in some circles it has been suggested that guyana deserves a larger bonus because of its contribution to exxon s bottom line at least one commentator has made the point that since the discovery of oil and gas deposits off the shores of guyana exxon s book value has increased significantly in my humble opinion to use book value as a basis for renegotiating a contract is not a sound position book values change on a daily basis in fact exxon s stock price like so many others in the market has been on a rollercoaster ride one year ago its common stock price was 8283 today it is 7627 last month the stock price reached a high of 8907 which stock price should we use as the basis for asserting book value and renegotiating this contract should both parties make offers and counteroffers following a pattern within a prisoner s dilemma game such uncertainty cannot be tolerated instead of embracing such uncertainty both players will be forced to arrive at a mutually beneficial point moreover how reliable a negotiating partner is a government when its position appears to change with every market fluctuation clearly other nations and firms will not take us seriously since stability is essential to the capitalist system of trade and exchange geopolitics over the past decade commentators have noted a change in global relations that change has seen a decline in nation states and the rise of the corporate state that corporate state takes the form of transnational corporations which have been able to influence global politics through their actions for instance in the us we see massive amounts of money being poured into political campaigns by individuals and companies such as the koch brothers george soros and the professionals on k street why is this important within the guyana context the emergence of corporate states is important because they have the ability to alter things within a nation and change the balance of power as stated by former british prime minister lord palmerston and later expressed by henry kissinger friends and enemies are not permanent but interests are in this case the interests are oil and gas understanding the permanence of interests is important within the context we are examining although there may seem to be a disagreement between venezuela and the us any perceived reluctance on our part to abide by negotiated agreements could significantly alter the regional balance if exxon or any other transnational deems it favourable to reengage with the venezuelan government then they will do so a reliable bargaining partner is always better than an unreliable one who then will take up the mantle on our behalf if venezuela flexes its military might against us are we to expect support from the us administration when we have acted against the interests of an american corporate giant i think that an examination of history would reveal that the answers to these questions are not favorable conclusions oil and gas have been found and they have the potential to offer a great deal of wealth to our beloved guyana if appropriately managed this is already reflected in the international monetary fund imf reports suggesting a change in our economic classification although we may argue about the royalty and signing bonus it is merely an exercise in futility we are in a prisoner s dilemma having originally negotiated a very bad deal as a bargaining partner one does not change the rules of the game unless one comes from a position of strength unfortunately such strength does not exist in our case we have a product that the world wants but does not need we lack the skills base and infrastructure to pursue this venture on our own there is a global shift away from oil and gas towards renewable and sustainable sources of energy as such we are approaching all such negotiations from a position of relative weakness rather than strength as a nation there is an expectation that we will honor our word our word is our bond and as such we must strive to establish and maintain a good reputation even within a prisoner s dilemma framework some reliability is expected if a move is made that player is expected to honour the consequences of that move rather than default when countries default on their obligations their ability to reengage with other parties is seriously hampered particularly as a small and young country we must strive to uphold a positive reputation irrespective of the consequences good reputations are hard to come by can be easily lost and extremely difficult to regain let us focus on playing the hand we have been dealt rather than continually questioning its validity maybe for future generations there is a lesson to be drawn from this experience a nation should always focus on establishing high educational standards and building its skills base lest it be found wanting article adapted from  https wwwstabroeknewscom 2018 business 323 theoilcontractdebate  dr leyland m lucas sebi oil oil gas ', 0),
(598, 'und', 'node_search', ' head of ug s school of business not sanguine about up front cash from oil and gas industry head of ug s school of business not sanguine about up front cash from oil and gas industry head of ug s school of business not sanguine about up front cash from oil and gas industry webmaster wed 3282018 1129 while the frontloading of contracts and the securing of large contracts might be politically popular it might prove to be economically disastrous university of guyana business professor leyland lucas has said in an article that seeks in part to respond to the popular argument touting the virtue of socalled frontloading that is the drawing down of significant cash amounts of as yet unearned income from the oil and gas industry lucas who is serving as visiting professor at ug s school of entrepreneurship and business innovation sebi says in his article that there could be pitfalls associated with the popular upfront or frontloading argument that has been steadily gaining traction among ordinary guyanese while alluding to what he says is an interesting argument to the effect that guyana would be better off receiving a sizeable bonus rather than waiting for later disbursements through royalties professor lucas argues that such an option is not without its potential dangers and pitfalls he argues that while the numbers being touted in the frontloading argument vary from the wellreasoned to the pieinthesky estimates there is need to examine the domestic realities we are a nation with various needs from education to infrastructure to address those needs we will require a significant influx of financial resources however if that influx is not regulated it will cause inflationary pressures which pressures he argues will not only precipitate massive inflationary pressures that are likely to further damage the country s economy but lead to a further decline in living standards whilst the announcement by exxon mobil of the discovery of oil offshore guyana just under three years ago has triggered expectations of a swift and miraculous economic transformation amongst the uninitiated lucas cautioned that a massive influx of cash does not speedily correct the errors of previous decades engineers scientists agricultural experts and doctors are not created overnight it takes years of training to acquire these skills if the nation is to acquire these skills then it must be done over time an alluding to the volatility of the global oil market professor lucas raised the question as to where the resources will come from when an engineer needs specialized training in five years but the bottom has fallen out of the oil sector and in concluding his position on frontloading professor lucas contended that a massive unregulated inflow of cash through a significant bonus may entice policy makers to undertake massive investment projects which the economy cannot embrace with its limited skills inventory instead a gradual inflow of expenditure might prove more beneficial to the nation in the long run in his article the guyanese academic also weighs in on the subject of the controversy that has arisen over the exxon mobil contract including the call in some quarters for a renegotiation of the agreement lucas argues that the controversy associated with the current contract cannot ignore the fact that a contract previously existed how do we renegotiate this contract moves and countermoves will only make sense if one party has something that is vital to the other and can force the latter to respond to the actions of the former in this case we have a product that the world wants but does not need any moves by our negotiators can be easily ignored consequently it makes no sense to renegotiate a contract from a position of weakness we do not own the wells we do not have the skills necessary to exploit them and we do not have the technology to provide the valueadded products in fact truth be told at this stage we are struggling to meet local content requirements one cannot renegotiate a contract from a position of future possibilities but must do so within the current context so any conversations of renegotiation will take place from a position of weakness rather than one of strength lucas declared article adapted from  https wwwstabroeknewscom 2018 business 323 headofugsschoolofbusinessnotsanguineaboutupfrontca  dr leyland m lucas oil oil gas ', 0),
(599, 'und', 'node_search', ' 3rd conversation on law and society the constitutional guarantee of the fundamental rights and the citizen 3rd conversation on law and society the constitutional guarantee of the fundamental rights and the citizen webmaster wed 3282018 1141 herdmanston lodge queenstown save the date 3rd conversation on law and society by his honour justice carl a singh  on  the constitutional guarantee of the fundamental rights and the citizen  on wednesday april 11th 2018 at herdmanston lodge queenstown university of guyana  ', 0),
(601, 'und', 'node_search', ' the chartered institute of arbitrators caribbean branch presents the chartered institute of arbitrators caribbean branch presents 3rd international arbitration conference from april 2328th 2018 webmaster wed 3282018 1711 notices 3rdinternationalarbitrationconference register now image  ', 0),
(603, 'und', 'node_search', ' cooperative movement needs enlightened management  cooperative movement needs enlightened management cooperative movement needs enlightened management webmaster tue 4032018 1552 dean of ug business school even as the local cooperative movement seeks to recover from its decades of doldrums not least its countless failed and abortive excursions into startstop business ventures that have left groups across the country in a condition of acute disappointment a university of guyana business professor insists that there is a way back for the sector dean of the school of entrepreneurship and business innovation at the university of guyana dr leyland lucas says that cooperatives and credit unions can be important tools in the pursuit of efforts to create a more robust entrepreneurial ecosystem in guyana in an article scheduled for publication in the guyana review in april professor lucas asserts that credit unions in their role as guardians of significant financial assets must begin to see themselves as enablers of economic activity rather than guardians of savings a posture which he says changes their standing in the national economy the observation is likely to resonate with many credit union members across the country who have for years challenged the imbalance between the considerable liquidity of some of the country s larger credit unions and their inability over the years to utilize the financial power to exert greater leverage on the country s economy when stabroek business put professor lucas perspective to a board member of one of the country s largest credit unions the respondent replied that the decisions made by credit unions in the matter of the disbursement of their finances is usually in the hands of the membership but lucas insists that with enlightened management and not much risk credit unions can play a pivotal role in helping to develop entrepreneurs and a new group of wealth generators he offered as an example a retiring member of the security forces whom he said may be able to use support from the associated credit union to embark on a new postretirement venture according to lucas within the last five years we have seen institutions such as the us military establish programmes with universities to offer accelerated training in the basics of entrepreneurship lucas says he believes that similar training can be undertaken by credit unions in guyana to spur the growth of entrepreneurship among current and retiring members of the disciplined forces here lucas contends that such initiatives by credit unions require both financial resources and a strong support system one that not only helps to educate the borrower member of the challenges of entrepreneurship but provides the support mechanisms that will help to sustain them in challenging times additionally he says that the effective implementation of such measures also requires personnel with the necessary knowledge to effectively perform these new duties and support programmes to aid entrepreneurship development meanwhile lucas says that like credit unions cooperatives can also play a vital role in the entrepreneurship ecosystem one that not only helps to educate the borrower member of the challenges of entrepreneurship but provides the support mechanisms to aid entrepreneurship development whether these are agricultural cooperatives intended to engage in valueadded production technological development or some other form of economic activity they can play a vital role in sustaining the entrepreneurial ecosystem lucas adds meanwhile lucas says in his article that cooperatives can also contribute to the growth of the entrepreneurial system cooperatives he says can serve as the foundation for the revitalization of the village economies whether these be agricultural cooperatives intended to engage in valueadded production technological development or some other form of economic activity by combining their resources and members interests they provide a reinforcing mechanism whereby commitment to future success can be demonstrated lucas adds and according to the ug professor cooperatives can also serve as a safety net for new ventures the fact that benefits within cooperatives extend beyond economic rewards to include social and psychological benefits allow for a broader definition of entrepreneurial success to be embraced article adapted from  https wwwstabroeknewscom 2018 business 330 cooperativemovementneedsenlightenedmanagement  sebi dr leyland m lucas ', 0),
(605, 'und', 'node_search', '  don t lose sight of agriculture ug vice chancellor  don t lose sight of agriculture ug vice chancellor don t lose sight of agriculture ug vice chancellor webmaster wed 4042018 941 dpi guyana tuesday april 3 2018 vicechancellor of the university of guyana ug professor ivelaw griffith has urged that guyanese not lose sight of the important role agriculture continues to play even as the oil and gas sector comes to the fore he made the comment recently while indicating the university s plan to inaugurate a pilot institute of food and nutrition and security the university of guyana has organised a feasibility team to seek out the possibility of establishing the institute and has already received a us 50000 grant from the food and agriculture organisation fao to aid the initiative the team includes a guyanese chemist and vincentian biochemist according to professor griffith the university is hoping to be able to inaugurate the institute on world food day in october of this year the vicechancellor said the university is continuing its investment in the agriculture sector since it sees it as relevant and will continue to be even after oil is gone we have to be true to ourselves and remember that we are at heart an agricultural nation and so we cannot let the excitement about oil deflect us from the attention to agriculture while the university is also preparing to meet the oil and gas sector the professor said it is paying equal attention to agriculture we need to do better at agriculture and forestry and while oil is important agriculture is just as important not just for guyana but for the capabilities that we have for the caribbean and some parts of south america we are looking to not only lift our boats on oil and gas but on agriculture as well the vicechancellor said article adapted from  http dpigovgy dontlosesightofagricultureugvicechancellor  food and nutrition institute agriculture ', 0),
(606, 'und', 'node_search', ' ug mulls paid elevated parking ug mulls paid elevated parking ug mulls paid elevated parking webmaster wed 4042018 945 the university of guyana is looking to implement paid parking vice chancellor of the university professor ivelaw griffith said today he was at the time addressing the opening of the university s exhibition in observance of occupation safety health month during a subsequent interview with the news room the vice chancellor explained that the population at the campus has outgrown the space it s a challenge that we have neglected to manage as the university grew without the commensurate growth of parking without commensurate growth of classroom space over the last two years i ve been pushing to enhance the facilities he said professor griffith said a publicprivate partnership is being considered to construct an elevated parking for which persons will be required to pay in order to settle the expense parking is one those things if you try to come here after 4 o clock any afternoon or on saturdays so it will be how can we help alleviate that we re going to need to move up and we re going to need to do that on the basis of a publicprivate partnership which means to recover the money you have to get that investment for the construction and maintenance the vicechancellor explained the vicechancellor said consideration is also being given to expanding the university campus and areas on the east coast and east bank of demerara are being looked at in partnership with the guyana lands and surveys commission this is important he said as the university continues to increase its programmes to cater for the developing oil and gas industry the turkeyen campus approximately has 51 buildings currently article adapted from  https newsroomgy 20180403 ugmullspaidelevatedparking    parking ', 0),
(607, 'und', 'node_search', ' second annual undergraduate research conferences second annual undergraduate research conferences webmaster mon 4092018 128 turkeyen tain campus the tenth vice chancellor of the university of guyana professor ivelaw lloyd griffith and the office for undergraduate research request your presence at the second annual undergraduate research conferences the conferences will be held in the period april 11 13 2018 at the turkeyen and tain campuses theme  celebrating the power and potential of undergraduate research  the conferences open to the public and will include three events and two keynote addresses events  date and time event venue april 11 2018 830 1230 faculty panel on undergraduate research experience at the university of guyana education lecture theatre april 12 2018 830 1700 undergraduate research presentations at turkeyen education lecture theatre and sebi building april 13 2018 830 1700 undergraduate research presentations at tain berbice auditorium  keynote addresses   turkeyen keynote tain keynote professor maya trotz civil and environmental engineering department university of south florida dr bibi areefa alladin school of medicine university of guyana pediatrician georgetown public hospital cooperation  registration required  to attend the conferences you are required to register please complete your registration using the link https eekobotoolboxorg x yf2x celebrating the power and potential of undergraduate research the university of guyana  ', 0),
