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('book', 0, 255, 255, 'und', 0, '<div class=\"container\">\r\n\r\n<h2>Statutory Officers:</h2>\r\n\r\n<ul class=\"list\">\r\n	<li>Prof. Edward Greene, The Chancellor</li>\r\n	<li>Maj. Gen. Ret\'d Joseph Singh, The Pro-Chancellor</li>\r\n	<li>Prof. Paloma Mohamed Martin, The Vice-Chancellor</li>\r\n	<li>Dr Emanuel Cummings, Deputy Vice-Chancellor for Academic Engagement</li>\r\n<li>Dr Mellissa Ifill, Deputy Vice-Chancellor for Institutional Advancement</li>\r\n	<li>Dr Nigel Gravesande, Registar</li>\r\n	<li>Ms. Holda Poonai, Bursar</li>\r\n	<li>Prof. Gomathinayagam Subramanian, Director, University of Guyana Berbice Campus</li>\r\n        <li>Dr Jacqueline Murray, Director, Institute of Distance and Continuing Education</li>\r\n	<li>Ms. Gwyneth George, Librarian</li>\r\n	<li>Dr Troy Thomas, Faculty of Natural Sciences</li>\r\n	<li>Mr Hector Edwards, Faculty of Social Sciences</li>\r\n	<li>Dr. Temitope Oyedotun, Faculty of Earth and Environmental Sciences</li>\r\n	<li>Dr Lawrence Lewis, Faculty of Agriculture and Forestry</li>\r\n	<li>Dr Cecil Boston, College of Medical Sciences (Faculty of Health Sciences)</li>\r\n	<li>Dr Roslin Khan, Faculty of Education and Humanities</li>\r\n	<li>Ms Verlyn Klass, Faculty of Engineering and Technology</li>\r\n	<li>Dr Leyland Lucas , School of Entrepreneurship &amp; Business Innovation</li>\r\n</ul>\r\n\r\n</div><br><br>\r\n', '', 'plain_text_new'),
('news', 0, 257, 257, 'und', 0, '<p>Best Guyanese graduating student at the Hugh Wooding Law School, Latoya Roberts, received her Guyana Government Prize for 2016.</p><p>The Guyana Government Prize is a mark of distinction awarded to the best graduating Guyanese law student.</p><p>During the handing over ceremony yesterday , at the Ministry of Legal Affairs, Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs, Basil Williams, Senior Counsel (SC), applauded Roberts for her consistent excellence throughout her school years.</p><p>Minister Williams highlighted government&rsquo;s commitment to promoting and encouraging academic excellence among all Guyanese students.</p><p>Attorney-at law Roberts, is currently employed in private practice. She said that she is still deciding what areas of law she would like to specialise in.</p><p>Roberts said that having a law school in Guyana is the way to go because having gone through the system, she now understands the hardship that law students face while studying at the Hugh Wooding Law School in Trinidad.</p><p>&ldquo;There is also the talk of having too many lawyers, but I believe that Guyana is on the verge, once guided correctly, and in the right direction for so much development,&nbsp; we will need lawyers if we learn to specialise and diversify,&rdquo; Roberts said.</p><p>The attorney said that lawyers can contribute significantly to&nbsp; Guyana&rsquo;s development hence, a local law school will be a plus for the country.</p><p>Roberts attended the Sand Hills Nursery and Primary Schools in Vreed-en-Rust, West Bank&nbsp;Demerara, where she grew up. She also attended the North Georgetown Secondary School where she wrote the Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) graduating as valedictorian of her class, receiving passes in nine subjects.</p><p>She then attended President&rsquo;s College as a Sixth Form student and successfully graduated from that intuition as the valedictorian also.</p><p>In 2006, she entered the University of Guyana to read for the LLB degree, and in 2010, she graduated. In 2014, with the help of relatives and friends she was able to attend the Hugh Wooding Law School and graduated in 2016 as Best Graduating Guyanese student. (<strong>GINA)</strong></p><p><strong>*Article adapted from&nbsp;<u><a href=\"http://www.kaieteurnewsonline.com/2017/03/30/best-guyanese-law-student-receives-guyana-prize/\" target=\"_blank\">http://www.kaieteurnewsonline.com/2017/03/30/best-guyanese-law-student-receives-guyana-prize/</a></u>*</strong></p>', '', 'full_html'),
('news', 0, 258, 258, 'und', 0, '<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>', '', 'full_html'),
('news', 0, 259, 259, 'und', 0, '<p>Based on what he had to say on the issue during a recent lengthy interview for a forthcoming issue of the Guyana Review, it is clear that University of Guyana (UG) Vice Chancellor Professor Ivelaw Griffith believes that the future of the university will be heavily dependent on the quality of the relationship that it can cultivate with the private sector.</p><p>This is not surprising given his international background in key university positions in the United States and elsewhere. Professor Griffith understands only too well the symbiotic relationship the informs interaction between universities and the business community in First World countries and his focus on building such a partnership here in Guyana would be driven pretty much by his knowledge of successful outcomes elsewhere.</p><p>It has to be said that the desirability of strong ties between UG and the local business community did not begin with Professor Griffith&rsquo;s advocacy. The idea has evolved in fits and starts and one can think of instances of grand plans and grandiose gatherings, which, once they would have gotten past the stage of rhetoric, have simply fizzed out. This is not to say that some have not met with a measure of success. There are examples in the telecommunications, technology and other sectors, of protracted and useful, indeed successful relationship between UG and the private sector though the overall UG/business community relationship has come nowhere near to that level of success.</p><p>One of the views that appear to inform Professor Griffith&rsquo;s perspective on the fortunes of UG has to do with the fact that it has, for years, had to endure the dead hand of politics and there is no reason to believe that this does not extend to the lack of any comprehensive success in the realm of UG/private sector relations. Here, in probing the likely reasons for the underdevelopment of the relationship, Professor Griffith makes a number of interesting points, not all of which can be ventilated here; one, however, which has to do with the quality of the relationship, is eminently deserving of mention.</p><p>On the whole, the various UG/private sector relationships that exist are mostly informed by the phenomenon of giving on the part of the private sector and receiving on the part of the university. If it may be unkind to describe this type of relationship as parasitic, Professor Griffith makes no secret of his belief that UG has to prove itself deserving of what is, in effect, the private sector&rsquo;s investment in its growth and development. Here, he makes the point, and candidly, that whereas the private sector has been crying out for skilled UG graduates in a number of disciplines, UG has been &lsquo;coming up short&rsquo; for some years now in terms of some of the skills that it has been sending to the private sector. &nbsp;&ldquo;We have to give them reason to be confident that when they give they will see a changed output,&rdquo; is what Professor Griffith said during the interview. In other words, the support of the business community for the University of Guyana cannot be a matter of authenticity.</p><p>More than that, and since there is an expectation that UG will help provide the skills to make the business community what we commonly describe as &lsquo;the engine of growth,&rsquo; Professor Griffith wants the private sector to be involved in curriculum building; hence private sector support for the Turkeyen/Tain talks and the various other initiatives that seek the participation of the business community in helping to fashion aspects of curriculum specialization linked to their own interests.</p><p>Perhaps the advantage that the Griffith initiative has over its predecessors is that it presses into service external skills and experiences that can mobilize the resources necessary to undertake the journey towards a raising of its standards though the point that he leaves with us is that nothing is promised to UG and that if it is to secure the invaluable support which the business community can clearly give, it must earn that support.</p><p><strong>Article adapted from:&nbsp;<u><a href=\"http://www.stabroeknews.com/2017/business/business-editorials/04/14/university-guyana-business-community/\">http://www.stabroeknews.com/2017/business/business-editorials/04/14/university-guyana-business-community/</a></u></strong></p>', '', 'full_html'),
('news', 0, 260, 260, 'und', 0, '<p>Finance Minister Winston Jordan is defending that 35% hike in tuition fees at the University of Guyana. Quality comes with a price, he says. The details in this report below:</p><p>&nbsp;</p><div style=\"position:relative;height:0;padding-bottom:56.25%\"><iframe allowfullscreen=\"\" frameborder=\"0\" height=\"360\" src=\"https://www.youtube.com/embed/F3HErEFUtrQ?ecver=2\" style=\"position:absolute;width:100%;height:100%;left:0\" width=\"100%\"></iframe></div>', '', 'full_html'),
