<p>The National Data Management Authority (NDMA) of the Ministry of Public Telecommunications and the University of Guyana will soon co-sign a vital agreement to significantly upgrade the internet and other ICT platforms on all University of Guyana campuses and Centres around the country.</p><p>This collaboration which began in late 2016 involved highest level negotiations between Minister of Public Telecommunications, Catherine Hughes, and Vice Chancellor, Professor Dr. Ivelaw Griffith.</p><p>According to a release from the Ministry, the University&rsquo;s technical team was led by Professor Paloma Mohamed-Martin, Deputy Vice Chancellor of Philantrophy, Alumni and Civic Engagement and Communications; Dr. Fitzgerald Yaw, Director of the Office of Strategic Initiatives; and Rayman Khan of the Centre for Information Technology.&nbsp; The NDMA&rsquo;s technical team was led by its Chairman Floyd Levi and included Dr. Samantha Scotland and Director Malcolm Williams.</p><p>&ldquo;Two teams have been collaborating over the past few months and together they conducted a detailed assessment of the existing fibre optic system on the Turkeyen, Tain and John&rsquo;s campuses to determine what additional facilities would be required to connect them as a network.&nbsp; The collaboration has also produced a campus Wi-fi hotspot system and saw the installation of two state-of-the-art Teleconferencing Suites at Turkeyen and Tain. These will be used in online delivery of courses between the campuses in Guyana and with international institutions.&nbsp; The campus fibre network will also be connected to the Georgetown fibre optic network,&rdquo; the release noted.</p><p>At the signing, the university is expected to demonstrate the uses of the Teleconferencing Suite, a gift from Huawei Technologies of China which the NDMA has reconfigured for compatibility with the local fibre network.&nbsp; The collaboration between the University and NDMA also includes some key synergies at the Ministry&rsquo;s Centre of Excellence in Information Technology (CEIT) which is located on the Turkeyen Campus.&nbsp; The parties have committed to sharing research, instructional skills and materials.&nbsp; The CEIT is funded by the Government of India.</p><p>For the Ministry of Public Telecommunications, this is a key element in its national ICT initiative which has Education as its main pillar.&nbsp; From the University&rsquo;s platform, the administration is gearing to achieve optimal delivery of tertiary level tutelage by upgrading the physical and technological infrastructure and Guyana&rsquo;s human capital.</p><p>The MOU is expected to be signed by Minister Catherine Hughes and Vice Chancellor Professor Dr. Ivelaw Griffith by the end of April 2017.</p><p><strong>Article adapted from:&nbsp;<u><a href="http://guyanachronicle.com/2017/04/13/ug-govt-to-sign-mou-to-upgrade-internet-at-ug-campuses">http://guyanachronicle.com/2017/04/13/ug-govt-to-sign-mou-to-upgrade-internet-at-ug-campuses</a></u></strong></p>