(609, 'und', 'node_search', ' the determined crew  the determined crew the determined crew webmaster tue 4102018 1018 by m margaret burke the university of guyana s final year students of tain campus berbice have been very determined to construct a shade house and to present it to the winifred gaskin memorial secondary school it is mandatory for final year students who are reading for their degree in social work at the university to actively engage in activities which will help them to cultivate what they would have learned during the four years of study choosing the winifred gaskin secondary school this was the initiative of the faculty of social sciences final year project for the course in professional development 2 dsw 4100 under the guidance of lecturer chelsey halley crawford it was steered by three studentschristine persaud ashleyann fable and andrea charles who gave themselves the name the determined crew after the outline was given by halleycrawford for choosing somewhere to work with the rehabilitation school in port mourant and the special needs school in new amsterdam were the two schools given much thought by the three students but in order to make every group member satisfied with location the winifred gaskin memorial secondary school was the final choice upon speaking with the headmaster mr imran ally in the first instance he was delighted to have the determine crew andrea charles told the pepperpot magazine charles said that the winifred gaskin secondary school is located in what is considered as a catchment area that is said to be of a low socioeconomic standing furthermore it was observed that there is a prevalence of illicit drug use among other social problems in the area it was also believed that some of these factors may have an impact on the lives and performance of the students of the institution as such one of their main targets of intervention was the shade house which is to be used by the students as part of their farming activities she added that the determined crew also got involved in counselling and motivational talks the journey  it should be noted that had it not been for our heavenly father the project could not have been a success the determined crew upon embarking on the journey knew it would not have been an easy task to get accomplished we knew that it required a lot of commitment patience cooperation and skills however we were ready to take on such a role and as such did not back down from the task charles said bringing about change charles told the pepperpot magazine that as a team they held each other s hands and encouraged each other throughout the journey just to fulfill one of the longawaited dreams of the school the final year student said that for the social work students it was not about just doing a project but the emphasis was placed on bringing about a change wherever they are placed provision of needs the main responsibility of the social worker is to provide for felt needs of the client and to improve their present condition it s not just about a good grade but also to leave a smile on someone s face by changing the situations for the best it was not a project that was pushed into the face of the school but the headmaster expressed that the shade house was an urgent and long expected dream for the agriculture department of the school he also stated that the students tend to feel demotivated to go out into the sun to work and as such the shade house would aid in their agriculture practicum for the cxc students from the start this project was a collaborative effort charles said the willing support from headmaster staff students and community members was key to the success of the project project cost charles said that the shade house cost approximately 96000 and that sum of money could not have been realised were it not for some generous and kindhearted people who contributed significantly such persons are poonai s pharmacy chattergoon supermarket ishmiel hamid general stores both at fyrish and rosehall razac anamayah administrator of the anamyah hospital dr sugrim and the emo supermarket also the carpenter junior dejonge and boys did an amazing job in constructing the shade house the determined crew is very grateful for all the support we received in accomplishing this task  closing ceremony the project was completed before march 20 and was handed over to the winfred gaskin secondary school on march 22 2018 in the form of a closing ceremony during the ceremony the determined crew and the headmaster expressed their heartfelt gratitude to each other while halleycrawford also expressed her gratitude to the school and the group for such a marvellous job done encouragement to other social work students it does not matter the task given to you once you look at it in a positive an optimistic way you can get through the famous light bulb inventor thomas edison tried a thousand ways in getting his bulb invented each way he would have learnt something different why it didn t work and were able to correct it also there is one time when thomas edison lab caught fire after so many efforts he would have put into his lab it is said that he slept on the lab s table many nights but instead of becoming frustrated in which many of us would have he sent the children home to go and call their mother for they might never have been able to see such a big fire again  mercilinburke2017 gmailcom  article adapted from  http guyanachroniclecom 20180408 thedeterminedcrew tain campus ', 0),
(610, 'und', 'node_search', ' guyana s judiciary survives testing period during pnc ppp rule former chancellor justice carl singh guyana s judiciary survives testing period during pnc ppp rule former chancellor justice carl singh guyana s judiciary survives testing period during pnc ppp rule former chancellor justice carl singh webmaster sun 4152018 1845 former chancellor of the judiciary carl singh says guyana s judiciary has survived a testing period characterised by one of his predecessors calling on the judiciary to toe a socialist line in support of the then government affixing of the people s national congress pnc flag outside the court of appeal and then president janet jagan tossing court papers over her shoulder saying that loyalty is to the constitution and laws he recalled that a then chancellor of the judiciary in 1981 had in address to the guyana bar association linked the necessity of the rule law to create the right environment for socialist orientation and nationbuilding which are the dominant preoccupations of parliament and the then government singh further recalled that the then chancellor had stated that the judiciary then was a necessary part of the political economic and social system and the judiciary should consider itself as having a crucial role to play in that task by ensuring that in the allimportant field of socialist development basic values like the rule of law and justice were to be maintained the then head of the judiciary he further recalled had stated that the high point was that while he maintained his judicial conscience the guyanese judge was expected to cooperate with the administration for the advancement of socialism justice victor crane served as chancellor of the judiciary from 1980 to 1984 at the peak of then president forbes burnham sled pnc government s experiment with cooperative socialism reacting to justice crane s views justice singh remarked wednesday night at a university of guyana ug sponsored lecture on the constitutional guarantee of fundamental rights and the citizen said to have asked the judiciary to assume a critical role in the furtherance of a political ideology and to prescribe its cooperation with the political administration in the advancement of that ideology struck the very foundation of the separation of powers doctrine justice singh who is currently juristinresidence at the ug said appropriate public statements and actions from national leaders help considerably to instill public confidence in the judiciary which is so very necessary for the effective functioning of our courts however that was respect and support he said was shattered in 1997 when then president janet jagan had tossed a court order by then chief justice desiree bernard over her shoulder on to the floor behind her at state house this act was captured on camera it was shown on national television it was a contemptuous and disrespectful act which substantially injured the image and authority of the judiciary he said former longserving member of the people s progressive party ppp ralph ramkarran noted that mrs jagan had apologised for her action but suggested that the pnc was yet to apologise for having its flag affixed to the court of appeal building you didn t mention but she did apologise after tossing the document over her shoulder ex post facto i haven t heard an apology about placing the flag on the court of appeal but that s by the way said ramkarran who is also a former house speaker against that background he clearly referred to the flag of the then governing pnc having been affixed to an outer wall of the court of appeal building in kingston georgetown he noted that although the constitution describes guyana as a country in transition from capitalism to socialism he credited the judiciary with reclaiming its independence the judiciary with the passage of time has reasserted its independence and its neutrality over the years the judiciary of guyana has shown by its decision its concern not for socialist transformation wherever that is happening but for the fundamental rights of the people and the maintenance of the rule of law said singh who served as acting chancellor of the judiciary from 2005 to 2018 article adapted from  http demerarawavescom 20180412 guyanasjudiciarysurvivestestingperiodduringpncpppr    politics ', 0),
(611, 'und', 'node_search', ' stop the ruckus in the house and fix conflict with constitutionally guaranteed fundamental rights former chancellor stop the ruckus in the house and fix conflict with constitutionally guaranteed fundamental rights former chancellor stop the ruckus in the house and fix conflict with constitutionally guaranteed fundamental rights former chancellor webmaster sun 4152018 1849 former chancellor of the judiciary carl singh on wednesday night recommended that parliamentarians cease their ruckus in the house and instead change the laws that conflict with constitutionally guaranteed fundamental rights delivering a lecture on the constitutional guarantee of fundamental rights and the citizen at the university of guyana ug organised third conversation on law and the society singh said the saving of preexisting laws needs to be addressed because it impacts on the fundamental rights the time is therefore wellnigh due for this our fully independent and sovereign republic for our legislators to take appropriate action with respect to the saving effect of article 152 of the constitution of preexisting laws which conflict with the constitutional guarantee of fundamental rights said singh who is juristinresidence at ug he said if provisions in the antimoney laundering legislation collide with the fundamental rights provisions then clearly they would be challengeable justice singh explained that even if the law being saved conflicts with the fundamental rights provision constitution the law is preserved because the law has constitutional support it is in that circumstance that i made the call that this savings law provision diminishes the value of the fundamental rights which are guaranteed to the people and therefore instead of the bedlams in the national assembly they should focus on correcting these things and that is to remove the existing law provision which impacts not on a positive way on the fundamental rights of the citizen he said parliament is increasingly known for loud heckling between a number of government and opposition parliamentarians recently opposition people s progressive party parliamentarians held placards and heckled president david granger throughout his address to parliament justice singh in his lecture cited several decisions in india trinidad and tobago antigua and barbuda european union and the united states that deal with fundamental rights such as the right to life freedom of expression right to freedom of movement access to legal counsel and protection from discrimination he noted that all fundamental rights are not absolute but contain limits and can be circumscribed by other laws justice singh indicated that as situations evolve it was important to interpret the constitution in a broad liberal and purposive attendees included chancellor of the judiciary yonette cummingsedwards chief justice roxane georgewiltshire chief magistrate ann mc lennan principal magistrate judy latchman former house speaker ralph ramkarran several judges lawyers magistrates and law students article adapted from  http demerarawavescom 20180412 stoptheruckusinthehouseandfixconflictwithconstitut  politics law society ', 0),
(612, 'und', 'node_search', ' ug berbice campus career day fair attracts hundreds ug berbice campus career day fair attracts hundreds ug berbice campus career day fair attracts hundreds webmaster sun 4152018 1855 university of guyana berbice campus open career day opened on wednesday with hundreds of students in attendance the event held under the theme expanding your horizons exploring the possibilities featured some 40 booths from various companies across guyana in a very interactive presentation vice chancellor of the university of guyana professor ivelaw lloyd griffith gave away two 50000 scholarships to aid with tuition at the university and urged students to be agents of change by focusing on excellence and being honest while striving for the best if you are interested in just being a b student or a c student and just making it through don t come to the university of guyana we don t want students who are interested in mediocrity if you want to be an excellent student if you want to be a change agent and want to achieve the high bar then do well in your primary school and secondary school so when you come to the university you would be adequately prepared for excellence said professor griffith he also warned students against plagiarism and urged those present to use the opportunity presented by the university through the career day to explore their options and work towards achieving said goal among the booths that received a lot of attention were exxonmobil and their partners el dorado offshore and jsl international speaking with guyana chronicle communications analyst for exxonmobil nicholas yearwood said his company was extremely pleased to have been invited by the university of guyana to participate as they saw the opportunity as an excellent one to educate and impact people outside of the capital city we have given out in excess of over 300 recruitment cards with our detailed information and have encouraged people to submit cvs for us to review so whenever opportunities arise we revisit them to become candidates for the opening said yearwood meanwhile shonna glasgow senior recruitment and manpower officer at the ministry of social protection who has an office in princess elizabeth road new amsterdam said she was pleasantly surprised that not a lot of people are aware of their recruitment office in berbice she was grateful for the opportunity to participate and expects a massive influx of applications based on responses among the participants were several commercial banks the guyana post office corporation guyana sugar corporation estates and training school the regional health authority region six department of public information guyana rice development board nand persaud and company massy group of companies the guyana police force and several others the ugbc education faculty also had on display a large booth that teachers created under the theme improvisation the educational pieces on display were made from recycled materials such as plastic bottles cups old dvds etc the career day also featured cultural pieces as well as a display at the natural science faculty where several experiments were done including dissection of frogs much to the amazement of students article adapted from  https guyanachroniclecom 20180411 ugberbicecampuscareerdayfairattractshundreds ugbc career day ', 0);
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(613, 'und', 'node_search', ' scotiabank to introduce advanced banking services commission a smart classroom within the faculty of natural science scotiabank to introduce advanced banking services commission a smart classroom within the faculty of natural science scotiabank to introduce advanced banking services commission a smart classroom within the faculty of natural science webmaster sun 4152018 1907 as scotiabank prepares to celebrate 50 years of operating in guyana the financial institution has rolled out a number of initiatives including the introduction of technologically advanced banking services this was announced by the bank s country manager raymond smith when the company launched its 50th anniversary which will be in september according to smith scotiabank had proudly blazed the trail for commercial banking in guyana and now it has to turned its attention to strategies that see the company doing the same over the next 50 years ahead he went on to quote the president and chief executive officer of scotiabank headquartered in canada brian porter who said the bank is a technology company offering financing services to this end smith said scotiabank is committed to providing customers with a superior banking experience and as such will be implementing a suite of digital solutions to better serve and satisfy customers in this regard we anticipate that during the course of this year we will introduce the next generation of abms automated banking machine or intelligence banking machines imb as they are also referred to also we plan to introduce new card products and additional online solutions the one that we are really excited about is the ability to transfer funds to third parties from the convenience of your laptop tablet or smartphone the country manager announced he noted that scotiabank will be using technology to build efficiency cost savings and responsiveness into its operations as it aims to be an agile organisation that can easily and quickly adjust to changes in the industry and the markets in which it operates furthermore smith also referred to new csrbased initiatives that the bank is undertaking as part of its 50th anniversary celebrations among these is scotiabank s signature csr customer service relation project will be its new partnership with the university of guyana to commission a smart classroom within the faculty of natural science this project which is in alignment with the bank s digital focus will cost 2 million and will provide current and future students with the benefits of an international learning environment it is being funded through the scotiabank community programme and hopefully it s the first of many more similar projects with the university of guyana the country manager said he added that another such initiative for the bank s jubilee anniversary is its annual vision achiever programme business plan competition which is an initiative intended to promote entrepreneurship and has a first prize of 1 million and a runnerup prize of 500000 this year in celebration of our 50th anniversary we have doubled the prize money former participants of this competition have gone on to start new businesses while others have expanded their existing businesses smith noted this competition which was also launched on friday is opened to guyanese residents 18 years and older who are interested in starting a business or have an existing small business they want to expand meanwhile scotiabank was lauded for its continuous investments in guyana over the past 50 years by governor general of the bank of guyana dr gobind ganga who said the company has participated in the transformation of the guyanese economy while at the same time transforming its operations to meet the challenges that came with economic transformation the bank of guyana has been heartened over the years by scotiabank s success and leadership in the industry the bank of guyana continues to support scotia role as an important player and partner not only because of its support to the nation s development but also because of the drive for efficiency and diffusion of relevant international best practices in banking and accounting principles which contribute in enhancing stability and transparency of the financial system dr ganga posited he went on to note that the discovery of oil offshore guyana not only has huge developmental potential for the country but will also provide opportunities for the banking sector the rapid development of technology also offers many opportunities which we are yet to tap into while we are getting acquainted with new technologies and buzzwords such as retooling reengineering and smart solutions newer buzz words are already here artificial intelligence big data and virtual transactions our industry must continue to evolve to be abreast with these complexities and to grasp the opportunities the bog governor general stated also making brief remarks at the bank s 50th anniversary launch were canadian high commissioner to guyana lilian chatterjee and dr paloma mohamed deputy vice president at the university of guyana article adapted from  https guyanatimesgycom scotiabanktointroduceadvancedbankingservices  scotiabank natural sciences ', 0),
(617, 'und', 'node_search', ' ug gets 10m worth of refrigerant equipment ug gets 10m worth of refrigerant equipment ug gets 10m worth of refrigerant equipment webmaster fri 4272018 6 the university of guyana ug faculty of technology has received 10m worth of refrigerant and airconditioning equipment and a new refrigerant management course to aid in the elimination of harmful ozone gases this presentation was held on tuesday at the faculty of technology and was made possible through collaborative efforts by the ministry of agriculture and the united nations development programme undp the kind gesture comes as a result of the hcfc phaseout management programme hpmp under the montreal protocol which operates through the hydromet service of the ministry of agriculture hydrochlorofluorocarbons or hcfcs are gases used worldwide in refrigeration airconditioning and foam applications which are known as ozone depleting substances ods in august 1993 guyana ratified the montreal protocol which aims to systematically phase out the use of hcfcs and strengthen its global position on environmental protection by adhering to the montreal protocol schedule the complete phaseout of hcfcs is expected to be realised by 2030 however in order for guyana to successfully meet this goal individuals must be trained in new and emergent technologies which will replace the substances and equipment being phased out as such the 810 week refrigerant management course will target electrical and mechanical engineering students as well as industry professionals who wish to acquire additional certification meanwhile the equipment donated which include visual and automotive refrigeration and airconditioning training units as well as several other tools will help students to better comprehend the course support for this initiative was provided in part by the multilateral fund for the implementation of the montreal protocol while the undp un environment and the ministry of agriculture partnered to execute the project delivering the keynote remarks was permanent secretary of the ministry of agriculture delma nedd who said that the undertaking is a part of the government s longterm plan for sustainable development between 2011 to present more than 125 technicians were provided with training on good refrigeration practices and alternative technologies while some 80 technicians are trained annually through the hcfc phaseout management programme this has contributed to a significant reduction in the number of untrained service personnel operating in the sector the ministry of agriculture is pleased to be partnering with the faculty of technology through this initiative which is expected to accrue significant longterm benefits for both the environment and human development in guyana she remarked nedd said guyana s strategy to phase out the importation of hcfcs includes the introduction of an import licensing system as well as a national standard for the safe servicing of refrigerants and conditioning equipment meanwhile undp representative mikiko tanaka said implementation of the training programme and the acquisition of equipment will increase guyana s capacity to successfully manage and eliminate odss she reaffirmed the undp s support for guyana and commended ug for incorporating the training in its curriculum dean of the faculty of technology elena trim told the gathering that as guyana moves steadily ahead into the oil and gas era buildings which will spring up will require central airconditioning systems as such she said that both mechanical and electrical engineers must be fully aware of how to deal with the new equipment in the sector article adapted from  https guyanachroniclecom 20180425 uggets10mworthofrefrigerantequipment faculty of technology ministry of agriculture undp ', 0),