('news', 0, 261, 261, 'und', 0, '<p>Cabinet at its meeting on Thursday, April 13, 2016, noted the award of contracts by the procurement entities and the National Procurement and Tender Administration Board<strong>(NPTAB)</strong>in the area of rehabilitative works, infrastructural development and other areas.</p><p><strong>Read More HERE:&nbsp;<a href=\"http://newsroom.gy/2017/04/16/multi-million-dollar-contracts-awarded-to-fix-roads-bridges-procure-classroom-equipment-for-ug/\">http://newsroom.gy/2017/04/16/multi-million-dollar-contracts-awarded-to-fix-roads-bridges-procure-classroom-equipment-for-ug/</a></strong></p>', '', 'full_html'),
('news', 0, 262, 262, 'und', 0, '<p>&ldquo;LIVE YOUR dream. Be as crazy as you possibly can be, ignore the status quo, set your goals and go after them with blind determination,&rdquo; Social Entrepreneur, Eldon Marks said as he addressed a room full of entrepreneurs and software developers in a collaborative work space he had developed with his business partner, Chitra Dwarka.</p><p>Marks, who ever so often describes himself as a dreamer, is no stranger to Guyana, having won the Ministry of Public Telecommunication&rsquo;s first Hackathon along with his team from Version75 Solutions (V75) in November, 2016. But long before he had risen to stardom, Marks had been quietly working behind the scenes, molding the nation&rsquo;s youths to be the best version of themselves.</p><p>For 12 years, he lectured and mentored hundreds of students at the Department of Computer Science at the University of Guyana. It was at that university that the former Bishops&rsquo; High School student had acquired his undergraduate Degree in Computer Science before pursuing a Master&rsquo;s Degree in Computer Science at Howard University, Washington D.C. At Howard he specialized in Artificial Intelligence and completed the programme in three semesters with a 4.0 GPA.</p><p>&ldquo;I owe much of academic and professional development to the University of Guyana, more specifically to my former lecturers in the Department of Computer Science who later became my colleagues and mentors. The environment that I was afforded as a student and subsequently as a young lecturer gave me the opportunity to discover my true potential and reach further than I had ever conceived.&rdquo;</p><p>Although being exposed to what many describe as the &ldquo;world of opportunities,&rdquo; Marks opted to return home to contribute to the development of his country in the fields of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) and Entrepreneurship.</p><p>&ldquo;Looking out from a developing economy, it is easy to see what we don&rsquo;t have and it is easy to be consumed with studying our problems instead of solving them. ICT Entrepreneurs are much needed in Guyana for two reasons: (1) it is widely accepted that digital industries where an individual can electronically provide services and products regardless of geographic location are significant drivers for economic growth &ndash; simply put, a trained web designer with a laptop and Internet access can quickly and readily earn a decent living, even in Guyana. (2) The entrepreneur mindset is concerned with assessing problems to quickly and effectively solve them &ndash; taking action over talking about it.&rdquo;</p><p>Further, driven by his personal philosophy drawn from spiritual teachings and his innate desire to empower others while empowering himself, the husband and father of one made one of his many dreams a reality developing his own company &ndash; Version75 Solutions.</p><p>Marks explained that V75 is a community disguised as a company uniting user interface design specialists, graphics designers, marketers, web developers, mobile application developers, database developers and software engineers to deliver the most effective, comprehensive and unified solutions.</p><p>As a &lsquo;dreamer,&rsquo; he told the budding entrepreneurs and software developers that there were risks that he had to take but it was important for his dream to materialize.</p><p>&ldquo;There are realists and then there are dreamers. A realist would understand certain parameters and these parameters would be based on what they can see, what they can touch, what they can feel,&rdquo; he posited while explaining his perspective.</p><p>A dreamer, on the other hand he explains, pushes beyond the limits set by society. &ldquo;So being a dreamer really means constantly challenging those social norms, the status quo, pushing the limits and eventually discovering what more we can actually do and how much more we can deliver,&rdquo; he explained.</p><p>For him there is no harm in taking risks. &ldquo;There is really no harm in taking that risk of setting an objective, however, crazy it might be. You set the objective as high as possible and whether you achieve it or not, you learn from it. Be as crazy as you possibly can be, ignore the status quo, set your goals and go after it with blind determination,&rdquo; he posited.<br />Though there will be challenges, there are meant to be overcome, Social Entrepreneur emphasized.</p><p>Here in Guyana, Marks and his team at V75 were faced with the sad reality that acquiring local support from businesses in the field of ICT was a difficult one. But instead of &lsquo;packing up shop&rsquo; and opting to do something else, they decided to target foreign markets. &ldquo;Locally we are faced with this stigma with respect to our own local developers&hellip;. We have this diminished image of our own skills as Guyanese,&rdquo; he explained. Its first client was a Canadian company.</p><p>&ldquo;Through networking, we were fortunate enough to secure an offshore client &ndash; a Canadian Insurance Company,&rdquo; he added. Today, 64 per cent of its projects are for clients outside of Guyana.</p><p>There was another challenge V75 had faced during its initial phase &ndash; the team had difficulties finding a common work space. It was out of that challenge that WeOwn Space was established approximately seven months ago.<br />The collaborative work space, situated at Lot 3 David Rose Street and Aubrey Barker Road, South Ruimveldt Gardens, Georgetown, in the words of Marks, &ldquo;gives local startups a fighting chance,&rdquo; on a daily basis. It was further explained that WeOwn Space provides a unique environment for co-working, leaning, collaborating and networking to support Guyanese on their professional journey.</p><p>Though Marks is the founder of V75 and the Co-founder of WeOwn Space, he said for both entities there is no boss, noting that the input of all team members is important and valued deeply.<br />Outside of the world of ICT, Marks said he is a husband and father one. He said while pursuing one&rsquo;s dreams is important, family is important too.</p><p>&ldquo;It is no easy task to be a full-time professional and have a family. The constant context switching and collection of responsibilities can often force you to choose one or the other. In my case, my family is the reason that I became a social entrepreneur who lives up to delivering value. I can better provide for them today while leaving behind a slightly better world, tomorrow.&rdquo;</p><p><strong>Article adapted from:&nbsp;<u><a href=\"http://guyanachronicle.com/2017/04/09/empowering-others-through-ict-eldon-marks-is-living-his-dream\">http://guyanachronicle.com/2017/04/09/empowering-others-through-ict-eldon-marks-is-living-his-dream</a></u></strong></p><p>&nbsp;</p><p><img alt=\"\" src=\"http://guyanachronicle.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/Marks-2.jpg\" style=\"width: 400px; height: 286px;\" />&nbsp;</p><p>&nbsp;<img alt=\"\" src=\"http://guyanachronicle.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/Marks-4.jpg\" style=\"width: 400px; height: 268px;\" />&nbsp;</p>', '', 'full_html'),
('news', 0, 263, 263, 'und', 0, '<p>The collaboration between the Office of the Vice-Chancellor and the Centre for Communication Studies (CCS) of The University of Guyana brings to you this Volume 2: No. 3 edition of Renaissance, a monthly newsletter. Renaissance is the Vice-Chancellor&rsquo;s medium of sharing with you our University&rsquo;s developments.</p><p>The month of March was filled with activities held in observance of International Women&rsquo;s Day. Ms Audrey Benn, Lecturer in the Women Studies Unit has written an important message on the importance of celebrating women and our own Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic Engagement), Dr Michael Scott shared an impacting poem, both of which we hope you will reflect on.</p><p>In this edition you will also read about a number of lecture series hosted by UG: Turkeyen and Tain Talks VI and the VC&rsquo;s Renaissance Lecture Series II.</p><p>UG recently launched its very own press as a publishing arm in collaboration with Ian Randle of Jamaica&rsquo;s Ian Randle Publishers. This is truly an historic move by our University. The Renaissance team had an opportunity to profile the new Director of the Centre for Biodiversity, Dr Gyanpriya Maharaj.</p><p>Additionally, in March the winners of the Turkeyen campus&rsquo; Open/Career Day were announced. We congratulate the Faculty of Earth and Environmental Sciences on winning the first place, Vice-Chancellor&rsquo;s Cup in this event.</p><p>Our alumni around the world have certainly made us proud. We feature in this edition of Renaissance the story of Ms Sonnel David-Longe&rsquo;s 2017 Ridding Reading Prize from the Girton College of the University of Cambridge in the UK.</p><p style=\"text-align: center;\"><em><strong>As you read, be inspired to join us as we celebrate UG&rsquo;s Renaissance!</strong></em></p>', '', 'full_html'),