(618, 'und', 'node_search', ' coding course launched to encourage more girls in ict field coding course launched to encourage more girls in ict field coding course launched to encourage more girls in ict field webmaster fri 4272018 14 over 40 young girls will over the next 12 weekends undergo training in coding as part of an initiative to encourage and nurture their participation in the information and communications technology ict field the opening session of the guyanese girls code programme which is an initiative of the ministry of public telecommunications in collaboration with the national centre for educational resource development ncerd and the university of guyana ug was held yesterday at the education lecture theatre at the turkeyen campus the programme is designed to teach beginners coding programming to guyanese girls between the ages of 11 and 14 the goal of the initiative is to address the gender disparity in the guyana s ict sector where women and girls remain underrepresented you are the chosen generation you guys are going to transform guyana with how you use and promote ict minister of public telecommunications catherine hughes told the participants during the welcome remarks hughes said at last opportunities can be given to girls to ensure that they can fully participate in the important field so today is really the start of a whole new journey that you girls will undertake hopefully starting today the experience will go with you through the rest of your lives hughes said hughes noted that this is important since usually when situations arise involving the use of computers and ict there is little or no involvement of girls and we want to make sure that the girls are equally there normally we are faced with the question where are the girls hughes observed while relating that sometimes in a room fill with about sixty people who are all computer graphic specialists or programmers or website developers or animation developers there are only two girls she stated that in developed countries across the world women can be seen operating at the higher levels and this should also be visible in guyana the great thing is more girls are doing well at high school more girls are going into university so we girls have got the capacity to do it hughes continued she said that her ministry always believed that they had to make a change and that we had to train more of our guyanese women to get into information technology ict is not only meant for boys and girls women are exceeding exceling and they are leading in many ways there are so many facets of being a part of this ict thing not just the laptops tablet phones all of that is part of the ict agenda so you have nothing to be bored about hughes related while telling the young girls you have a wonderful opportunity take advantage of it meanwhile penelope defreitas head of ug s computer science department and lead instructor of the guyanese girls code programme said that the number of participants is overwhelming since only about 20 girls were catered for during a discussion of the plans for the project the curriculum will cover both theoretical and practical aspects defreitas said the theory she noted will be about 40 percent of the course and covers a range of topics including the pioneers in computer science practical applications of software and hardware in the real world security and the responsibility when it comes to using technology while the practical aspect will encompass a number of activities article adapted from  https wwwstabroeknewscom 2018 news stories 415 codingcourselaunchedtoencouragemoregirlsinictfield  ict department of computer science ministry of public telecommunications ', 0),
(619, 'und', 'node_search', ' us based philanthropist gives back big time pumps 80million into stateoftheart research centre at ug us based philanthropist gives back big time pumps 80million into stateoftheart research centre at ug 80m donated for behavioural studies centre at ug webmaster fri 4272018 19 the name jay and sylvia sobhraj centre for behavioral studies and research centre will soon be emblazoned on a stateoftheart facility at the university of guyana turkeyen campus jay sobhraj a guyanese born united states based philanthropist has pumped a significant grant of 80000000 to establish the stateoftheart behavioural study research and multipurpose centre in place of the old canteen building the facility will house a bookstore food court model counselling centre student gym and prayer rooms it will also have an extended medex station and cater to various programmes including psychology social work criminology and psychiatry the funding is being provided through the jay and sylvia sobhraj foundation jay sobhraj one of the founders of the charitable organisation said his education was made possible through grants and he is grateful that he is now in a position to give back to his homeland we have to take care of our motherland sobhraj declared an enthusiastic and deeply grateful vice chancellor prof ivelaw griffith said that discussions had been ongoing for a year this is not only a signally important milestone along rebranding and rebuilding but it testifies to our recognition of the essential purpose of our being to enhance the ability of our students to come in and get experience prof griffith said philanthropy requires cultivation and time the vc pointed out as he expressed gratitude to the foundation for making such a significant contribution to ug developing and expanding its curriculum the centre will provide a location for the new psychology programme which the university will start in march 2018 and which is being funded by united nations international children s fund unicef the new research facility will complement the mental health department which was established by the ministry of public health the department is currently training mental health practitioners to work with mentally challenged persons over 100 such practitioners have been trained to date article adapted from  http dpigovgy usbasedphilanthropistgivesbackbigtimepumps80millio  jay and sylvia sobhraj foundation behavioral studies and research centre ', 0),
(620, 'und', 'node_search', ' usbased couple gifts 80m for behavioural studies centre at ug usbased couple gifts 80m for behavioural studies centre at ug usbased couple gifts 80m for behavioural studies centre at ug webmaster fri 4272018 23 the university of guyana has signed an agreement with the usbased jay and sylvia sobhraj foundation to refurbish and convert the building that formerly housed the spicy dish restaurant into a stateoftheart behavioural studies and research centre at a cost of us 400000 or some 80 million speaking yesterday at the signing ceremony held at the university s turkeyen campus deputy vice chancellor professor paloma mohamed said the funding is the first major gift by a single individual or a foundation given to the university in brief remarks vice chancellor professor ivelaw griffith expressed his appreciation to the foundation for helping the university improve its facilities to ensure adequate teaching and adequate social amenities for students and staff the multipurpose facility will be called the jay and sylvia sobhraj centre for behavioural studies and research after the husband and wife who founded the foundation the centre will accommodate the university s psychology programme the programme began in march with the offer of a diploma in psychology and based on the completion of the facility the undergraduate degree and master s degree programmes are likely to be offered at the end of the year mohamed said in a brief background on how he got involved in giving back cofounder and mechanical engineer jairaj jay sobhraj said that he was fortunate to have gotten a british education from small grants a ten pound here and a ten pound there provided by foundations in those days there were no students loans available to help him and his parents could not afford to pay the tuition fee for his university education sobhraj who left guyana in the 60s and studied in england returned to work in the bauxite industry in 1975 and 1976 i was a coward you know the saying when you can t stand the heat get out of the kitchen i couldn t handle it he returned to england then moved to the middle east where he worked on oil rigs for 12 years after he and his wife sylvia a nurse formed the foundation together with directors nardeo singh information technology consultant and sravan an entrepreneur they formed partnerships with several institutions in guyana including the guyana police force and the central islamic organisation of guyana to which they have provided computer training on graduating sobhraj said he had no loans to repay and he thanked god that today he can share what he received from others with people in his home country many africans and indians say that africa and india is our motherland that is our grandmother land guyana is our motherland we have to take care of our own speaking of the gift he said we are hoping that what we are doing here today will motivate others to do the same there are many willing guyanese in north america and europe who want to do the same but they are not aware of how to go about doing it the us 400000 is the first major gift by a private individual or foundation negotiated under the office of the deputy vice chancellor philanthropy alumni and civic engagement pace the project had its origins at a social gathering hosted by patrick sooklall of impressions who made the introductions between the university through mohamed and the foundation about a year ago the design of the project is being done pro bono by ug alumnus past lecturer and architect sheldon williams the project will include an upper floor that will house four soundproof lecture rooms one state oftheart classroom and one smart classroom that will accommodate from 30 to 100 students it will also accommodate a boardroom for 30 people the lower floor will house a food court and lounge campus store and bookstore a students gym and a meeting room each for christian hindu and muslim students it is expected that the refurbishment will be completed in time for the opening of the start of the semester in september article adapted from  https wwwstabroeknewscom 2018 news stories 426 usbasedcouplegifts80mforbehaviouralstudiescentreat  jay and sylvia sobhraj foundation behavioral studies and research centre ', 0),
(621, 'und', 'node_search', ' register now  register now  entrepreneurship conference 2018 webmaster sun 4292018 2305 http entrepreneurshipconferenceuogedugy register now image  ', 0),
(622, 'und', 'node_search', ' world bank ug sts project world bank ug sts project world bank ug sts project webmaster thu 5032018 1432 the objective of the project is to strengthen the four science and technology faculties at ug through infrastructure research and curricular improvements while building the basis for improved facilities management and future growth world bank ug sts project ', 0),
(623, 'und', 'node_search', ' cohsod meeting this week to focus on implementation of hrd strategy cohsod meeting this week to focus on implementation of hrd strategy cohsod meeting this week to focus on implementation of hrd strategy webmaster wed 5092018 2355 the council for human and social development cohsod will meet this week from the 24 may 2018 the main focus of the meeting will be the implementation of the human resource development hrd 2030 strategy the strategy was endorsed by the conference of heads of government at its thirtyeighth regular meeting in grenada in july 2017 based on prior consideration and approval by cohsod xxxii in march of the same year the cohsod will also focus on the discussion and approval of a regional action plan 2018 2020 for the strategy and agreement on arrangements for monitoring and evaluation at both regional and national levels of implementation specific attention will be given to the imperative of intersectoral action in the context of approved strategies in the areas of social economic environmental and technological resilience as articulated in the caribbean community strategic plan 2015 2019 the meeting will kick off with an opening ceremony at the theatre guild in guyana that includes an unprecedented thought leadership forum on positioning human resource development hrd as central to caribbean resilience and development the forum will be led by the vice chancellor of the university of guyana professor ivelaw griffith and two discussants deputy premier and minister of education youth affairs and sport of montserrat the hon delmaude ryan and artist economist and recipient of the caribbean laureate of arts and letters award mr adrian augier according to director human development at the caricom secretariat ms myrna bernard a wide range of stakeholders were invited to the meeting she said this was important as a holistic approach was needed when addressing human resource development ms bernard advised that an implementation plan for the strategy had already been devised and will be done in three phases she said the first phase would go up to the year 2020 and the cohsod meeting would be looking at the actions that needed to be taken up until then she added that there were two components in the strategy a regional component and a national component she said that at the regional level they would try to provide regional public goods that would enable member states to be better able to carry out the implementation on the national level she added that all the issues to be addressed in the meeting would be tied to the human resource development strategy and its implementation some of the topics included early childhood education tertiary and secondary development developing youth who were already out of school and training of managers she said the main objective was to get buyin from member states for all the initiatives that would be undertaken during the implementation following a workshop held in may 2017 ms bernard gave the assurance that the human resource development 2030 strategy would not just sit on a shelf but would be implemented participants of that workshop included representatives from the 15 caricom member states the associate members international development partners private sector civil society organisations as well as regional institutions in education and business the focus of this cohsod bears testament to that assurance the regional education and human resource development 2030 strategy and action plan are intended to form the basis for converged action by member states article adapted from  https todaycaricomorg 20180430 cohsodmeetingthisweektofocusonimplementationofhrds  caricom human resource development ', 0),
(624, 'und', 'node_search', ' ug wildlife survey course helped students build practical skills ug wildlife survey course helped students build practical skills ug wildlife survey course helped students build practical skills webmaster thu 5102018 11 a course in wildlife survey techniques was recently offered for students and faculty in the departments of biology forestry and environmental science at the university of guyana ug and included a field portion a release from the organisers of the course said that classroombased portion of the course was delivered by guest lecturers dr burton lim of the royal ontario museum and dr matt hallett of the university of florida and jacksonville zoo gardens the release said dr lim is an expert on small mammals in the tropics particularly bats and has been working here since the initial surveys ahead of the georgetownlethem highway and iwokrama forest in 1990 dr hallett is the founder of the rupununi wildlife research unit and has been studying jaguars and their prey in the rupununi for the last eight years the lectures were open to the public and delivered at ug s turkeyen campus from 59 march 2018 the field portion of the course was hosted at yarrowkabra training centre 1216 march 2018 via a donation of the space by the guyana forestry commission experts from the rupununi asaph wilson south rupununi conservation society eon gray south rupununi conservation society kenneth butler surama ecolodge and fernando li caiman house research station joined dr hallett and dr lim in helping students build the practical skills required for undertaking wildlife research the release said students developed practical skills through daily sampling of birds mist nets surveys handling animals for taking body measurements and banding conducting point counts among other tasks overall students faculty and instructors documented 18 species of reptiles and amphibians 6 frogs 7 lizards 3 snakes 2 caiman 98 species of birds 12 species weighed and measured and 24 species of small mammals 22 bats 2 rodents and 15 species of mediumlarge mammals tayra deer agouti porcupine armadillo opossum and 3 species of primates the release said that one resounding fact highlighted from the course was the value of bringing students and faculty together with expertise existing in the country students remarked that incorporating the instructors from the rupununi gave the course a mixture of professional and cultural knowledge that created a beautiful and educational mix the course was supported by an academic programme to strengthen technical capacity for natural resource management in guyana the release said that the programme is funded by the norwegian agency for development cooperation norad under the title achieving a green state building human capacity for natural resource management in guyana the project aims to place the university of guyana at the forefront of highimpact academic research on natural resource management the release added article adapted from  https wwwstabroeknewscom 2018 news stories 508 ugwildlifesurveycoursehelpedstudentsbuildpractical  faculty of agriculture forestry faculty of natural sciences ', 0),
(625, 'und', 'node_search', ' ug school of business hosting inaugural entrepreneurship forum ug school of business hosting inaugural entrepreneurship forum ug school of business hosting inaugural entrepreneurship forum webmaster mon 5212018 2342 a significant step in the direction of forging the long sought closer ties between the university of guyana and the country s business community will be taken this weekend when the university s recently established school of entrepreneurship and business innovation sebi commences its first ever entrepreneurship and innovation conference under the theme economic transformation through entrepreneurship innovation the conference which will held from may 20 to may 22 at the ramada georgetown princess hotel gives effect to an undertaking given by ug vice chancellor professor ivelaw griffith during an extended interview with the stabroek business some months ago that he was aiming to have sebi play a role in creating meaningful linkages between ug and the local business community sebi was launched in july last year by vice chancellor griffith who said at the opening that the institution was geared towards providing the nation with the entrepreneurial and business requirements it needs to develop equip and certify persons in both the public and private sectors earlier attempts to develop ties between ug and the business community had been limited largely to contributions of gifts to university by private sector entities the establishment of sebi had been preceded by consultations between ug and various interest groups including the private sector sebi envisages the delivery of a curriculum that embraces elements of the liberal arts critical thinking foreign languages business simulations and case studies the sebi faculty draws on the skills and experiences of local business leaders while the forum is a collaborative initiative that involves the university and a number of state agencies including the ministry of business and the small business bureau turkeyen can claim considerable credit from the extent to which it has pressed the private sector into service in support of the forum a statement issued by the conference secretariat lists no less than a dozen private sector entities including the guyana telephone and telegraph company gtt exxonmobil the institute of private enterprise development and several local commercial banks as partners in the this weekend s initiative the sebi inaugural entrepreneurship and innovation conference will not only set the environment to advance discussions around entrepreneurship and innovation it will also give local entrepreneurs the opportunity to exhibit their products and services the statement from the conference secretariat said both public and private sector observers will also be mindful of the fact that the forum has attracted a number of distinguished speakers and panelists including guyanese residing in the diaspora the conference the statement says will bring together academic scholars practitioners and policymakers to examine how entrepreneurship has and can continue to support economic transformation in a developing economy it will also provide an opportunity to share knowledge and experiences of researchers and practitioners in understanding the importance of entrepreneurship to the future of guyana as much as anything else this weekend s event will provide a yardstick with which to measure sebi s capacity to deliver on its promise to create a working partnership between the public and private sectors among the commitments made by sebi was that it would provide a facility that would serve both to develop the capabilities of serving entrepreneurs as well as to cater to the more formal training needs of employees holding positions in private sector institutions when stabroek business visited sebi earlier this year classes also included several students pursuing formal degree programmes at ug article adapted from  https wwwstabroeknewscom 2018 business 518 ugschoolofbusinesshostinginauguralentrepreneurship  inaugural entrepreneurship conference sebi ', 0),
(626, 'und', 'node_search', ' mopt is mulling development of animation industry mopt is mulling development of animation industry mopt is mulling development of animation industry webmaster mon 5212018 2348 the ministry of public telecommunications is examining the further development of an animation industry in guyana this was disclosed today minister cathy hughes at the inaugural entrepreneurship and innovation conference the minister told the gathering that the development of an animation industry will provide further investment opportunities for the country and will also foster new entrepreneurs and employment opportunities she said the government will be networking with relevant stakeholders to build synergy for the development of the industry since the animation industry has increased significantly across the caribbean we are looking at opportunities to ensure budding entrepreneurs are given opportunities to develop ourselves in the animation market the opportunities to garner international business is real and possible and we think here our labour cost makes an advantage for us to be able to compete in a worldwide market compared to those in the industry according to the minister there is currently a small privatelyowned animation studio called animax which began in 2013 providing 15 to 16 seats for showings the ministry has already funded three persons involved in local animation network for training in suriname article adapted from  http dpigovgy moptismullingdevelopmentofanimationindustry  ministry of public telecommunications inaugural entrepreneurship conference ', 0),
(627, 'und', 'node_search', ' honouring harold drayton s contribution honouring harold drayton s contribution honouring harold drayton s contribution webmaster tue 5222018 2 this wednesday may 23rd professor ivelaw griffith vicechancellor and principal of the university of guyana ug will be hosting a solemn ceremony at the george walcott lecture theatre in memory of harold harry drayton who died in march of this year professor drayton was the first deputy vicechancellor and vice principal of ug as well as professor of biology and head of the biology department 196372 his family his children richard and alison grandchildren and siblings will be represented at the ceremony by his wife dr vonna drayton harold drayton has gifted us with an extraordinary 900 page autobiography titled an accidental life published by hansib books two weeks ago the guyanese community turned out in their numbers for the most recent book launch in toronto organized by the university of guyana alumni association harold had been involved in planning the event which turned into a celebration of his life the monograph spans some eight decades harry s early years and education in georgetown guyana his teaching stint in grenada studying at the university college of the west indies in jamaica and then working there before leaving for edinburgh where he would graduate with a doctorate lecturing in zoology in ghana before taking up then premier cheddi jagan s invitation to return to guyana and assume major responsibility for establishing the university of guyana moving to barbados to take up an appointment with the pan american health organization paho and closing out a varied and illustrious career with his work at the world health organization at the university of texas at galveston the book stands as an incredible archive offering ethnographic observations as well as firsthand accounts based on extraordinary recollection and detail of people places and events in which the hopes of a decolonizing caribbean generation and some of their postcolonial disappointments are contained within its covers barbadian writer george lamming correctly described drayton as a witness and participant who has provided us with an extraordinary portrait of an era which defines the modern caribbean and the long decisive process of decolonisation during the second half of the twentieth century so many of these portraits were deeply and simultaneously personal and political from d his beloved east indian stepfather who would die just before harry returned to lead the effort to create the university of guyana to norma meeks a landlady who during a difficult period in jamaica demonstrated what caring labour could look like to richard dick hart whom he credits for his political education and after whom he named his son this book is really about education not narrowly conceived in the book learning sense the first lessons are those he learns from d an autodidact with a fierce sense of justice who left school before he was 13 in an age before social media drayton describes scenes in which women and men gathered in d s living room to read and argue about contemporary local issues unemployment low prices being paid for our sugar increases in the price of food hubert critchlow and the waterfront workers aa thorne and the workers league that organised factory workers in the sugar industry ayube edun cr jacob and the mpca the sugar union for field and clerical workers here we see a commitment to study where study is defined as engagement and debate frequently enlivened by food laughter and quarrel and is not confined to a restrictive notion of a classroom they were connected via the sailors and dockworkers who brought news of the disturbances sweeping the englishspeaking caribbean in the 1930s from the last ships that were repatriating indians to india at the end of their indentured contracts they followed the work of the indian national congress and opposed italy s invasion of ethiopia their sense of being guyanese was not parochial and insular but internationalist and based on principles of solidarity and justice for drayton it was as frank birbalsingh has noted driven by a progressive revolutionary socialist ideology that inspired for instance his attendance at student festivals in eastern european countries and his seminal contribution to the establishment of the university of guyana the centrepiece of his achievement as a whole in jamaica he was part of the people s educational organization in kingston where there would be open meetings and public lectures attended by working class audiences on topics including apartheid the chinese revolution slave revolts maroon wars jim crow and racial discrimination in the us these commitments did not come without costs recipient of an elite education as he moved into queen s college the country s premier school for boys at the time one was meant to be prepped to take the reins as member of a suitably trained respectable elite class that would not threaten the status quo even respectability was no guarantee this was after all the same school that would initially deny norman cameron a teaching job because he was black the lesson would be clear when as a member of the qc literary and debating society drayton invited jocelyn hubbard of the political affairs committee to come to speak with students about the political situation in british guiana only to be reprimanded by the headmaster that the british government is spending one and three pence half penny on your education here and you repay this by associating with elements and ideas subversive to the crown later as a student in jamaica drayton would be expelled from the university college of the west indies at the time on the official grounds of his involvement with a female student trinidadian kathleen mccracken they would go on to get married and have two children as his son richard drayton recently noted as a result of the release of some of britain s secret colonial archives my father was able to see a digest of the file which the jamaica special branch had created on him since he was barely 20 all his life before this he had only suspected that his politics were the main reason for his expulsion but had never had proof among the files he would find the following reference to his time in jamaica subject came to security notice in december 1949 through his association with people of known left wing sympathies in february 1951 during the course of labour disturbances among the workers employed by higgs and hill on the construction of the university college drayton and others were active in encouraging workers to prolong the strike about march 1951 drayton was expelled from the university college for receiving communist literature and through his association with a female student later at the university of guyana he would encounter challenges and roadblocks including from those in the ppp who had originally invited him to return in the first place facing an increasingly hostile and repressive climate after the pnc came to power he decamped to barbados where he would become a regional civil servant with paho in his commencement speech in 1974 six years after the first rigged elections that ushered in 22 years of dictatorship in guyana poet martin carter remarked it is precisely in times of crisis that we must reexamine our lives and bring to that reexamination contempt for the trivial and respect of the riskers those who take the risk of going forward boldly to participate in the building of a free community of valid persons harold drayton was such a risker returning to guyana in 1962 at the height of the country s political crisis to create a university from scratch referred to derisively at the time as cheddi s night school he has left us with a rich archive of institutional memory he has written two diaspora columns for this newspaper on these early efforts authored a chapter in book the university of guyana perspectives on the early history and dedicated a great deal of his own autobiography to his administrative experiences bob marley tells us to emancipate ourselves from mental slavery and teachers like guyanese historian elsa goveia centred caribbean people in her classes making us the subjects of our histories goveia taught at the university of the west indies in jamaica and had herself accepted an invitation by professor drayton to give lectures on caribbean history for a newly inaugurated ug course before the idea was scrapped in 1964 on the altar of administrative politics and political expediency we are on the eve of guyana s 52nd independence anniversary what is so remarkable about drayton s vision especially today when so much of the caribbean has been more or less recolonized by the dictates of international financial institutions that the late economist norman girvan described us as independence not independent was his unwavering sense that decolonization was as much as a cultural and educational project as it was political social and economic we see this not just in what was proposed but the kinds of pedagogies that accompanied these efforts at curricular transformation courses on world civilization and caribbean studies that would be required for all faculties and also open to the general public today we are back to fees and the idea of an open university seems a distant dream courses on social biology that encompassed discussions of racial science and engaged head on the challenges of these legacies in guyana and the caribbean first level mathematics courses for all science students teachers not all guyanese or even caribbean but rather an internationalist crew who came to join the faculty driven by a commitment to social justice this is radical literacy doing the work it takes to see ourselves it takes careful labour as angela davis has noted to base your identity on your politics rather than your politics on your identity three years ago in an email exchange on the future of guyana and just on the eve of the last general elections harry wrote to me when in august 2009 i reached my 80th birthday i decided that one of my 21st century decisions should be to eschew partisan politics in my homeland if only because i had by then been living outside of guyana except for short visits for nearly 40 years in the course of which despite my best efforts i had become increasingly unaware of the changing social and political landscape with which i had been so intimately associated in the 60 s and early 70 s another important reason for my major decision had been and is my firm belief that the younger generation of actors in guyana must assume full responsibility for all the fundamental decisions as to the kind of guyana and national institutions they wished to live in and to aspire to achieving persons of my generation should be content with reflecting on and chronicling as best we can both orally and in writing the problems with which we were confronted in bygone years the plans that were made those that went awry and those that bore fruit and responding to requests from younger people for advice on possible solutions to broad national issues some of which have their analogs in countries all over the world harold drayton also delivered his papers about 13 boxes to the national archives in late 2013 he has more than fulfilled his promise to leave a reflective trace tracks for new generations to explore follow deepen and extend as we honour his contributions at the university of guyana this wednesday we also thank his family for sharing him with us article adapted from  https wwwstabroeknewscom 2018 features inthediaspora 521 honouringharolddraytonscontribution  harold drayton ', 0),
(628, 'und', 'node_search', ' sebi to host inaugural entrepreneurship and innovation conference sebi to host inaugural entrepreneurship and innovation conference sebi to host inaugural entrepreneurship and innovation conference webmaster tue 5222018 19 the school of entrepreneurship and business innovation sebi university of guyana is set to host its first entrepreneurship and innovation conference titled economic transformation through entrepreneurship innovation  the conference will be held from may 2022 at the ramada georgetown princess hotel the event is intended to bring together academic scholars practitioners and policymakers to examine how entrepreneurship has and can continue to support economic transformation in a developing economy the conference will provide an opportunity to share knowledge and experiences of researchers and practitioners in understanding the importance of entrepreneurship to the future of guyana the event is a collaboration between sebi the ministry of business and small business bureau several public and private entities have shown their support for the conference through sponsorship among those are telephone giant guyana telephone and telegraph company institute of private enterprise development ground structure engineering and consultants inc grace kennedy go invest guyana bank for trade and industry limited caribbean containers republic bank bazilio cobb associates exxon mobil guyana ministry of business small business bureau demerara bank wt george co and ministry of education the sebi inaugural entrepreneurship and innovation conference will not only set the environment to advance discussions around entrepreneurship and innovation it will also give local entrepreneurs the opportunity to exhibit their products and services and a business pitch competition has also been added to the programme registration for the conference can be done at the ug bursary berbice campus citizens bank or online at entrepreneurshipconferenceuogedugy   contact sebi on  tel 5922224932 5926230926 email  sebi uogedugy ug in brief with a current enrollment of some 8000 students the university of guyana ug has graduated more than 20000 students who have gone on to successful careers locally regionally and internationally the university is also a major contributor to the national economy and to business and industry established in 1963 on a parttime basis with shared space at queens college ug moved to its own campus at turkeyen in 1970 and expanded in 2000 with the addition of the tain campus it now offers more than 60 undergraduate and postgraduate programmes including engineering environmental studies forestry urban planning and management business entrepreneurship tourism studies education creative arts economics law medicine optometry and nursing several online programmes are available and ug also offers extramural classes at four locations through its institute of distance and continuing education idce the ug also offers the opportunity for student engagement in debating sports and cultural religious and professional activities public relations division may 15 2018 press release inaugural entrepreneurship conference sebi ', 0),
(629, 'und', 'node_search', ' fourth conversation on law and society fourth conversation on law and society webmaster tue 5222018 1213 roraima duke lodge duke street kingston georgetown the university of guyana will be hosting its fourth conversation on law and society on thursday may 24 2018 at the roraima duke lodge duke street kingston georgetown at 1800 hours the conversation on the rule of law and the caribbean court of justice will be done by hon justice adrian saunders president designate caribbean court of justice  ', 0),
(631, 'und', 'node_search', ' ug school of business opens innovation conference ug school of business opens innovation conference ug school of business opens innovation conference webmaster wed 5232018 855 an entrepreneurship and innovation conference was opened yesterday providing members in the local business arena an opportunity to network with their international counterparts dean of the ug school of entrepreneurship and business innovation sebi professor leyland lucas said according to the department of public information that the conference stemmed from conversations among stakeholders on the tools needed to boost and transform free enterprise in guyana everybody is talking about entrepreneurship but do we really understand some of the dynamics that are important to entrepreneurship we thought we needed to put on this conference to be more than just a talk shop professor lucas said established businesses budding entrepreneurs students and academics are among those participating university of guyana s vicechancellor professor ivelaw griffith said the forum provides a more handson outlook the annual conference will not only be conversations dreaming and doing of entrepreneurship they will be setting the stage as part of sebi celebrating entrepreneurs the twoday event at the ramada princess hotel will include panel discussions and the presentations of papers article adapted from  https wwwstabroeknewscom 2018 photos 522 ugschoolofbusinessopensinnovationconference  sebi inaugural entrepreneurship conference ', 0);