('event', 0, 265, 266, 'und', 0, '<p>Bridges Global Medical Missions&#39; Continuing Medical Education (CME) Conference:</p><p><strong>***&nbsp;</strong><strong>Online registration will be closed May 19, 2017.<br />Maximum&nbsp;participants:&nbsp;&nbsp;200 &nbsp;</strong></p><p><strong>***&nbsp;&nbsp; NO&nbsp; REGISTRATION&nbsp; FEES</strong></p><p><strong>*** &nbsp;&nbsp;LUNCH&nbsp;WILL BE&nbsp;PROVIDED</strong></p><p><strong>CME conference participants:&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;physicians, nurses, medical students, nursing students, allied health professionals</strong></p><p>The email for the conference is : <u><a href=\"mailto:bgmmconference@gmail.com\">bgmmconference@gmail.com </a></u></p><p>Link for on line registration: <u><a href=\"http://bridgesglobalmedicalmissions.org/bridges-cme-conference-registration-form/\">http://bridgesglobalmedicalmissions.org/bridges-cme-conference-registration-form/</a></u></p>', '', 'full_html'),
('staff_profile', 0, 266, 267, 'und', 0, '<p>Troy Thomas is the Director of Undergraduate Research at the University of Guyana. He holds a PhD in Comparative Science of Cultures with a focus on survey methodological issues from the University of Ghent. For some time now, he has been involved in research on response styles in surveys with a focus on methods for and approaches to measuring and correcting for response styles while analysis survey responses. Apart from response styles, he has been engaged in research on technology adoption in education and on social issues including institutional trust and poverty. To a large extent, his work in these areas has been focused on measurement and data analysis issues.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>Dr&nbsp;Thomas also holds and MSc&nbsp;Statistics: Quantitative analysis in the social sciences track (University of Leuven) and an MSc&nbsp;in Development, Policy and Analysis, a Graduate Diploma in Education (Mathematics) and a BSc&nbsp;Mathematics from the University of Guyana in addition to being a graduate of the Cyril Potter College of Education. At the University of Guyana, he teaches mathematics and statistics in the Department of Mathematics, Physics and Statistics and collaborates across faculties to deliver courses such as Biostatistics at the graduate level.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>At 36 years old, Dr&nbsp;Thomas has been a Lecturer at the university of Guyana for approximately 12 years and was a teacher of mathematics in the secondary school system of Guyana for 9 years prior to full-time employment at the University. He began teaching mathematics in Wakenaam where he grew up upon completion of his secondary education at the Anna Regina Secondary (Multilateral) School. In addition to academic engagements, Dr&nbsp;Thomas is active in civil society. In particular, he is the President of Transparency Institute Guyana Inc. which is a chapter in formation of Transparency International.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>Dr&nbsp;Thomas is also a husband and a father. He is father to two boys; one of almost 3 years and the other of approximately one month. Though he works long hours, even he knows when it’s time to stop and play with toy cars, build structures, crawl through tunnels and read children’s books. He has developed specific expertise in repairing toys, mimicking the voices of some favourite cartoon characters and giving warm baths.</p>\r\n', '', 'full_html'),
('news', 0, 267, 268, 'und', 0, '<p>Dr. George K. Danns, professor of sociology at the University of North Georgia (UNG), was selected to chair the International Editorial Board of the University of Guyana Press (UGP) - a panel of researchers and scholars with expertise in the social sciences, humanities and the environment from Guyana and the Caribbean region.</p><p>The University of Guyana and Ian Randle Publishers of Jamaica signed a cohort agreement to establish the UGP as a way for faculty and students conducting research to publish their works as well as building scholarship at the country&#39;s only university.</p><p>&quot;The UGP is a major institutional advancement and a significant component of the university&#39;s renaissance of development. It is an affirmation and celebration of scholarship and an accessible conduit for the publication of quality research from its faculty, scholars from the diaspora, scientists, and creative others,&quot; Danns said.</p><p>Danns has more than 20 publications in areas such as race and ethnic minorities, community development, political leadership, military, police and national security, social movements, environmental and natural disasters, homicide, youth, women, and child labor. He holds a bachelor&#39;s degree in social sciences from the University of Guyana, and a master&#39;s degree and a Ph.D. in sociology from the State University of New York at Stony Brook.&nbsp;</p>', '', 'full_html'),
('news', 0, 268, 269, 'und', 0, '<p>A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed yesterday between the Minister of Public Telecommunications, Catherine Hughes and the Vice Chancellor of the University of Guyana, Professor Ivelaw Griffith, for the upgrade of Information and Communications Technology (ICT) platforms on all University of Guyana (UG) Campuses.</p><p>During the signing which was held in the Vice Chancellery Building, on the Turkeyen Campus, Professor Griffith who expressed his elation and gratitude to those in attendance, described the signing as &ldquo;symbolic&rdquo; while adding that it is a substantive demonstration on what the university intends on doing over time. Speaking briefly on the agreement which was signed by the minister and himself, Griffith noted that it is a <a href=\"https://www.stabroeknews.com/2017/news/stories/04/20/ministry-ug-clinch-mou-ict-upgrade/\"><u>read more here</u></a></p><p><strong>Article adapted from:&nbsp;<a href=\"https://www.stabroeknews.com/2017/news/stories/04/20/ministry-ug-clinch-mou-ict-upgrade/\"><u>https://www.stabroeknews.com/2017/news/stories/04/20/ministry-ug-clinch-mou-ict-upgrade/</u></a></strong></p>', '', 'full_html'),
('news', 0, 269, 270, 'und', 0, '<p>No astute witness to the cataclysmic decline of the University of Guyana over the years would seriously challenge the view that the prevailing conditions at the institution are, in large measure, a function of the debilitating diet of crass political intervention that it has had to endure and much of which has manifested itself in some of the most unenlightened and counterproductive feuding between the country&rsquo;s two main political parties. UG, of course is not the only supposedly autonomous state institution that has, over the years, been blighted (and in some instances ruined) by the dead hand of political intervention.&nbsp; One of the distressing and debilitating tendencies of the Guyanese political culture is that possession of power is customarily attended by a proclivity for dominance of all that the state controls, even including those institutions that are governed by constitutional provisions that frown upon direct political intervention. It is that tendency by our politicians to refuse to recognize and respect the nexus between the independence of those institutions (like UG) and their effective functioning that has been, in large measure, responsible for the near ruinous state from which the University is now seeking to recover.</p><p>UG, as was mentioned earlier, is not the only presumably autonomous local institution to have suffered the ignominious fate of crude political intervention. &nbsp;Various state-run but autonomous institutions like the Guyana State Corporation (GUYSTAC), the Guyana Marketing Corporation (GMC) and the Guyana National Co-operative Bank (GNCB) come to mind. The interventions have come for various reasons one of which is as trivial as the desire by politicians so positioned to flex their muscles. Another, as was widely believed to be the case with the GNCB, was simply in order to grant political favours. In more recent times there have been revelations of alleged corruption-related political intervention in state-controlled bodies like the Central Housing and Planning Authority. (CHPA).