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(632, 'und', 'node_search', ' us group to fund ug s business school innovation prize us group to fund ug s business school innovation prize us group to fund ug s business school innovation prize webmaster mon 5282018 1905 the usbased philanthropic organization the guyana economic development trust is partnering with the school of entrepreneurship and business innovation sebi of the university of guyana ug to provide funding for an annual guyana innovation prize to encourage innovation and entrepreneurship the organisation s founder oslene carrington told stabroek news yesterday several tens of thousands of us dollars are on the table for them to grow their businesses carrington who made a presentation during one of the sessions at the sebi inaugural entrepreneurial conference 2018 held over the past three days at the ramada georgetown princess hotel at providence told stabroek news yesterday that soon the guyana innovation prize will award students faculty and alumni who are engaged in innovative projects and innovative research that is connected to technology and agroprocessing eligible candidates for funding will be selected from applicants who presented their ideas at ug s undergraduate conferences held in 2017 and 2018 eight to ten projects with working ideas which have been tested she said are ready for further evaluation they are phenomenal ideas and if they are funded they can actually generate new products and services that are made in guyana and can be stamped as made in guyana she said those evaluating the projects she noted are seasoned bankers technologists and academics all of us have had businesses or currently have businesses we will fund those business ideas based on our collective agreement and provide mentoring and support to those businesses to the point where those students can go and seek out equity financing and loans and so forth to grow them even further she noted the guyanaborn carrington a banker and an academic further said those ideas could then become companies that employ people we have young people who are really smart with great research ideas converting those ideas into businesses can enable them to become fully employed and to employ other people that is the aim of the guyana innovation prize giving a background to the founding of the trust carrington who left guyana for the us at six years said ten guyanese of whom seven are based in the us and three in georgetown are its board members article adapted from  https wwwstabroeknewscom 2018 news guyana 523 usgrouptofundugsbusinessschoolinnovationprize  sebi inaugural entrepreneurship conference guyana economic development trust ', 0),
(633, 'und', 'node_search', ' professor drayton s contributions to ug remembered professor drayton s contributions to ug remembered professor drayton s contributions to ug remembered webmaster mon 5282018 1909 the late dr harold a drayton first deputy vice chancellor and a pioneer in the development of the university of guyana was honoured with a solemn assembly held at the university s turkeyen campus yesterday afternoon the ceremony was characterised by performances of song and poetry and tributes delivered by his wife dr vonnalou drayton former student professor george ken danns and former university lecturer father malcolm rodrigues sj as i reflect on what harry and i would have jokingly referred to as his transition i recall bits of verses from maya angelou s poem when great trees fall mrs drayton said yesterday during her reflection on her husband s life his passing has left a deep void but the joyful memories of our life together are very comforting harry was a good man and a wonderful husband and i am a better person for sharing the past 20 years with him said drayton who stated that her husband did not just exist but also lived life to the fullest not only was dr drayton instrumental in the establishment of the university in 1963 having been tasked with recruiting staff locally and from within the west indies but he was also the first guyanese to sit on the administrative board assuming the role of deputy vice chancellor dr drayton was said to have also been influential in establishing the university s core curriculum of compulsory courses he would go on to head the biology department in 1963 a role he would serve until 1972 his initiatives there such as training of medical technologists among others would subsequently evolve that department into a full faculty the faculty of health sciences for the training of healthcare professionals norwell hinds president of the university of guyana student society read during the commendation he noted too that in 1995 dr drayton would also serve as an advisor on the establishment of a medical programme at the university dr drayton had over four decades of experience as a researcher educator and administrator at the national regional and international level and notably conducted his doctoral research in biological sciences with focus on the properties of cancer inducing viruses professor danns in his reflection stated that while serving as his lecturer dr drayton challenged his beliefs allowing him to develop critical thinking skills that have stayed with him since none of these proficient professors challenged and disturbed my intellect more than dr drayton none taught as challenging as multidisciplinary and as critical to the course as he did danns said referring to his late professor as a compelling and compact figure dr drayton was a servantleader and a team player who never sought to stand out from the crowd dr drayton should be honoured because he was a pioneer for the creation and the institutionalization of the university of guyana he should be remembered because he has produced social analogy and caribbean studies as multidisciplinary courses that he taught to his students from all across the university he should be revered because from the outset he taught his students to question and to embrace knowledge knowing that nothing should be held absolute in science he should be loved because he was a classy and charismatic scholar who gave his best to this students gave his best to the university and gave his best to his country danns concluded the university s vice chancellor dr ivelaw griffith said that the university would seek to honour dr drayton s memory in a number of ways including naming a building in his honour dr griffith also urged the staff to honour his memory be ensuring that the university grows from strength to strength and that they maintain respect and integrity in their obligation to practice excellence present at the ceremony yesterday were minister of public telecommunications cathy hughes junior health minister dr karen cummings and members of parliament gail teixeira and audwin rutherford article adaped from  https wwwstabroeknewscom 2018 news guyana 524 professordraytonscontributionstougremembered  harold a drayton ', 0),
(634, 'und', 'node_search', ' government ready to support creative industries government ready to support creative industries government ready to support creative industries webmaster mon 5282018 1912 minister of business dominic gaskin reiterated the government s readiness to play a part in encouraging developments within the creative industry he was at the time addressing concerns raised at the entrepreneurship and innovation conference on may 22 at the ramada hotel providence minister gaskin opined that advances in the creative industries can be achieved with the help of individuals and companies already involved in those areas they need to form themselves into an organisation that can then promote the development of those industries and the government will support such initiatives minister gaskin assured the minister added that it is through such engagements that the areas where the government can play a role are identified he noted for example that through tax incentives and other types of enticement the government can help promote and develop those industries that have been neglected for a number of years over 700 million dollars was allocated in the national budget for cultural preservation and conservation under the department of social cohesion to construct the institute of creative arts which aims to boost the creative industries in guyana the institute of creative arts seeks to empower artists and artistes through training for specific occupational roles in the creative sector the academic units in the institute include the national school of dance the er burrowes school of arts the national school of music and the national school of theatre arts and drama locals in the creative sector have been making the spotlights on the international scene these include award winning usbased guyanese filmmaker writer and director mason richards and filmmaker yaphet jackman to name a few article adapted from  http dpigovgy governmentreadytosupportcreativeindustries  inaugural entrepreneurship conference ministry of business dominic gaskin ', 0),
(635, 'und', 'node_search', ' caribbean court s incoming president wants coordinated overhaul of broken criminal justice system says inconsistent rule of law major barrier to guyana s prosperity caribbean court s incoming president wants coordinated overhaul of broken criminal justice system says inconsistent rule of law major barrier to guyana s prosperity justice adrian saunders wants coordinated overhaul of broken criminal justice system webmaster mon 5282018 1918 incoming president of the caribbean court of justice ccj justice adrian saunders thursday night declared that the inconsistent application of the rule of law in guyana is a major barrier to the country becoming the most prosperous country in the region delivering a presentation on the topic the rule of law and the caribbean court of justice at the university of guyana s 4th conversation on law and society he said guyana a very beautiful country blessed with enormous riches and a wonderful creative people could only become prosperous if the rule of law is applied properly the only thing that stands between you and prosperity is the consistent and thorough application of the rule of law if like any other country in the caribbean you can get this right but particularly guyana because you have these enormous richesif you can get that right then this country will be a shining light for all of caricom caribbean community he said justice saunders lamented the state of the caribbean s criminal justice system saying it threatens the rule of law due to insufficient investigations and limited forensic proof that result in the freeing of perpetrators another major stumbling block he cited was the inordinate lengths of time that prisoners are on remand awaiting trial reflecting on 2013 statistics that shows that 35 percent of guyana s prison population was on pretrial detention he called that very high although trinidad and tobago with more judges and magistrates than guyana remanded prisoners are about 60 percent of the total number of prisoners to my mind high levels of pretrial detention represent a serious human rights abuse and this something we need to do something he told the audience that was made mostly of members of the legal fraternity who included house speaker dr barton scotland former house speaker ralph ramkarran chancellor of the judiciary yonette cummingsedwards chief justice roxane georgewiltshire chief magistrate ann mc lennan former ccj judge duke pollard law professor harold lutchman several high court judges lawyers and senior officers of the guyana police force no government minister or highprofile opposition parliamentarian attended the event that was held at duke lodge kingston georgetown other deficiencies justice saunders identified include no effective criminal case management system and insufficient mechanisms to serve the peculiar needs of women young girls and vulnerable persons we have a criminal justice system in the region that is broken in many countries and tacking it is difficult because it requires the coordination of several different systems each with its own priorities he said the ccj presidentelect called for the prisons prosecutorial authorities police executive bar association and defence lawyers across the caribbean to sit together and be on the same page and agree to a raft of policy proposals that will carry the system forward and that kind of conversation needs to take place among those various stakeholders justice saunders identified several elements of the rule of law including legal certainty procedural fairness access to justice independent and impartial judiciary and protection against abuse and arbitrary use of power article adapted from  http demerarawavescom 20180524 caribbeancourtsincomingpresidentwantscoordinatedov  conversation on law and society justice adrian saunders ', 0),
(636, 'und', 'node_search', ' third term decision to be handed down by july 3rd third term decision to be handed down by july 3rd third term decision to be handed down by july 3rd webmaster mon 5282018 1921 the caribbean court of justice ccj will have to hand down the highlyanticipated third term decision by july 3 the day that the court s president sir dennis byron retires from office justice adrian saunders the presidentdesignate said last night saunders made this pronouncement to reporters shortly after making a presentation on the rule of law and the caribbean court of justice at the fourth conversation of law and society organised by the university of guyana senior judicial officials lawyers law students policemen and members of civil society were among those in attendance at the event which was held at duke lodge during his presentation the st vincent and the grenadines native did not make any mention of the case he later explained to reporters that given that sir dennis was among the judges who heard the matter judgment has to be delivered before he demits office the case was heard on march 12 2018 the trinidadbased final court will pronounce definitively on the challenge mounted to term limits by private citizen cedric richardson thereby ending speculation about another run for office by former twoterm president bharrat jagdeo jagdeo has distanced himself from the case and has repeatedly said he has no interest in running for a third term however he is now the opposition leader and general secretary of the ppp c it is that party s general secretary who has traditionally been its presidential nominee the ppp has also distanced itself from richardson who has kept himself away from any public scrutiny the state had appealed decisions by both the supreme court and the guyana court of appeal in favour of richardson who in the runup to the 2015 general elections had challenged restrictions created by amendments to article 90 of the constitution that were enacted in 2001 after the bipartisan constitution reform process his argument had been that act no 17 of 2001 which was passed by a twothird majority of all elected members of the national assembly to effect the termlimits unconstitutionally curtails and restricts his sovereign and democratic rights and freedom as a qualified elector to elect the person of former president bharrat jagdeo as executive president the amended article 90 of the constitution states at clause 2 a that a person elected as president after the year 2000 is eligible for reelection only once and at clause 3 that a person who acceded to the presidency after the year 2000 and served therein on a single occasion for not less than such period as may be determined by the national assembly is eligible for election as president only once on july 9th 2015 former acting chief justice ian chang declared that the presidential termlimit was unconstitutional without the approval of the people through a referendum in february 2017 former acting chancellor carl singh and now retired justice b s roy dismissed the state s appeal to justice chang s ruling dissenting was then acting chief justice yonette cummingsedwards in a more than sixhour long hearing before the ccj attorneys for the state had argued that amendments to effect the presidential term limit were done in accordance with the constitution even as those representing the challenger maintained that a referendum was required and that the twoterm restriction is unlawful while trinidadian senior counsel douglas mendes for richardson told the court that the amendments could only be effected via a referendum attorney general basil williams in his address had said that the change is done by the elected representatives of the people in the national assembly article adapted from  https wwwstabroeknewscom 2018 news guyana 525 thirdtermdecisiontobehandeddownbyjuly3rd  justice adrian saunders conversation on law and society ', 0),
(637, 'und', 'node_search', ' we come here to shine dave martins we come here to shine dave martins we come here to shine dave martins webmaster mon 5282018 1940 my artist in residence involvement with the university of guyana has produced some very fulfilling exchanges some of which i had expected but there were some surprises which i ve mentioned before one of them as a result of some whim that i can t recall was a poem i wrote after an exchange with some turkeyen students entitled we come here to shine and sent to vice chancellor ivelaw griffith ever an instigator the vc promptly suggested that i put the poem to music which i promptly did but since the song has to be sung by a student the deputy vc dr paloma martin located a young lady diana chapman to tackle that part the next step was for diana to record the song but some technical problems including equipment malfunction at the studio got in the way however the project is going forward with the equipment fixed and the plan now is to get the recording done during the upcoming week diana is a good vocalist and will sing it in her style with a drum track of her choice but to get the interest going i am including here the lyrics of the song we come here to shine copyright dave martins 2018   verse 1  we come with our intentions strong to prove that yes we do belong to do the work and toe the line we come here to shine we come to learn and to prepare we see the future very clear the time for us is waiting there yes we come here to shine  chorus  we come here from supenaam lusignaan new amsterdam we come from kingston and backdam we come here to shine we come here from lbi from rosignol and from annai from uitvlugt and karasabai we come here to shine  verse 2  we come from logee on the ground or bottom house in albouystown but we won t let that get us down cause we come here to shine we know how hungry belly feel and why some people turn and steal we see the wrongs we need to heal so we come here to shine  chorus  we come here from supenaam lusignaan new amsterdam we come from kingston and backdam we come here to shine we come here from lbi from black bush polder from annai from buxton and karasabai we come here to shine  verse 3  dont talk to me bout separate we come here to congregate and help each other stand up straight we come here to shine we know it s not an easy time we know we have to bear the grind we re here to seek and yes to find we come here to shine  chorus  we come here from supenaam golden grove new amsterdam we come from linden and backdam we come here to shine we come here from lbi from providence and from annai from uitvlugt and karasabai we come here to shine we come here from adventure vreed en hoop and parika we come here from bartica we come here to shine article adapted from  https wwwstabroeknewscom 2018 sunday soitgo 527 wecomeheretoshine  dave martins artist in residence ', 0),
(638, 'und', 'node_search', ' queens foundation partners with university of guyana for mental health queens foundation partners with university of guyana for mental health queens foundation partners with university of guyana for mental health webmaster mon 5282018 1953  in progress rendering of the building that will be guyana s first degree program in clinical psychology at the university of guyana a queensbased charity organization is partnering with the university of guyana to create guyana s first clinical psychology program and school next year the jay and sylvia sobhraj foundation founded by jay sobhraj a principal at zara realty are establishing a degree psychology program to address mental health in the country and help train more psychologists last year the institution reached out to the foundation about creating the program and being known for their philanthropy they wanted to help said a director at the foundation guyana has a serious mental health crisis so when the university approached us and wanted some help we began talks in terms of building a facility that would have organizations to focus on mental health said nardeo singh this school is a unique approach to get a few things right and make a difference for guyana the south american country has only six psychologists with doctorate degrees but with the creation of this program that number will gradually increase as more qualified and trained therapists are trained according to singh he adds that there is also somewhat of crisis of in the psychology field in guyana where the services of the existing doctors are very hard to access and the therapists who are available and accessible are usually not equipped to diagnose the mental health concerns there are not many certified clinical psychologists in country so if someone is trying to get psychological help his or her chances are very slim said singh meanwhile there s a lot of domestic violence abuse and undiagnosed kids suffering with autism that need help and the social workers that try to treat these patients are not really qualified by investing in the creation of a clinical degree program the university and the foundation will drastically help close the existing gap and help improve the quality of mental healthcare in guyana and singh says both the school and the organization will benefit from the partnership but most importantly the citizens of guyana a twoyear degree program for clinical psychology started earlier this year and is housed temporarily in the university fouryear degree program students pursuing bachelors and masters will be admitted when the construction of the new building for psychology is completed by 2019 and that will be the permanent location for both programs the new building will have four state of the art lecture halls a bookstore a food court medical and psychology clinics a gym and other faculty offices according to jay sobhraj he said there will also be religious worshipping houses for practicing students the building will be over 10000 square feet so in addition to the lecture halls we re also having three houses one each for hindu christian and muslim students he said the university of guyana has more than 15000 students enrolled and the student capacity of the program is expected to accept more than 1000 students sobhraj said that while there are varying degrees of mental health issues that need to be tackled in guyana one of their focal points they are passionate about is ensuring the country s most vulnerable are prioritized we want to help the children of guyana and we are hoping for the best which is why we are very committed to this program and investing in it he said i feel like children are cheated out of life and are not getting properly diagnosed due to their parents lack of understanding and not knowing why their child may be like this but we would like to see this benefit children a lot and i d like to see counselors in schools in guyana the school will open during the second semester of the 2019 school year article adapted from  https wwwcaribbeanlifenewscom stories 20185 clmentalhealthprograminguyanaviaqueens20180525qhtm queens foundation the jay and sylvia sobhraj foundation ', 0),
(639, 'und', 'node_search', ' ug law dept s operations for review vice chancellor ug law dept s operations for review vice chancellor ug law dept s operations for review vice chancellor webmaster mon 5282018 2012 while expressing his desire to make the department of law an independent faculty vicechancellor of the university of guyana ug professor ivelaw griffith said last thursday that a review of the unit s operations will be done as part of planned institutional strengthening griffith made the disclosure while giving closing remarks at the fourth conversation on law and society which was hosted by ug at duke lodge in georgetown many colleagues in the room are going to be approached over the next few months as we start an exercise at the university of guyana to review our department of law we want to be able to strengthen what our department of law does he explained griffith stressed that his desire is to have an independent faculty of law we want to be able to look at what we do how we do it what are the resources needed to strengthen it the scholarship the moot court preparation all the elements so we have started the first part of the process a selfstudy to understand who we are where we are what we have in the department he said while adding that the improved access to justice in the caribbean impact justice project which is funded by the government of canada has agreed to lead the review team it is unclear whether this move is part of the university s response to government s plan to establish a law school ug has already allocated 10 acres of land to serve as the site for the proposed jof haynes law school article adapted from  https wwwstabroeknewscom 2018 news guyana 527 uglawdeptsoperationsforreview  conversation on law and society jof haynes law school ', 0),
(640, 'und', 'node_search', ' ug to get new modern library ug to get new modern library ug to get new modern library webmaster tue 6052018 138 the university of guyana is slated to get a new modern library with funding from the caribbean development bank cbd the government and the university finalized technical aspects of the project in a statement wednesday the ministry of finance said the library will be a genderresponsive sociallyinclusive and environmentally resilient facility the ministry said the cdb had approved us 14998500 in grant funding for the project while the government and the university will contribute approximately us 26  the funding will go towards the preparation of final designs and cost estimates the new library will be situated on a plot of land west of the current library the agreement for the project was signed on tuesday by minister of finance winston jordan president of the cdb dr warren smith and the vice chancellor of the university dr ivelaw griffith the ministry of finance noted that over the years ug has had difficulty accessing funds to maintain the present library its other buildings or to construct newer buildings to cope with its ballooning student population despite this the ministry stated that the university had made incremental changes to the library including the removal and disposal of asbestos from certain areas and the rewiring of the building but these improvements still left the library with other infrastructural challenges the infrastructural enhancement project which will begin immediately will be implemented by ug through the office of the deputy vicechancellor planning and international engagement a project steering committee psc will have responsibility for the coordination and overall guidance of the project the ministry stated minister jordan dr griffith and other senior functionaries of the ministry of finance are currently attending the 48th board of governors meeting in grenada the ministry noted that the partnership between guyana and the cdb most recently resulted in an agreement by the bank to lend its resources with that of the united kingdom caribbean infrastructure fund ukcif to fund the waterfront renewal in georgetown upgrade the first phase of the linden to lethem highway and construct a bridge across the essequibo river at kurupukari the ministry said too that the cdb has also committed an estimated us 6145 m to the 9th cycle of the basic needs trust fund which will be expended on projects and activities that contribute to inclusive and sustainable economic growth reduce poverty in poor and rural communities improve access to criticallyneeded services article adapted from  https newsroomgy 20180530 ugtogetnewmodernlibrary    library ministry of finance caribbean development bank ', 0),
(641, 'und', 'node_search', ' gov t signs on to cdb grant for ug library gov t signs on to cdb grant for ug library gov t signs on to cdb grant for ug library webmaster tue 6052018 142 minister of finance winston jordan on tuesday signed a technical assistance grant with the caribbean development bank cdb for the infrastructural enhancement of the university of guyana s library on march 1st this year the university of guyana ug and the cdb had signed a separate agreement on the initiative a release from the ministry of finance yesterday said that other signatories to the agreement were president of the cdb dr warren smith and the vice chancellor of ug dr ivelaw griffith the us 149985 314m grant was approved by the board of directors of the cdb at its annual meeting held in march this year it will finance a comprehensive assessment of and prepare final designs and scost estimates for the construction of a modern genderresponsive sociallyinclusive and environmentally resilient facility this grant will also help to tackle the adequacy and suitability of the current infrastructure the new library will be sited on a plot of land west of the current library the government of guyana and ug will contribute approximately us 26000 towards the full realization of the project over the years the release noted that ug has had difficulty accessing funds to maintain the present library its other buildings and to build newer buildings to accommodate its growing student population despite this the release said that ug has made incremental changes to the library including the removal and disposal of asbestos from certain areas in 2009 the building of a fire escape in 2010 the renovation of the roof of the new wing of the library and the grilling of windows in the general reading room in 2012 the rewiring of the library in 2015 and the physical upgrade of the learning resource centre in 2017 however the release said that the library still suffers from infrastructural challenges and weaknesses in staff capacity the infrastructural enhancement project which will start immediately will be executed by ug through the office of the deputy vicechancellor planning and international engagement a project steering committee will have responsibility for the coordination and overall guidance of the project in march when the ug cdb agreement was clinched ug librarian gwyneth george said the new building will have a layout which caters for both collaborative and independent spaces she explained that in designing the building ug will focus on incorporating technology in such a way that both a space for learning and creating will be realized article adapted from  https wwwstabroeknewscom 2018 news guyana 531 govtsignsontocdbgrantforuglibrary  library ministry of finance caribbean development bank ', 0),
(642, 'und', 'node_search', ' from ashes we rise from ashes we rise from ashes we rise webmaster tue 6052018 215  from ashes we rise is the latest in the series of exhibitions from the university of guyana s creative arts division located in the department of language and cultural studies philbert gajadhar is a foremost national guyanese artist and a lecturer at the university of guyana he is a former head of department the exhibition opened at the national gallery of art castellani house on may 28 and it continues until june 16 2018 usually at this time of the year after endofsemester examinations the lull after the storm exhibitions from the university of guyana ug come with a clash of palettes who s good who s bad who s in and who s out the buzz this time is over the experimental work done by young women artists and the fact that the university of guyana is becoming the happening place for art that attempts to deal with the complexity and tensions of societies in transition if one were to point out some features that distinguish the works of contemporary guyanese artists one would mention the renewed interest in folk motifs and a certain selfconsciousness about form and representation the young artists in this exhibition are taking a new look at the very concept of abstraction the essence of an object or a thought or a feeling if it means an absence of figure then it is an exploration of both a presence which is not seen but felt and an absence added to this is the element of selfscrutiny a postmodernist accent as against a modernistic rigidity a denial of the ulterior aim or virtue in art and an abandonment that brings the student artists close to their individual ideas and thoughts of the eight artists representing the university of guyana elodie cagesmith finalyear student and our featured artist stands apart both by her seniority and her choice of medium and themes the others are younger with keeta robertson chelsea ramotar and rayann darrel in their third year of studies keisha beharry and alvina naughton in their second year and shaquana cummings and akeena mendonca in their first year cagesmith s paintings assume expansive visually complex abstractions turquoise features prominently in her work to elicit the calm and volatility of the caribbean sea her application of colour embodies her notion of what is worn by caribbean people not as clothing but what is in the heart she points out that while traditional african and indian prints are strikingly different the colours are often the same her compositions also integrate found objects from martinique beaches which texture and intricate her canvases scrutiny of her work often reveals fragments of rope mesh cardboard fishers net sea glass and bois flotte i ve always been drawn to objects that travel she says because the ocean will ultimately reject them her new collection which forms and supports her thesis from ashes we rise explores and symbolises a culture that has been burnt and destroyed in the past by slavery and oppression the ashes in particular represent what remains from what was lost and can never be regained cagesmith says the ashes represent us the descendants of slaves indentured labourers and other historically oppressed people essentially she wants this collection to be about hope which is how the name of this exhibition was arrived at out of darkness and pain she sees the emergence and progress of a society full of light and colours she chose to look at the general theme of the caribbean rather than simply guyana so as not to have to choose or deny the importance of the two cultures which she straddles she has included an art performance piece which came about as a collaboration with another aspiring artist khadijah carberry the collaboration was initially an abstract exploration of how the artistic impulse unfolds it quickly grew and unfolded into a piece that not only explored this but also became a part of the collection from ashes we rise set in a different time slot robertson s works weave the same pattern of nostalgia for a time past darrell s canvas is interactive with irregular patterns and a heightened colour scheme ramotar has gone through a series of transformations and transmutations to become a symbol of and a statement on the condition of innocence of our time beharry s works are representative of a deeper mystery of life and a source of strength and power a moment of drama unfolds in naughton s work where figures seem to be fighting out an existentialist battle cummings and mendonca are exploring their own language in painting this display of art by students of the university of guyana is representative of the production of an entire younger generation who have grown up attuned to the sort of intensive media coverage that now inspires them to speak beyond any irreconcilable cultural peculiarities in a universal language elodie cagesmith featured artist elodie cagesmith is a fine artist living and working in georgetown she grew up in le francois martinique where her creative interests were first explored at l institut regional d art visuel de la martinique her early exposure to fashion painting and interior design inspired her to start a small design business in martinique where she would often paint murals at clients homes cagesmith went on to study languages at the university of the southern caribbean in trinidad and tobago before settling in guyana in 2010 she decided to hone her painting skills by enrolling at the e r burrowes school of art for the diploma in painting where she refined her use of colour perspective and composition she subsequently moved to the university of guyana to pursue a bachelor of arts in fine art she majors in painting and experiments with large dark surfaces and unexpected materials since she has been in guyana cagesmith s artistic practice has matured influenced by the country s rich history diversity and its inimitable relationship with the rest of the caribbean her recent work is a reflective thesis that artfully blends her understanding of the caribbean s collective dark past with a relatively sanguine future the theme of her current suite of works is beauty from ashes her intention is to use visual art to express the rich history of the caribbean since she feels that our dark but rich history is the canvas upon which the kaleidoscopically diverse culture of our beautiful caribbean has been painted she pursues this theme through important elements in her work which include using black to symbolize the dark past of the caribbean yet using a wide range of colours and shapes to symbolize its rich crosscultural diversity and gold its wealth in the same vein she uses turquoise to represent the magnetic attraction of the caribbean sea as well as the limitless opportunities it affords rayann darrell rayann darrell first studied at the e r burrowes school of art where she graduated with the permanent secretary award she subsequently successfully completed an associate of arts degree at the university of guyana where she is currently a thirdyear student in the bachelor of fine arts degree programme she says i have always had a love and passion for art since i was a child my one true dream is to use my art to inspire the uninspired  keeta robertson thirdyear student keeta robertson speaks of art in the sense of serenity as an expression of the inner soul at peace this is through the diversity of creative applications robertson hails from saint vincent and the grenadines and she intends that her body of work will embrace and represent the journey that africans travelled and the everyday struggles they endured during their migration to the islands  chelsea ramotar chelsea ramotar said she felt the need to make a change after the last exhibition in which she participated ug s aspects of perception the renaissance in 2017 at the umana yana she felt as though nothing was going the way it was expected to and as a result the path became blurry she had been majoring in painting but she then switched her attention to sculpture this gave her new life i believe the body of work i produced this semester exemplifies this new attitude much like my altered mindset the media used for each piece were repurposed the chips of wood or the sawdust could have easily been discarded but instead they were transformed into something new and meaningful  alvina naughton  alvina naughton graduated with a bsc from ug in 2005 but her deep need to create led her to abandon a possible career in international relations after her first degree she resided in belgium with her family during which she travelled throughout europe where she became acquainted with the works of vincent van gogh pablo piscasso and other old masters of art she returned to guyana and subsequently enrolled in the ba art programme and is currently at the end of her second year naughton works primarily with clay expressing the vulnerability of the female form in her pieces other media include acrylic painting and drawing she also possesses a penchant for activism through art creating works which highlight the perpetual evils of domestic violence on the psyche of women within this genre her work has evolved to women s empowerment through visual arts focusing primarily on encouraging women to overcome despite their circumstances she says before this journey art had basically been a suppressed passion of mine it took two decades for me to truly embrace my first love and now the possibilities are endless  keisha beharry keisha beharry s life has been transformed through art she reveals i have learned what is life with a chronic invisible disorder and art has provided an inexplicably vast and deep escape oblivion healing process peace and all the while and somehow moulding me to be kinder and empathetic it is because of art that i have loved helped and grown she credits the ug art programme with making a positive change in her life from my first class at the university of guyana my life transformed through art comparing my personal identity and artistic identity from the time of the previous student exhibition to this one i m immeasurably different  shaquana cummings the work of shaquana cummings adds a surreal dimension to the exhibition quite aware of this she declares abstract and surrealism have always been my favoured works of art because of their effortless way of twisting reality and creating new worlds not surprisingly she argues reality is overrated and sometimes we need a getaway from it i believe that through my art viewers are given the opportunity to understand how limitless the imagination really could be and to freely create their own views and stories without being criticized article adapted from  https wwwstabroeknewscom 2018 sunday artsonsunday 603 fromasheswerise    department of language and cultural studies art ', 0);