</p><p>In the case of UG there is a long-standing case to be made for a nexus for the underperformance of the university in the execution of its primary function and the dead hand of politics as manifested chiefly in the ongoing inter-party political feuding.</p><p>Whether or not the present Vice Chancellor of UG, Professor Ivelaw Griffith&nbsp; will find himself batting on a better wicket than that of his predecessors as far as undue political interference at the university is concerned remains to be seen. One makes this point having regard not only to what has obtained over the years, but also having regard to the fact that we are in the midst of a political season in which&nbsp;&nbsp; just about every conceivable issue precipitates a faceoff.</p><p>Sad to say and setting aside the customary political rhetoric, there has been no really persuasive evidence over the years&nbsp; that our political leaders have been seized of the importance of the link between an accomplished higher institution of learning and the creation of the various skills necessary for a multi-faceted development agenda. Otherwise, surely, UG would not have been so starved of funds over the years so as to suffer the kind of devastating decline in both material and intellectual resources that it has.&nbsp; Indeed, the contemporary image of UG is, in large measure, a function of its overwhelming undernourishment and the fact that it had become a lightning rod for political feuding.</p><p>Political assaults on the sanctity of the university have had the effect of completely rendering its substantive managers virtually impotent so that when the sparks begin to fly those functionaries (notably the Vice Chancellor) have found themselves at odds with the political interlopers but powerless to engage them since state funding remains the life blood of the institution.</p><p>Professor Griffith, his more than three decades-stay outside of Guyana notwithstanding, would have been staying abreast of developments at home and specifically at UG and would doubtless be aware of the fact that the institution had become a political battleground over the years. Indeed, he made it clear in an interview with the Guyana Review two weeks ago that he had indeed been tracking developments at UG from abroad and that he was aware of the overwhelming failure of &ldquo;different governments&rdquo; to be mindful of what he says (and here he insists that he speaks from considerable experience of universities in North America and Europe, among other places) is &ldquo;a cardinal rule that the intrusion of politics into the affairs of the University is not good for the University,&rdquo; nor is it good for &ldquo;society;&rdquo; and the Vice Chancellor, surely, must have had UG particularly in mind when he added in a rejoinder that &ldquo;the fact that you are a state university does not mean that the university should be dictated to politically.&rdquo;</p><p>Up until now Professor Griffith does not appear to be unhappy (at least it does not seem so) with his relationship with the government. One anticipates, however, that there could be testing times ahead particularly when it comes to what he says is the necessity for a greater infusion of state funding from government (among other sources) into the rebuilding of UG. What, however, is significant about the Vice Chancellor&rsquo;s position on the relationship between his administration and the political powers that be is that his own stated position is clear. This is what he had to say about his disposition to political pressure in the matter of the running of the university.</p><p>&ldquo;&hellip; I have made it quite clear that I am not going to be a Vice Chancellor that facilitates that internal political dictation &ndash; who to hire, who to fire, what student to admit, what to publish.&nbsp; The University must be a place, a for neutral ground for all places, critical of government, critical of opposition and as a Vice Chancellor I have asked for the importance of civility.&rdquo;</p><p>It has to be said that the perspective of the Vice Chancellor on the kind of leadership that he seeks to bring to the running of UG is, in some significant ways, not in keeping with the outlook demonstrated by the politicians over the years. There have been interventions, several of them, in some of the very areas which Vice Chancellor Griffith says he is determined to set his face against. The extent to which he gets his way in the period ahead could have a profound impact on our success or otherwise in pursuit of the re-tooling of UG to play what, in the period ahead, could be a critical role in intellectually equipping the nation to meet its critical developmental needs.</p><p><strong>Article adapted from:&nbsp;<a href=\"http://www.stabroeknews.com/2017/opinion/editorial/04/25/can-present-ug-administration-deliver-institution-political-prison/\"><u>http://www.stabroeknews.com/2017/opinion/editorial/04/25/can-present-ug-administration-deliver-institution-political-prison/</u></a></strong></p>', '', 'full_html'),
('event', 0, 271, 272, 'und', 0, '<p>The University of Guyana will be hosting Turkeyen &amp; Tain Talks 7 in Berbice based on the topic: Guyana&#39;s emerging Oil and Gas Economy.</p>', '', 'full_html'),
('news', 0, 273, 274, 'und', 0, '<p>A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed yesterday between University of Guyana (UG) Vice Chancellor, Pro-fessor Ivelaw Griffith and Director of MovieTowne Derek Chin for the construction of a solar farm on the Turkeyen Campus.</p><p>Griffith and Chin, in his capacity as head of the Trinidad-based Dachin Group of Companies, also signed a MoU for the construction of a 150-room student housing complex at the Turkeyen Campus, with a similar facility also to be explored for the Tain Campus.</p><p>The cost and the location of the solar farm have not been determined yet, but according to MovieTowne Director Hadyn Gadsby, they hope to commence work by December. He added that the housing complex is also set to be constructed for the first quarter in 2018 but it is still in its planning phase..read more <a href=\"http://www.stabroeknews.com/2017/news/stories/04/28/ug-inks-agreements-movietowne-solar-farm-student-housing/\">here</a></p><p><strong>Article adapted from:&nbsp;<a href=\"http://www.stabroeknews.com/2017/news/stories/04/28/ug-inks-agreements-movietowne-solar-farm-student-housing/\">http://www.stabroeknews.com/2017/news/stories/04/28/ug-inks-agreements-movietowne-solar-farm-student-housing/</a></strong></p>', '', 'full_html'),
('news', 0, 274, 275, 'und', 0, '<p>The University of Guyana (UG) will host its inaugural Diaspora Engagement Conference from July 23 to 28, 2017, in Georgetown, Guyana, under the theme: Dreaming Diaspora Engagement, Doing Diaspora Engagement. The Conference is expected to attract several hundred participants.</p><p>Hosted by the University of Guyana with support from a team of leaders in the diaspora and other stakeholders, the Conference is organised around two overarching pillars: human, social and entrepreneurship development, and diaspora philanthropy and diplomacy.</p><p>The conference is expected to provide the platform for developing a diaspora engagement strategy that would inform the work of the first Caribbean Diaspora Engagement Center. The launch of the Center is expected to be a major highlight of the six-day conference. According to UG&rsquo;s Vice-Chancellor Ivelaw Lloyd Griffith, &ldquo;the conference will contribute to the development of diaspora policy and a framework to effectively attract direct diaspora investment and engage the diaspora in nation building.&rdquo;</p><p>His Excellency President David Granger has been invited to deliver the keynote address and to declare the conference open on Monday, July 24, 2017, while the Opposition Leader, Dr Bharrat Jagdeo was invited to deliver the luncheon address on Tuesday, July 25, 2017. Additionally, Hon. Carl Greenidge, Minister of Foreign Affairs, will make a presentation at the conference, along with other keynote speakers and presenters.</p><p>The conference has three components namely; an academic symposium, a business forum, and community engagement. The symposium will receive academic presentations on key issues such as international and regional migration policies, cultural identities and the Diasporas, financial transfers and remittances, social remittances, tourism, diaspora trade and investments, among other areas.</p><p>Members of the large Caribbean diaspora in New York, Canada, and the U.K. are expected to attend and provide input, match skills and create trans-national networks to build a robust diaspora engagement and productive partnerships.</p><p>The highpoints of the conference include a cultural night which would see conference registrants enjoying a night of cultural extravaganza free of cost; and a number of Guyana tour options will be available to registrants to enjoy on Thursday, July 27, 2017.</p><p>The period for submission of abstracts has ended and a number of submissions were received on a wide range of topic areas. Registration, however, is still open. Registration can be done online at <u><a href=\"http://diasporaconference.uog.edu.gy/\">http://diasporaconference.uog.edu.gy/</a></u>. Conference participants in Guyana can pay for their registration at Citizen&rsquo;s Bank locations and at the Bursary on Turkeyen or Tain Campuses. Persons registering now will catch the &lsquo;Early Bird&rsquo; fees.</p>', '', 'full_html'),