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(643, 'und', 'node_search', ' ug honours first deputy vc prof harold drayton ug honours first deputy vc prof harold drayton ug honours first deputy vc prof harold drayton webmaster tue 6052018 939 the university of guyana ug is currently mourning the loss of its first deputy vice chancellor vc professor harold a drayton who died on sunday march 11 2018 in gaithersburg maryland united states of america on the occasion of the passing of this distinguished academician who was instrumental in the establishment of the university of guyana ug the university on may 23 last held a solemn assembly to honour his memory and celebrate the contributions of prof drayton to university education in guyana the venue was the george walcott lecture theatre on the university s turkeyen campus leading the programme was dr nigel gravesande registrar call to order was done by major general ret d joseph singh after which one minute of silence was observed in his honour among other items on a packed agenda were the homily by prof ivelaw lloyd griffith cch vicechancellor and principal of the university of guyana a poem looking at your hands by dean of the faculty of natural sciences mr calvin bernard reflections by prof ken danns father malcolm rodrigues sj and dr vonnalou drayton wife of the late distinguished professor prof emerita joycelynne loncke offered a choice musical rendition song without words acknowledging the erstwhile contributions of the late great first deputy vice chancellor vc ivelaw griffith on this solemn occasion made the announcement that ug is moving to memorialise the legacy of prof drayton in several ways one of which is to name and identify an edifice in his honour the vicechancellor said that the university has already begun the process to do this and will in time announce the edifice and hold a symbolic renaming perhaps on the date of his birth august 20 prof griffith said the university owes it to prof drayton and others who continue to do good works he said that not only was prof drayton part of a team with a dream for soaring the university to great heights but a key member of the let s do it team and one who laboured in the vineyard of the ug reflecting on conditions that prevailed on the university campus in the early 60s and the difficulties faced by lecturers and students alike to secure spots accommodation in classrooms on the campus before others prof griffith acknowledged that nevertheless there was a pioneer gaiety the spirit of camaraderie and sharing among staff and among students was evident and deputy vice chancellor drayton constituted a key element in that pioneering mix he recalled describing the university in 1963 as an act of faith prof griffith conceded that faith without works is dead and said that this is where dr drayton s faith came alive team player  meanwhile professor ken danns in his opening sentences lauded prof harold drayton s contribution to the university of guyana eulogising him as an example of a true son of the soil and activist committed to social justice a scientist a lecturer an academic administrator who placed the foundation for the development of ug and later became its first deputy vice chancellor and vice principal noting that the university of guyana is fully homegrown he acknowledged that prof drayton was the pioneer founder of the uniquely indigenous institution the first university reputed at the time as being the only higher educational institution in all the englishspeaking territories of africa asia and the caribbean created by colonial people he credited this outstanding academician with a passion for the university and the students he nurtured as a servantleader and a teamplayer but one who never consciously sought to stand out from the crowd to this end he submitted dr drayton stood out from the crowd and should be honoured because he was a pioneer from creation in the institutionalisation of ug he should be loved because he was a classy and charismatic scholar giving his best to his students he gave his best to the university and to his family he portrayed prof drayton as one who was and modelled what a university professor should be he likened him to a symbol of knowledge and a figure of authority prof danns admitted that it was under prof drayton s s tutelage that he had learnt to think critically adding that it has stayed with him since it was here that he purposed in his heart that he too would become a university professor and in time that dream was realised concluding on a sombre note prof danns declared celebrating dr harold drayton here today is remembering our noble past and humble origin at the university our pioneering role and uniqueness at the indigenous institution of higher education in the world harold drayton epitomised what excellent scholarship is  always helpful meanwhile father malcolm rodrigues sj eulogised prof drayton as one with an abiding interest in offering help to students needing help i must say that my memory of him is of a person who always made himself available to help those students who needed help whether they were doing a labour or were having difficulties with the sciences he would go over and be at their disposal i will definitely miss him and he will be missed by the students since he was trying to keep them at a certain level of intellectualism in a real sense i think his memory will live on in that way father rodrigues concluded meanwhile widow of the prof harold drayton dr vonnalou drayton amidst pain of loss of a wonderful husband mustered up strength and courage declaring with a sense of pride the creation of ug has been the crowning glory of harry s career and our presence today shows that we did prosper and prevail dr lou drayton noted that generations of guyanese including herself have undoubtedly benefitted from the presence of the university and many more will continue to do so and even though he left in 1972 to toil on distant shores his love for ug and the joy he felt on the evening of tuesday october 1 1963 during the inaugural meeting resonated throughout his life prof harold drayton his wife said continued to make significant contributions to ug especially the faculty of health sciences he had a passion for humanity and a real better world she said adding my husband harry did not just exist he lived life to the fullest those who knew him personally can attest to the exuberance with which he embraced life to the very end on may 24 the couple would have celebrated their 21st wedding anniversary said dr vonnalou drayton his passing has left a deep void but the joyful memories of our life together are very comforting harry was a good man and a wonderful husband and i am a better person for sharing the past 20 years with him dr lou drayton thanked the university of guyana community for embracing and supporting her and family obituary dr drayton born on august 20 1929 in georgetown british guiana was educated at queen s college in guyana and at the university of edinburgh where he completed a doctorate on cancer virology while serving as the first president of the federation of west indian student unions of the united kingdom he began his distinguished career as a high school teacher in grenada and jamaica in the late 1950s in 1962 he became a lecturer in zoology at the kwame nkrumah university of science and technology in kumasi ghana when he was recruited by dr cheddi jagan then prime minister of british guiana to establish the country s first university he graduated with a bsc honours in 1958 and a phd in 1960 from the university of edinburgh scotland his doctoral research in the biological sciences focused on the properties of cancer inducing viruses he studied and worked overseas for a number of years but on december 31 1962 at the invitation of dr cheddi b jagan he returned to what was then british guiana to assist in establishing ug in october 1963 when the ug was opened dr drayton became the first guyanese to sit on the administration of the university of guyana when he was appointed as the first deputy vice chancellor dr drayton also served the university in the capacity of head of the biology department and his initiatives there such as training of medical technologists among others would subsequently evolve that department into a full faculty of health sciences for the training of health care professionals he was head of the university s biology department from 1963 to 1972 during this tenure he introduced curriculum in social biology caribbean health sciences and training for public health professionals that was widely adopted across the region dr drayton also served as a caribbean regional adviser in human resources development for the pan american health organisation paho in barbados and was director for the centre for international health for the university of texas medical branch in galveston texas throughout his career he served as an adviser consultant and advocate to ug and guyana s ministry of health and was a consultant to the caribbean community secretariat dr drayton is survived by his wife dr vonnalou caleb drayton an epidemiologist and public health specialist at booz allen hamilton in washington dc his daughter ms alison drayton falzon and other relatives article adapted from  https guyanachroniclecom 20180603 ughonoursfirstdeputyvcprofharolddrayton harold a drayton ', 0),
(644, 'und', 'node_search', ' discussions on 21st century literature  discussions on 21st century literature discussions on 21st century literature webmaster tue 6052018 945 when we hear the term literature we most often think of books or other written works while that definition is correct in a strict sense literature in the 21st century moves beyond those boundaries to incorporate works across various media this change was evident in the recent annual presentation of research by students of the university of guyana s department of language and cultural studies special author or period course the presentations under the theme 21st century literature were held this past monday in the education lecture theatre elt and saw six students putting forward their research findings based on topics ranging from dancehall music and caribbean film to game of thrones and oral literature the floor was opened for questions and comments after each presentation in his welcome and opening remarks the course s lecturer mr al creighton noted that the course is research based the students he related are allowed to select their own subjects for research the course has broadened it has moved and it is the students who have moved it he said first up was latoya rodrigues who presented a thematic analysis of contemporary dancehall music acknowledging that dancehall music has a reputation for being vulgar lewd and violent rodrigues related that her research was conducted under the hypothesis that dancehall music can alleviate some of the social ills in our society if more airtime is given to songs of social commentary while she did come across dancehall songs with positive messages she related that those songs do not receive the same response and airplay that more mainstream dancehall tracks garner the artistes are all aware of their social responsibility but feel compelled to sing the kind of music that is supported by the masses was among rodrigues findings diana cruickshank who also acted as the event s chair focused on women in caribbean films she noted that while we as west indians have no trouble naming western films we would find it difficult to name west indian films to capture how women are represented in caribbean cinema cruickshank examined the major and minor female characters of five caribbean films dancehall queen jamaica 1997 wan pipel suriname 1976 blinded grenada 2006 to the night guyana 2013 and battledream chronicle 2016 martinique the caribbean s first fulllength animated feature cruickshank found in her analysis that caribbean films reflect traditional gender roles for men and women she pointed out however that women in caribbean films exert resilience and perseverance in the face of adversity and oppression we need to change the visual culture of how we present our women of this region to the rest of the world she said in her conclusion the issue of copyright laws and the importance of protecting intellectual property were among the issues brought up in the questions following cruickshank s presentation nadata caesar pryce s presentation was titled praise and conflict gospel and secular artistes in collaboration her research focused on the potential conflicts and contradictions that occur when gospel musicians produce songs with secular artists who arguably do not portray a christian lifestyle caesar pryce guided the audience through the history of gospel music from its beginnings to contemporary times in concluding she questioned the notion that the messenger does not matter as long as the message of the gospel is sent out and argued that the messenger does in fact matter the presentation of women in the game of thrones was the focus of cristean peters research through an analysis of how various female characters in the series are portrayed peters established that many female characters in the series are oppressed and subjected to physical and sexual violence she acknowledged that there are female characters such as arya stark and brienne of tarth who challenge and defy traditional female gender roles she concluded that while producers have responded to complaints from female fans about the presentation of women more needs to be done as tv series such as game of thrones have a significant influence on society quanza patrick s research focused on the presentation of masculinity in dancehall music she related that her objective was to show through keen focus on dancehall music how masculinity is portrayed by various dancehall artistes patrick noted that masculinity in dancehall music is portrayed based on a patriarchal structure she used music clips from various male dancehall artists to illustrate her point she proceeded to contrast these portrayals with clips from female dancehall artistes who defy patriarchal structures and assert their sexual independence artistes such as spice and ishawna patrick said flip the patriarchal discourse wrapping up the evening s presentations was donella edwards with an examination of oral literature as a tool for cultural sustainability she related that her focus was on sustaining guyanese culture through oral tradition i believe this topic is something that we constantly talk about without actually putting our heads and hands together edwards said of the idea of our cultural sustainability she noted that based on her interviews with storytellers oral traditions are dying out and being forgotten among the oral traditions that edwards noted were stories of anansi and balgobin the myths of ole higue and baccoo and quehqueh she cautioned that oral tradition a vital part of guyanese culture will die out without efforts to preserve and pass it on to the next generation article adapted from  https guyanachroniclecom 20180603 discussionson21stcenturyliterature   department of language and cultural studies literature ', 0),
(645, 'und', 'node_search', ' ug chinese embassy sign 46m mou for language lab ug chinese embassy sign 46m mou for language lab ug chinese embassy sign 46m mou for language lab webmaster tue 6122018 1136 come the next academic year students of the university of guyana will be exposed to an improved language learning environment with the development of a language lab following the signing of a memorandum of understanding mou between the university and the chinese embassy according to deputy vicechancellor dr barbara reynolds the purpose of the lab is to create an immersive experience for students involved in learning languages on the campus the mou that was signed yesterday provides the university with a 4600000 grant which will go toward the purchase of equipment furniture computers and headsets according to a release from the university these items will help to create a learning environment more effective than traditional classrooms the building that will accommodate the lab has already been identified but reportedly requires some repairs reynolds explained that the lab will allow students regardless of whether they are formally pursuing a language programme or not access to a space where they can access television programmes films music newspapers journals and other relevant resources in their language of interest as well as get together with other language speakers and learners to engage and converse back when i was in high school we didn t actually speak the language so we know the language we can read it some of us can even understand but we weren t taught to speak the language and the world has moved on from there and so for us immersion in the language is critical reynolds stated yesterday during the signing ceremony the deputy vicechancellor related that the university plans to reanimate the language courses that have traditionally been offered those being french and spanish develop their portuguese and mandarin programme and introduce dutch to the list of courses offered relating a recent interaction involving a representative of caribbean examinations council cxc who reportedly indicated that dutch will soon form part of the curriculum reynolds said that once that point arrives the university wants to be prepared to supply teachers at the secondary level that are fluent in the languages being examined also of note reynolds indicated that the officials at the school of dentistry are considering making spanish or portuguese a requirement for the programme so that professionals will be in the position to effectively care for their clients if they are not native english speakers reynolds had noted that while some programmes on campus require a second language the newlyintroduced school of entrepreneurship and business innovation is the only faculty for which learning a foreign language is currently mandatory she opined that learning a foreign language is critical for guyanese given not only the country s geographic location and cultural history being the only english speaking country in south america but because it is vital for improving and maintaining foreign relations the university of guyana is central to our national development it s critical and so this is one piece of a larger puzzle and i hope that we will be able to put to good use very very quickly and that my wish of having every graduate of the university of guyana speak a second language will be a reality in the not so distant future reynolds stated al creighton the university s director of language and culture studies echoed reynolds sentiments and stated that there is a national need for language training at the higher level there are a number of areas in different sectors of the economy that require knowledge of another language and the university needs to provide that training at levels above csec levels above cape and so on i think that the business community of guyana the private sector of guyana needs to come to terms with this growing need and we are hoping that they will be sensitized to do so creighton weighed in the university of guyana is the cradle of guyanese talents so for the embassy we are very delighted to contribute to the creation of the new language lab so as to provide more opportunities for the students of guyana to be more involved in the national affairs to be more active in participating in the international activities so that guyanese students can communicate more with some other students and teachers in some other parts of the world chen xilai deputy chief of mission of the embassy of the people s republic of china said yesterday chen who signed the mou on behalf of the embassy stated that their support was a part of the embassy s commitment to work with the university to improve the guyana china relations article adapted from  https wwwstabroeknewscom 2018 news guyana 606 ugchineseembassysign46mmouforlanguagelab  language lab chinese embassy dr barbara reynolds ', 0),
(646, 'und', 'node_search', ' glorifying guyana independence programme celebrated nationhood and identity glorifying guyana independence programme celebrated nationhood and identity glorifying guyana independence programme celebrated nationhood and identity webmaster tue 6122018 1205  by al creighton barbara reynolds o beautiful guyana    o beautiful guyana o my lovely native land more dear to me than all the world thy seawashed sunkissed strand or down upon the borders looking down upon the deep   the great atlantic blown into a fury or asleep at morn at noon or better in the crimson sunset s glow i love thee oh i love thee   my guyana el dorado  walter mca lawrence my guyana eldorado best of all the world to me   in my heart where er i wander memory enshrineth thee  all my hopes and aspirations  all my longings only tie everlasting bonds around us   as the fleeting years roll by my guyana time s unfolding more and more thy destiny  to redeem in lasting splendour all the years had lost to thee    and the dawning of thy glory o er the long long night is cast o arise triumphant glorious  from the ashes of the past o arise triumphant glorious  from the ashes of the past   by  walter mca lawrence these two songs were performed as part of a programme titled celebration of poetry songs and stories of guyana on may 22 at the umana yana the production of musical and dramatic items was directed by barbara reynolds as a birthday gift to the cooperative republic of guyana to mark the anniversary of independence it was the second annual show presented to the public for that purpose having had its inauguration at the same time in 2017 the songs very distinctly set the tone of the main theme of the programme which was designed to celebrate the nation dr reynolds who is deputy vicechancellor of the university of guyana deliberately shaped the production in that way to conjure up a sense of nationhood and identity with the assistance of eze crandon and hubert meusa the performance ran uninterrupted in sequence without announcements to give a continuous dramatic flow of items that in some way reflected the country its culture and voices it was based on folk songs other folk performances poems old familiar and new and a few stories but mainly carried by the chorus of very wellknown national songs that rang the dominant resounding note of patriotism o beautiful guyana and my guyana el dorado were two of those songs actually they are poems which were set to music long after they were published they belong to the important volume of work written between 1920 and 1942 by one of the foundation guyanese poets walter mcarthur lawrence 1896 1942 a j seymour in his piece the poetry of walter mca lawrence in kykoveral volume 6 1946 did comment on what he saw as the musical quality in the verses suggesting that the poet had intention that the poems should be put to music these compositions were performed by singers on reynolds programme o beautiful guyana was done by amanda reynolds riet amsterdam and e moore while my guyana el dorado was played as an instrumental version by the national steel ensemble which has taken on the mantle of guyana s representative steel band both compositions had relevant significance to guyanese poetry when they were written they were not produced for the purpose to which they have been corralled in contemporary times now they are very well known as national patriotic songs but that was a development after independence lawrence was the foremost guyanese poet after leo egbert martin who died in 1890 overwhelmingly the poets of that era belonged to the english romantic and victorian imitative school however poets like lawrence began to develop the modern guyanese poetry started by the remarkable leo lawrence s contribution was the developing nationalism in the poetry a quality that was to endure till postindependence when it took on a new brand creeping into the poetry in that early era was a sense of belonging to a country a native identity that was not lost on leo either which caused the poet to be aware of his national environment lawrence s resulting landscape poetry glorified the beauty of the country giving epic proportions to the local landscape as in another poem ode to kaieteur the focus in the landscape is to be noted in most of these poems but also the identification with and the glorification of the country this was the kindred spirit that guided the production celebration of poetry songs and stories of guyana on may 22 the production included almost all the national patriotic songs a list is provided by petamber persaud and most of those were performed on the programme the song of guyana s children was by poet w hawley bryant and was sung by korokwa a leading folk singing group in guyana founded by derek bernard and continued as a subbranch of the woodside choir vere t daley wrote hymn for guyana s children and that was represented on the programme performed by derry etkins and mervin kissoon cleveland hamilton was another prominent preindependence poet who wrote song of the republic which was sung by kellon rover in this production but the corpus of national patriotic songs continued with the virtual canon which includes o beautiful guyana performed by colwyn delph that representation was endless with to serve my country done by korokwa beautiful guyana interpreted by eze crandon and edwin moore and let us cooperate performed by the success school choir what has become very famous as an adopted national song and even called the second national anthem is actually a calypso described by its author as a love of country song e moore d moore i moore and d bagot gave their version of not a blade of grass by dave martins visiting artist in residence at the university of guyana who is himself a national personality as musician and cultural commentator poetry was also a strong part of the proceedings with a few established selections outside of those set to music there was variety with the inclusion of newer works such as i come from and i am a guyana woman read by member of the national drama company ndc actress nirmala narine and another ndc member outstanding playwright subraj singh who read cultish and coolie these newer poems asserted identity and belonging and added other dimensions national tales further went on to include storytelling another ndc member dancer and designer esther hamer performed interindependence deeper in the folk tradition was acclaimed storyteller michael khan as ol man pappy who performed an independence story may 26 while carlene gillkerr did tell my history a distinct departure from the other types of items was the violin solo by adaeze lumumba whose selection was nevertheless in line with all else salute to guyana the wide range of folk songs was inevitable and were performed by various singers the remaining performers were omari austin paul lespoir roy stewart royalty and dynamic force collectively they gave a memorable birthday gift whose impact will not fade fast but from the appearance of things it will be repeated at independence time each year article adapted from  https wwwstabroeknewscom 2018 sunday artsonsunday 610 glorifyingguyanaindependenceprogrammecelebratednat amp  guyana independence ', 0),
(647, 'und', 'node_search', ' university of guyana launches alumni association university of guyana launches alumni association university of guyana launches alumni association webmaster tue 6122018 1219 on june 1 the university of guyana ug launched its alumni association under the theme proud legacy prosperous destiny according to vice chancellor ivelaw griffith the creation of the association which comes more than 50 years after the opening of ug is part of a renaissance journey to rebuild a university that has for a variety of reasons suffered neglect he said that the rebuilding cannot be left to one set of stakeholders and acknowledged alumni as critical to the process quoting the former united states president john f kennedy griffith noted that you can tell the greatness of a university by how its products have contributed to their society before adding that ug s greatness is not only reflected in alumni contributions to guyana but also to the caribbean and the world the vc stressed that these amazing products can now help to rebuild the institution and called specifically on those who attended free of cost in the 70s and 80s to honour their obligation to help rebuild the place where they gained so much chancellor nigel harris was absent from the launch but sent a message which was read by prochancellor joseph singh in the message harris noted that the launch will be remembered as one of the more important milestones in ug s history and said that it is important that ug celebrate its alumni and that alumni celebrate ug mobilization of alumni is critical to the realization of ug s vision of the future he explained adding that they can offer the university advocacy in the business community regional and international agencies as well as government and civil society to generate support for programmes and projects for its development other possible areas of contribution include mentorship internships and personal donations in the area of personal donations harris noted that donor agencies often ask universities what percentage of alumni give back not how much they give but how many of the alumni support the institution working to secure the stature of ug will help alumni when asked to give assurance of the value of their degree he concluded deputy vice chancellor paloma mohamed who as the head of the office of philanthropy alumni and civic engagement pace has been at the forefront of efforts to bring the alumni association to reality explained that while ug has populated the world it was a steep hard climb back into the hearts and trust of alumni it s a tremendous job a lot of hard work to bring people back she said before acknowledging past efforts of those such as marlene cox who worked in alumni relations mohamed explained that the turkeyen chapter of the association was the first of five to be launched this year berbice is set to be launched on june 27 new york at the end of july toronto on july 18 and london later in the year alumni alumni association office of philanthropy alumni and civic engagement pace ', 0),
(648, 'und', 'node_search', ' professor ivelaw griffith turns two years as ug vice chancellor professor ivelaw griffith turns two years as ug vice chancellor professor ivelaw griffith turns two years as ug vice chancellor webmaster tue 6122018 1231 press secretary and television anchor malika n ramsey sits down with university of guyana vice chancellor professor ivelaw griffith the two discuss improvements at the university of guyana in the last two years malika ramsey ivelaw griffith vicechancellor facing the nation ', 0),
(649, 'und', 'node_search', ' 5th conversation on law and society some economic and educational imperatives of the oil business 5th conversation on law and society some economic and educational imperatives of the oil business webmaster tue 6122018 1236 roraima duke lodge duke street kingston georgetown save the date join us for the 5th conversation on law society on thursday june 21 at 6pm oil gas  ', 0),
(652, 'und', 'node_search', ' symposium on boys education symposium on boys education webmaster tue 6122018 1259 arthur chung convention centre symposium on boys education the faculty of education and humanities at the university of guyana will be hosting a symposium on boys education under the theme bridging the gender divide stemming the tide of male underachievement in the education system on the 2829 june 2018 at the arthur chung convention centre this symposium will be a joint effort between the university the ministry of education the commonwealth of learning caricom unicef and other key stakeholders this event aims to attract a wide crosssection of local regional and international researchers and decisionmakers in an effort to better understand the prevailing issues in relation to boys education presentations and discussions will cover existing research best practices and approaches implemented in various education systems with a view towards devising strategies to effectively address the issues as such the range of related subtopics to be covered will include but not be limited to 1 boys underrepresentation and underperformance 2 feminisation of education the absent male teacher 3 socialisation of males keeping boys out of risk 4 school factors and pedagogical choices gender disparities 5 empowerment of boys presentations will be made by the following persons at the event professor carl james york university canada professor barbara bailey university of the west indies mona dr christopher clarke principal shortwood teachers college jamaica dr ngogi chipere university of the west indies cavehill mr dennis gill university of guyana mr shawn hardnett washington dc boys underrepresentation and underperformance feminisation of education the absent male teacher socialisation of males keeping boys out of risk school factors and pedagogical choices gender disparities empowerment of boys  ', 0),
(653, 'und', 'node_search', ' no political interference at ug vice chancellor no political interference at ug vice chancellor no political interference at ug vice chancellor webmaster wed 6132018 1047 vice chancellor of the university of guyana ug professor ivelaw griffith today lauded the handsoff approach of the current administration in allowing the unrestricted daytoday running of the institution the vc has been at the helm of the country s premier tertiary institution for the past two years he said since assuming that position there has been no attempt to curtail his work or that of the university by the government something that had shaped the university for years he was speaking to the members of the media at his second media luncheon at the herdmanston lodge earlier today as an indication of an achievement sometimes you have to ask yourself not only what has been done but what has not been done i have not had a government minister or the president or permanent secretary tell me who to hire who to admit who to graduate or who to give a scholarship to the vc said today this he said is testimony that the administration clearly understands it s role the practising business as usual is not in the best interest of the university or the society and that for me is a signally important achievement the vc spoke of his meetings with the ministry of public infrastructure public telecommunication public health and education that have been lending support to the university i m comforted in the support from government entities and nongovernmental entities i moving along he said a governance task force had already decided that there be no special or partisan interest represented on the university s council the vice chancellor said changes are occurring at the institution article adapted from  http dpigovgy nopoliticalinterferenceatugvicechancellor  government vicechancellor media ', 0),
(654, 'und', 'node_search', ' ug vice chancellor to have greater control of ug s daytoday operations ug vice chancellor to have greater control of ug s daytoday operations ug vice chancellor to have greater control of ug s daytoday operations webmaster wed 6132018 1051 the university of guyana ug on tuesday announced that a proposal is on the table for a smaller council that will be solely responsible for policy while the vice chancellor and team will be given greater autonomy to run the institution ug registrar dr nigel gravesande said the task force s proposed removal of political party legal medical private sector farmers and overseas university representatives from the council would aim to ensure a greater level of intellectual autonomy for the institution the contraction of its membership ought not to be interpreted that sectoral interests would not be taken into consideration but mechanisms would be put in place to ensure that these interests find their way into the governance operations whether it is at the level of the council that they be invited or the academic board for example to which private sector s involvement in curriculum review curriculum refocussing to meet the developmental needs can in fact be catered for he told the media the registrar explained that the intention is for the vice chancellor to enjoy greater autonomy to deal with operational issues with a mechanism for accountability that is clear and for the council to deal with policy matters for the last fifty years one saw an intrusion by the university council into operational issues of the university the daytoday administration said gravesande he added that the vice chancellor would have to account to the council at an annual business meeting he would be required to submit statements of account and report on activities for his part ug vice chancellor professor ivelaw griffith brushed aside the question of a possible runaway administration that will make major decisions in the absence of council i don t see the prospect whether i m the vice chancellor or whoever is the vice chancellor or a runaway vice chancellor he said adding that there are other layers of decisionmaking such as the academic board finance and general purposes committee and council of deans he reiterated that advisory boards would be established to support advisory boards in faculties governance recommendation is that there should be a slimmer governance council focussed on competencies and not special interest representation that is a significant recommendation to what is proposed as the current governance arrangement he said the vice chancellor said a twoday meeting of the governance committee which is headed by former ug vice chancellor professor lawrence carrington last week concretised its recommendations that would be contained in a final report to an extraordinary council meeting scheduled for july 26 2018 the vice chancellor and head of ug s chancellor professor nigel harris have since met attorney general basil williams who was presented with a number of recommendations for revamping the university of guyana act a similar meeting was held with minister of education nicolette henry under the chairmanship of ug chancellor professor nigel harris a transformation task force has examined the need for revamping the governance structure of the 55year old tertiary institution whose act and statutes have not undergone significant revision the governance reform committee headed by former ug vice chancellor professor lawrence carrington has since submitted a report to the council that called for wider consultatipon article adapted from  http demerarawavescom 20180612 ugvicechancellortohavegreatercontrolofugsdaytodayo  vicechancellor government media ', 0),
(655, 'und', 'node_search', ' ug to enjoy more autonomy under proposed system of governance ug to enjoy more autonomy under proposed system of governance ug to enjoy more autonomy under proposed system of governance webmaster wed 6132018 1056 under a proposed system of governance the university of guyana ug is expected to secure a greater level of administrative autonomy which is set to eliminate special interest groups speaking to a gathering of media personnel at herdmanston lodge queenstown yesterday vice chancellor ivelaw griffith announced that the university is exploring the possibility of selfgovernance through a greater level of intellectual autonomy according to the vicechancellor the recommendations are towards preventing any form of interference by political parties and other special interest groups into the daily affairs of the university he noted that several recommendations have been put forward by a special reform committee on governance for the revamp of ug s executive structure the committee headed by professor lawrence carrington has proposed a governance model which is for a smaller council and allows the vice chancellor and his team greater scope to run the institution the recommendation is that there should be a slimmer council on governance focused on competencies and not special interest representation that s a significant modification on what is recommended for change also key among the proposals is the recommendation that there should be no partisan political or special interest representation at the university council there should be no ruling party representative or opposition party representative on the council the proposals give no legal medical private sector framers and overseas university representatives the right to interfere in the daily management of the institution professor griffith emphasized according to the vicechancellor the proposals came as a result of several committee meetings and broader consultations across ug campuses which included the student body and the unions he dismissed any possibility of arbitrary leadership at ug since there are other layers of the executive which will be involved in the decisionmaking process including the academic board finance and general purposes committee and council of deans added to that professor griffith said that representatives of the tertiary institution have met with attorney general basil williams to discuss amendments to the legislation since the act and statues which govern ug have not undergone any significant revision since 1963 according to the vicechancellor professor carrington and his team have been working on their final report which will be submitted on july 26 at an extraordinary meeting the meeting will finalise what the act should be further to that the act needs to go for approval in parliament the statutes are really the internal governance arrangements he added the reform committee was established as a followup measure to the ug transformational task force established in 2016 the task force had recognized the need for a committee to assess and make recommendations for adjustments and or amendments to the university s act and statutes including the composition of the council and the core competencies required for effective governance it was also noted that a critical imperative in the transformation process must be the recognition by all stakeholders that ug is an autonomous institution the task force members also conceded that there must be strict adherence to the principles of effective governance being dependent on inter alia vision dedication time commitment leadership transparency openness objectivity and trust it was also agreed upon that ug through its council must be accountable to the government students staff donors alumni and the wider guyanese community in keeping with the principle of effective governance it was agreed that there should be a clear distinction between the council s role in approving and overseeing policy in accordance with the provisions of the act statutes and regulations and that of the administration whose role is to execute policy and be responsible for the day to day administration of the university article adapted from  https wwwkaieteurnewsonlinecom 20180613 ugtoenjoymoreautonomyunderproposedsystemofgovernan  vicechancellor government media ', 0),
(656, 'und', 'node_search', ' ribbon cutting ceremony berbice campus library extension ribbon cutting ceremony berbice campus library extension webmaster thu 6142018 1821 ugbc library professor ivelaw lloyd griffith cch tenth vicechancellor principal cordially invites you to attend a ribbon cutting ceremony of the berbice campus library s extension  ', 0),
(657, 'und', 'node_search', ' bulk of gov t grant expended on university of guyana oil and gas programme bulk of gov t grant expended on university of guyana oil and gas programme bulk of gov t grant expended on university of guyana oil and gas programme webmaster fri 6152018 2055 a significant portion of the 100 m grant which the university of guyana secured last year as part of government s effort to help the institution establish an oil and gas programme has been expended last year the ministry of natural resources the geology and mines commission ggmc and the university of guyana ug signed a memorandum of understanding mou for a 100 million philanthropic education grant for the period 20172018 the grant provided the university of guyana s faculty of technology with muchneeded equipment for its geology labs curriculum development training outreach and field research all linked to the emerging oil and gas sector it also provided specific allocations for all other faculties for studentcentered enhancements at the university speaking about the programme vice chancellor of ug professor ivelaw griffith explained that this is one of the university s most significant grants with the ggmc griffith said that it is an investment by the government in the institution in an area critical to the nation s economy he said that the project is a result of ug longstanding relationship with ggmc he highlighted the fact that many of the commission s staff through scholarships has received their higher education at the institution to date 87 of the finances have been pumped into realising ug s oil and gas programme some 55m was used for equipment and supplies to the faculty of technology s laboratories pursued by the ggmc some 10 m was expended on training some 16m was for infrastructural projects through ug when natural resources minister raphael trotman handed over the first tranche of the funds 45m to the vice chancellor last year he noted the government views the initiative as an investment in education and development the minister noted that the project is significant since it represents a renewed and enhanced relationship with the ministry and ggmc with the university of guyana even as the oil and gas sector develops additionally trotman said that similar efforts are also needed in the gold and diamond mining sectors as they will not be neglected in the period post2020 when oil production begins article adapted from  http wwwpetroleumworldcom story18061402htm oil gas vicechancellor ', 0);