('page', 0, 275, 276, 'und', 0, '<section>\r\n<div class=\"container text-center\"><p><iframe src=\"https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B8BnenaInQ-JemxVSVFITEpKaTA/preview\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\"></iframe></p></div>\r\n</section>', '', 'plain_text_new'),
('news', 0, 277, 278, 'und', 0, '<p>Press Secretary and Television Anchor Malika N. Ramsey discusses the School of Entrepreneurship and Business Innovations. The team included members from the University of Guyana.</p>\r\n<div style=\"position:relative;height:0;padding-bottom:56.25%\"><iframe allowfullscreen=\"\" frameborder=\"0\" height=\"360\" src=\"https://www.youtube.com/embed/5D1Mv4DJDCQ?ecver=2\" style=\"position:absolute;width:100%;height:100%;left:0\" width=\"640\"></iframe></div>', '', 'full_html'),
('event', 0, 278, 279, 'und', 0, '<p>The UNIVERSITY of GUYANA will be hosting the First Diaspora Engagement Conference 2017 from July 23rd to 28th 2017, under the theme of ‘Dreaming Diaspora Engagement, Doing Diaspora Engagement’. For details on how to register, visit <u><a href=\"http://diasporaconference.uog.edu.gy\">http://diasporaconference.uog.edu.gy</a></u>.</p>\r\n\r\n<div class=\"row\">\r\n<div class=\"col-md-6 col-md-push-3\"><iframe frameborder=\"0\" height=\"315\" src=\"https://www.youtube.com/embed/ne_W1cgpALM\" width=\"560\"></iframe></div>\r\n</div>\r\n', '', 'full_html'),
('news', 0, 280, 281, 'und', 0, '<p>The nation&rsquo;s highest learning institution, University of Guyana (UG) along with West Demerara Secondary and Christianburg/Wismar Multilateral School recorded some standout performances&nbsp;when the Ministry of Education (MoE) staged the second annual National Schools Relay Festival at the National Track and Field Centre at Leonora yesterday.</p><p>The student athletes of UG unsurprisingly dominated the tertiary&nbsp;segment of the event with their speedy footwork and their faultless baton passing. A quartet of sprinters from West Demerara romped home to victory in the girls 4x100m U-14 event which was anchored by the fleet footed Binka Joseph.</p><p>Jennis Benjamin ran an impressive anchor leg for Christianburg/Wismar for his team to take the top podium spot in the Boys U-18 4x100m event. Up to press time, the official results were still to be released. A full report will be published in a subsequent article.</p><p>Article adapted from:&nbsp;<a href=\"http://www.stabroeknews.com/2017/sports/05/04/ug-athletes-dominate-national-schools-relay-festival/\"><u>http://www.stabroeknews.com/2017/sports/05/04/ug-athletes-dominate-national-schools-relay-festival/</u></a></p>', '', 'full_html'),
('news', 0, 281, 282, 'und', 0, '<p>Come next semester, the University of Guyana (UG) will be opening the doors of its new School of Entrepreneur-ship and Business Innovation (SEBI), an initiative which Vice Chancellor Professor Ivelaw Griffith says is reflective of a re-examination of the relevance and delivery of the institution&rsquo;s programmes &ldquo;in keeping with national development, industry needs, student-centred learning and faculty development.&rdquo;</p><p>In a nutshell, all of this means that the University of Guyana, having undergone a re-examination of the relevance of its curriculum to the .... read more <a href=\"http://www.stabroeknews.com/2017/business/05/05/school-entrepreneurship-looks-game-changer-ug/\"><u>here</u></a></p><p><strong>Article adapted from:&nbsp;</strong><u><a href=\"http://www.stabroeknews.com/2017/business/05/05/school-entrepreneurship-looks-game-changer-ug/\">http://www.stabroeknews.com/2017/business/05/05/school-entrepreneurship-looks-game-changer-ug/</a></u></p>', '', 'full_html'),
('document', 0, 282, 283, 'und', 0, '<p>&nbsp;</p>\r\n\r\n<p>Current management training is offered in several units at the University of Guyana. The Vice Chancellor, Ivelaw Griffith, Ph.D., in late October 2016 commissioned a feasibility study on the possible consolidation of these offerings into a School of Entrepreneurship and Business Innovation (SEBI). The Vice-Chancellor envisions the school as an initial step to enhance academic programming and outreach of the university.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>The study team, chaired by Edward Davis, Ph.D., Dean of the School of Business at Clark Atlanta University in the United States, comprises local and international experts from academe and business. The study team’s input, along with feedback from a variety of stakeholders, form the conclusions and recommendations of this report.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>Information sources include online research, paper documents review, stakeholder listening sessions, and a limited number of mailed surveys. The listening sessions garnered feedback from local and regional businesspersons, entrepreneurs and academics.</p>\r\n\r\n<p><strong>READ REPORT BELOW</strong></p>\r\n', '', 'full_html'),
('document', 0, 283, 284, 'und', 0, '<p>&nbsp;</p>\r\n\r\n<p>As Guyana’s only national tertiary institution, The University of Guyana (UG), is an emblem of pride for our nation. In the 1960’s Guyana enjoyed the highest standard of education among Commonwealth Caribbean countries. However, in the face of changing competitive local and global realities, the situation has changed considerably and not all positively. Thus, it is imperative that we reexamine the relevance and delivery of our programs in keeping with national development, industry needs, student-centered learning and faculty development. Recent findings of oil and gas clearly demonstrate the need for UG to invest in competencies and capabilities that are not currently part of our teaching and research inventory. Moreover, there are clear indications from central government and recent business trends that Entrepreneurship and the acquisition of new skills by faculty, staff, and students are vital to the accomplishment of national development goals. This is the context in which we have been pursuing SEBI.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>View Memo below:</p>\r\n', '', 'full_html');
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('news', 0, 284, 285, 'und', 0, '<p>Indo-Caribbean Feminist Thought: Genealogies, Theories, Enactments is a new collection of essays that will be launched at the University of Guyana’s Turkeyen Campus on May 11 and at the Berbice Campus on May 12, 2017. The book is being launched in tandem with UG’s new Institute of Gender Studies, now in its setting up phase and in partnership with the Women &amp; Gender Equality Commission (WGEC). The book seeks to answer the question of how Indo-Caribbean descended women and men are drawing on the negotiations of earlier generations. The publication brings together explorations of Indo-Caribbean and dougla women’s involvement in literature, art, education, biography, Mariamman puja, carnival, baby albums, celebrity, online identities, activism as well as discussions of Indo-Caribbean masculinities and international rapper Nicki Minaj, to show just how this is happening.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>The book was edited by Dr Gabrielle Hosein, Head of the Institute of Gender and Development Studies at the University of the West Indies, St. Augustine, Trinidad, and Dr Lisa Outar, an Independent Scholar based in the United States, but originally from Port Mourant, Guyana. It features essays by three generations of scholars and activists working both in the Caribbean and in the Diaspora. The collection looks at a whole range of thinking about gender and feminism from the time of indentureship to present, and focuses not on relationships to India but rather on the unique versions of Indianness and feminism to be found in the Caribbean. It offers perspectives from Guyana, Trinidad, Guadeloupe, Martinique, Canada, the United States and Mauritius. This book is the first to trace a genealogy of the contributions Indo-Caribbean women have made to Caribbean feminist epistemology and to post-indentureship feminist thought.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>According to Dr Lisa Outar, “The collection takes on big questions such as the ways in which Indian feminism is shaped within broader Caribbean feminist movements, the roles that religion and religious education have played in creating agency for women, and how Indo-Guyanese women shape their identities in New York.” The book explores how music and literature have presented Indian masculinity and what the legacies of the plantation are for Indian men. With regard to the role of the arts, it looks at how artists use the power of visuality to present their perspectives, how Indo-Caribbean women in the Diaspora return to the region for carnival and even how pop icons like Nicki Minaj play with the category of dougla. Dr Outar further stated that, “the collection therefore also provides space for the ways that dougla and mixed-Indian women have shaped their own understandings of feminism and Indian identity, and how young Indo-Caribbean women come to understand themselves in relation to the generations that came before them. Finally, bringing in contemporary concerns, it explores how sexuality and gender identity are experienced and negotiated in relation to ideas about cultural identity, as well as the links between the different parts of the indentureship Diaspora.” Dr Eudine Barriteau, author of The Political Economy of Gender in the Twentieth-Century Caribbean and Pro Vice-Chancellor and Principal, University of the West Indies, Cave Hill Campus, states, “Indo-Caribbean Feminist Thought constitutes a ground-breaking, boundary-shifting body of work in Caribbean feminist thought. Drawing on transdisciplinary locations and fluid identities, the contributors displace the polarity of a hegemonic, diaspora-centred location by employing transnational, transoceanic and transdisciplinary analytical tools.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>A most exciting turn is their insistence that to privilege the diverse particularities and trajectories of Indo- Caribbean feminist thought is not an attempt to escape being situated in a broader framework of Caribbean feminisms.”</p>\r\n\r\n<p>The event will feature an interview with the two editors and will be of interest to scholars, writers, artists, students, and members of the public with an interest in Caribbean feminisms, Indo-Caribbean and dougla gender negotiations, and studies of both past and the present day Caribbean.</p>\r\n\r\n<h4><strong>UG IN BRIEF</strong></h4>\r\n\r\n<p><br />\r\nWith a current enrollment of some 8,000 students, The University of Guyana (UG) has graduated more than 20,000 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 part-time 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 Under- graduate and Post-graduate Programmes including the Natural Sciences, Engineering, Environmental Studies, Forestry, Urban Planning and Management, Tourism Studies, Education, Creative Arts, Economics, Law, Medicine, Optometry and Nursing. Several online programmes are available and The UG also offers extra-mural 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.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>Public Relations Division<br />\r\nMay 6, 2017</p>\r\n', '', 'full_html'),
('event', 0, 285, 286, 'und', 0, '<p>Indo-Caribbean Feminist Thought: Genealogies, Theories, Enactments is a new collection of essays that will be launched at the University of Guyana&rsquo;s Turkeyen Campus on May 11 and at the Berbice Campus on May 12, 2017. The book is being launched in tandem with UG&rsquo;s new Institute of Gender Studies, now in its setting up phase and in partnership with the Women &amp; Gender Equality Commission (WGEC). The book seeks to answer the question of how Indo-Caribbean descended women and men are drawing on the negotiations of earlier generations. The publication brings together explorations of Indo-Caribbean and dougla women&rsquo;s involvement in literature, art, education, biography, Mariamman puja, carnival, baby albums, celebrity, online identities, activism as well as discussions of Indo-Caribbean masculinities and international rapper Nicki Minaj, to show just how this is happening.</p>', '', 'full_html'),
('news', 0, 286, 287, 'und', 0, '<p>Dear Editor,<br />I TRUST that all is well. The Kaieteur News editorial, &ldquo;UG Needs better Leadership&rdquo;, published May 04, 2017, [RS2]reflects a poor understanding of the University of Guyana&rsquo;s role in Guyana&rsquo;s development and place in the wider world. The University&rsquo;s mission is to generate, disseminate, and apply knowledge in the service of the community, the nation, and all mankind in an atmosphere of free and critical inquiry (Academic Board 2001). It aims to provide a place for education, learning, and research of the highest university standard in the arts and sciences throughout Guyana. It is a mission and legacy bequeathed to us by our forbearers who had the foresight and wisdom to dream this dream in 1963.</p><p>Given this mission, what is the right framework for understanding and analyzing our national university? I humbly submit to the editor, that the guiding principles for a proper analysis of the university&rsquo;s leadership and trajectory are as follows:</p><p>(i) Take a look in the mirror, initial conditions matter[RS3]. One must document and disseminate, with clarity and precision, what was inherited. One ought to ask: What challenges are we facing at our UG? What should UG&rsquo;s role be in the context of Guyana&rsquo;s socio-economic and political landscape? What pathways do we take so that UG can play its rightful role in the nation and beyond? A thoughtful observer might have observed the insufficiencies in financial capital and human capital, the lack of management expertise in both of these capital aspects, and the negative impact of these insufficiencies on system efficiency and on the campus&rsquo;s conditions and morale.</p><p>A thoughtful observer might have documented the challenges inherited in the core teaching and research functions at the University. That same thoughtful observer might have noted the number and quality of lecturers; the poor salaries; the issues with timely payment of those salaries; issues related to benefits and class size; the condition of the library; and questions related to the accreditation of the medical and law schools. He or she might have asked where we are now less than a year into the tenure of Dr. Griffith.</p><p>(ii) Articulate a clear vision for a 21st century University of Guyana. It is unclear from your reflection that the editor has a vision for the University of Guyana. What does the editor believe the future will bring? What narrative will the University project for the country? What other roles will the University have in the nation? I would direct the editor to the Hamilton Report of 2012, which notes that &ldquo;The University should undergo a major restructuring programme to make it a high-performance institution.&rdquo;</p><p>I should add that rapidly approaching a high-performance institution is a national imperative given the current socio-economic and political landscape of Guyana and the demographic, economic, social-cultural, political, security and sovereignty, education and health challenges that face the nation. A thoughtful observer would frame the actions of Dr. Griffith through these lenses.</p><p>(iii) Target high, value-added endeavours. Education of the highest quality is an existential matter in the 21st century. We can do fundamental research at a global level. I note for the record that in a nation of less than 800,000 that this is our competitive advantage. Our people, many graduates of the University of Guyana, serve across the globe in the modern knowledge economy. We need to apply those talents at home. [RS4]The current challenges in the sugar industry provide a proper test case&mdash;we must diversify and innovate and move up the sugar food chain, or we will die. The editor and this editorial do not serve the University and country well. They ask the wrong questions.</p><p>I close by noting the following:<br />Guyana&rsquo;s population is 735,000. Forty nine per cent (49%) of her citizens are below the age of 24. An estimated 33% of her citizens live in poverty. Over 80% of her citizens with tertiary education have emigrated. GDP composition, by sector of origin: Agriculture: 21.8% (esp. sugarcane, rice, shrimp, fish), Industry: 25.3% (bauxite, sugar, rice, timber, gold), Services: 52.9%. With the discovery of oil and its expected &ldquo;boon&rdquo; in a few years, what role will the University of Guyana play in economic growth?</p><p>I submit Dr. Griffith&rsquo;s vision of UG serves to facilitate educational and economic development&mdash;for citizens and society&mdash;fosters dreaming and changing personal and societal realities, moves Guyanese beyond being to becoming, enables discovery in all relevant fields. He offers Guyana a university which serves as an agent of change, a platform for Guyanese to explore myriad opportunities. The University of Guyana can be a stimulus for innovation in the 21st century, an existential investment for the nation. UG does not exist as a private business; it is an instrument of the nation.</p><p>We need to make the called-for investments. Sir Shridath Ramphal reminded us at the Commonwealth Education Conference in Sri Lanka in August 1980, &ldquo;We have learned that education, when it is not geared to the needs of real development, and when it is not accompanied by progress in other spheres, can lead more to despair than to development, more to frustration than to fulfillment, and more to social tension than to social advance.&rdquo;</p><p>Regards<br /><em>Terrence Blackman, Dean</em><br /><em>School of Science, Health &amp; Technology</em><br /><em>Medgar Evers College, City University of New York</em></p><p><em><strong>Article adapted from:&nbsp;<a href=\"https://guyanachronicle.com/2017/05/06/kn-editorial-reflects-poor-understanding-of-ugs-role\"><u>https://guyanachronicle.com/2017/05/06/kn-editorial-reflects-poor-understanding-of-ugs-role</u></a></strong></em></p>', '', 'full_html'),
('news', 0, 287, 288, 'und', 0, '<p>The University of Guyana’s Turkeyen and Tain Talks held its seventh meeting in New Amsterdam, Berbice on Wednesday, on Guyana’s emerging oil and gas economy.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>Present at the talks were Director of the University of Guyana, Berbice Campus and Vice Chancellor of the University of Guyana, Professor Ivelaw Griffith and Minister of Natural Resources Raphael Trotman among others.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>According to GINA, Minister Trotman told the students and other persons gathered for the Turkeyen and Tain talks that the potential they have heard that Guyana has is real. The Minister noted that the oil which was discovered in 2015 is estimated to have a minimum of 800 million barrels and a maximum of 1.4 billion barrels of oil.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>Minister Trotman also made those gathered aware that in addition to the first discovery of oil, there have been two more which may not be as large as the first, but are considered to have a significant amount of oil. Production of the oil is expected to begin in 2020 by ExxonMobil, Hess Corporation and Nexen companies.</p>\r\n\r\n<h4><strong>Strengthening legal framework</strong></h4>\r\n\r\n<p>Minister Trotman noted that with the discovery of such a large quantity of oil and gas, the government thought it necessary to strengthen its legal framework. The Minister pointed out that unless there are systems in place, Guyana would not be in a position to handle production and benefits of oil production. Hence, Minister Trotman noted that the government has begun the process of reviewing Guyana’s Petroleum Act of 1986 which he said is quite dated.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>Minister Trotman also pointed out that in addition to reviewing the Petroleum Act; the government is creating new laws. Two new laws have already been created, he said.&nbsp; This includes the Sovereign Wealth Fund which is with the Minister of Finance, and the Petroleum Commission Bill which was recently read for the first time in the National Assembly.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>Kiran Mattai, Oil and Gas Attorney stressed the importance of having the necessary laws in place that relate to the oil and gas sector. According to Mattai, with Guyana being an emerging economy and oil and gas economy, it needs to be able to appreciate the ownership of its resources while encouraging international relationships. Legal training she said “must account for the host country discovering the oil and the company exploring for oil.”</p>\r\n\r\n<p>She highlighted, “For legal training, the lesson in preparing for oil and gas is recognising that oil and gas is only a piece of the puzzle; there must be complementary interdependence to achieve sustainability.”</p>\r\n\r\n<h4><strong>Training</strong></h4>\r\n\r\n<p>According to GINA, Professor and Director of the Institute of Applied Science and Technology, Suresh Narine stressed the importance of training. He noted that while training may take five to seven years, with Guyana expecting to receive oil by 2020, it is something that must be pursued.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>According to Professor Narine, nothing is wrong in accepting that Guyana has poorly trained business people, engineers and scientists. In order to fully benefit from the wealth expected to come, Guyanese have to divorce themselves from thinking that all roads to success are paved with intentions on oil and gas.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>“We have to ourselves, begin to train our students, advice our children, create our businesses in ways that look at those other sectors of the economy,” Narine explained.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>However, Dr. Narine pointed out that there is (the) need for effective policies that will give the necessary guidance. He stated that, “without policy that allows the oil revenue to be channelled in an equitable, thoughtful fashion, the capital to ensure that those sectors of our economy which are more sustainable than oil is created, is not going to be wisely spent.”</p>\r\n\r\n<p>Article adapted from:&nbsp;<u><a href=\"http://www.inewsguyana.com/experts-underline-need-for-training-in-emerging-oil-gas-sector/\">http://www.inewsguyana.com/experts-underline-need-for-training-in-emerging-oil-gas-sector/</a></u></p>\r\n', '', 'full_html'),
('news', 0, 288, 289, 'und', 0, '<p>Two Guyanese, one Grenadian and one national of Trinidad and Tobago Saturday night copped the Anthony N. Sabga Caribbean Awards for Excellence 2017 that was held in Georgetown, the Guyanese capital.</p><p>The laureates are Mr. Winslow Craig (Arts and Letters) -Guyana ; Kwame Ryan (Arts and Letters)- Trinidad and Tobago; Shadek Nyack Compton (Entrepreneurship)- Grenada and Christopher Arif Bulkan (Public and Civic Contributions)- Guyana.</p><p>Craig is a Guyanese sculptor whose natural talent manifested at an early age and blossomed with formal training at the ER Burrowes School of Art in Georgetown. He currently lectures in Art at the University of Guyana and his work can be found in collections locally and internationally.</p><p>Kwame Ryan, who is Canadian-born to Trinidad and Tobago parentage, is a conductor and music educator whose career has spanned the globe and has seen him practise his vocation with some of the leading orchestras and opera houses in Europe, Africa, Australia, North America, South Korea and the Caribbean.</p><p>Ms. Compton is an entrepreneur who has managed to merge history, commerce, agriculture, tourism and environmental and community responsibility into a single viable enterprise that the Belmont Estate in Grenada. The estate, which was a traditional agricultural plantation during the eras of slavery and colonialism, and which had fallen into ruin, was revived by Ms Nyack Comption as a successful tourist attraction, producer of organic agricultural products and a source of material and intangible enrichment to the community.</p><p>Dr. Bulkan is a Guyanese lawyer and senior lecturer at the Faculty of Law, University of the West Indies, St. Augustine. As an academic and legal practitioner, he has been at the forefront of promoting indigenous rights, environmental rights and human rights regionally through legal interventions, training and advocacy.</p><p>You can listen to a podcast of the event here:</p><p><iframe frameborder=\"0\" height=\"200px\" src=\"https://widget.spreaker.com/player?episode_id=11860564&amp;theme=light&amp;playlist=false&amp;autoplay=false\" width=\"100%\"></iframe></p><p>Under the chairmanship of broadcaster, Margaret Lawrence; the night&rsquo;s proceedings began with prayers by Ansa McAl Foundation Director, Victor Mouttet. The welcome address was delivered by Chairman of the Regional Eminent Persons Panel, Sir Shridath Ramphal; and the address was by Laureate, Sydney Allicock who is Guyana&rsquo;s Vice President and Minister of Indigenous Affairs.</p><p>Before the presentation to each of the four laureates, there were short videos featuring each of them. The presentations were done by Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the Ansa McAl Group of Companies, Dr. A. Norman Sabga and Sir Shridath Ramphal.</p><p>Dr. Norman Sabga then paid tribute to the founder of Ansa McAl, Anthony N. Sabga, who passed away earlier this month.</p><p>Closing remarks were delivered by Mrs. Maria Superville-Neilson who is the Secretary of the Ansa McAl Foundation and Programme Director of the Anthony N. Sabga Caribbean Awards for Excellence.</p><p>Article adapted from:&nbsp;<a href=\"http://demerarawaves.com/2017/05/14/two-guyanese-among-anthony-n-sabga-caribbean-awardees-for-excellence-2017/\"><u>http://demerarawaves.com/2017/05/14/two-guyanese-among-anthony-n-sabga-caribbean-awardees-for-excellence-2017/</u></a></p>', '', 'full_html'),
('news', 0, 289, 290, 'und', 0, '<p>AMID alarming failure rates, the Public Health Ministry is moving ahead with plans to revamp the Registered Nursing Programme in Guyana, with the aim of offering it at the level of the University of Guyana as against the Nursing School.</p><p>In an exclusive interview with the Guyana Chronicle, Principal of the Georgetown School of Nursing Cleopatra Barkoye, disclosed that the Public Health Ministry is collaborating with the Pan American Health Organisation (PAHO), University of Guyana (UG) Faculty of Health Sciences and a Brazilian University to have lecturers and nurses train at the Master&rsquo;s and Doctoral levels in the field of Nursing.</p><p>Barkoye explained that the authorities, through this initiative, are setting the foundation for the Registered Nursing Programme to be transferred to the University of Guyana by harnessing the calibre of lecturers needed for such a significant move. Eight lecturers and nurses with first degrees will be selected for the Master&rsquo;s Programme, while five persons, who have already acquired their Master&rsquo;s, will be selected for the Doctoral Programme. A team from the University in Brazil will be here in Guyana by July, 2017 for the final selection. The Faculty of Health Sciences has already shortlisted the applicants. The first batch of nurses and lecturers will commence their studies in September, 2017.</p><p>Though the majority of the Nursing Tutors have acquired their Bachelors of Science Degrees in Nursing, and collectively have more than 300 years of experience under their belts, Principal Barkoye said there is still a great need to sharpen their skills. In 2015, a Nursing Tutor Certificate Training Programme was initiated with the primary support of PAHO, to boost their capacity. This new programme being embarked on by the Public Health Ministry is necessary, and will help to fast track the process, Principal Barkoye stated. &ldquo;The Caribbean and the world at large have left us behind. They are two steps ahead of us. They are saying that really and truly the Registered Nursing Programme is done at universities, so I am pleased that we are moving in this direction as a CARICOM nation,&rdquo; she posited.</p><p>Once the tutors are adequately qualified, the principal tutor said the Public Health Ministry will take the necessary steps to have the Registered Nursing Programme dissolved at the level of the schools and offered only at the Bachelor&rsquo;s level at the University of Guyana. &ldquo;When you have a bachelor&rsquo;s, you have a wider scope of knowledge, and you will recognise that research is really important because that is how we practise,&rdquo; she posited. However, while the Registered Nursing Programme will be offered at the level of the university, the Post-Basic Midwifery Programme, the Direct Entry Midwifery Programme, and the Nursing Assistant Programme will still be taught at the level of the school.</p><p>&ldquo;While there is still a need for the school, the Registered Nursing Programme must move beyond the school, because that is where the world is; and if we stay here we will always keep ourselves behind. If the world is moving, we have to move with it,&rdquo; Principal Barkoye said. In Guyana, the Registered Nursing Programme is complemented by a Bachelor of Science in Nursing Programme, which is offered at the University of Guyana for a period of two years. The Bachelor of Science Degree in Nursing commenced in 2002 under the leadership of Gwendolin Tross &ndash; a veteran in the field of health education and nursing.</p><h4><strong>SYSTEM FAILING STUDENTS</strong></h4><p>Commenting on the state-of-affairs of nursing in Guyana, Barkoye contended that the system has failed the nurses that are in training. According to reports, the 2016 Professional Nurses State Final Examination, which had to be re-taken earlier this year, had a failure rate of 90 per cent. Barkoye is maintaining that it was the system that failed the nursing students. &ldquo;We don&rsquo;t have enough lecturers in the classroom, in none of the schools. We don&rsquo;t have enough materials.</p><p>The curriculum specifies that you must have a clinical instructor, we don&rsquo;t have any clinical instructor in Georgetown and New Amsterdam, what we have are clinical supervisors,&rdquo; the principal tutor pointed out. Painting a vivid picture of the situation, Barkoye disclosed that the Georgetown School of Nursing has 343 students with only seven tutors. &ldquo;For every 20 students, you need one lecturer, that is what the system requires,&rdquo; she posited. Due to the shortage of tutors across the three nursing schools &ndash; the Georgetown School of Nursing, the Charles Roza School of Nursing in Linden and the New Amsterdam School of Nursing &ndash; there is not room for specialisation and tutors are forced to &ldquo;teach too many things at once.&rdquo;</p><p>However, Principal Barkoye said there is indication that things are going to get better for both students and tutors. She pointed out that following the high failure rate, the Public Health Ministry in collaboration with PAHO held a retreat with the primary players, including the students, to determine what are the loopholes within the system, and the avenues that can be taken to address those problems.</p><p><strong>Article adapted from:&nbsp;<a href=\"http://guyanachronicle.com/2017/05/09/ug-to-administer-nursing-programme\"><u>http://guyanachronicle.com/2017/05/09/ug-to-administer-nursing-programme</u></a></strong></p>', '', 'full_html'),
('news', 0, 290, 291, 'und', 0, '<p>A CALL was made on Saturday evening for the Caribbean&rsquo;s rich talent and expertise across various sectors to be cherished and promoted, when the 2017 laureates of the Anthony N Sabga Caribbean Awards for Excellence were recognised for their outstanding contribution to the Region.</p><p>The laureates this year &mdash; the ninth instalment &mdash; are Guyanese sculptor Winslow Craig, who was awarded in the Arts and Letters category; Trinidadian musical composer, Kwame Ryan (Arts and Letters); Grenadian entrepreneur, Shadel Nyack Compton (Entrepreneurship); and Guyanese lawyer and regional educator, Dr Christopher Arif Bulkan, whose award fell into the Public and Civic Contributions category.</p><p>They were awarded at a lavish ceremony at the Marriott Hotel, Kingston, Georgetown. Chairman of the Regional Eminent Persons Panel, Sir Shridath Ramphal and Norman Sabga, son of the late Anthony N Sabga, presented the awards to the laureates. The former patron passed away recently after a period of illness. Speaking to an audience which included President David Granger, Ministers of Government and members of the diplomatic corps, Minister of Indigenous People&rsquo;s Affairs Sydney Allicock, a 2010 laureate, told the gathering that he has benefitted immensely from the countless opportunities which came his way. He said he looked for solutions to many issues, by using the guidance he has achieved from his parents.</p><p>Allicock said the award caused him to be able to meet on many occasions with persons who possess the willingness to provide support to ideas, to create opportunities, including job opportunities.&nbsp;According to the Indigenous People&rsquo;s Affairs Minister, the award provided him an opportunity for exposure here and overseas &ldquo;in a way that gave me the encouragement to keep working towards the identity of our indigenous people, our Guyanese nation and even to join hands with our Caribbean brothers and sisters.&rdquo; He said the rich talents in the Region should be preserved and promoted. Like many others who spoke, Allicock paid tribute to the late Anthony Sabga, noting that the businessman made it possible for him to achieve much of his accomplishments, personally and professionally.</p><p>Sir Shridath, who spoke of the awards, noted that they serves the entire Region. The awards have recognised some of the outstanding talents in the Region. &ldquo;If in any year we fail to identify in any category, the fault is within the system of detection,&rdquo; Sir Shridath said, noting that the panel will continue to search for those who exemplify the characteristics for being awarded.&nbsp;He also paid tribute to the late Sabga. This year&rsquo;s ceremony was the first to be held outside of Trinidad and Tobago, the base of the ANSA McAl group. The awards were initiated in 2005 in the twin island republic, and to date, 31 exceptional individuals have been recognised by the award panel. According to the organiser, one of the main reasons for the event being hosted in Georgetown lies in the recognition that nine Guyanese have been the recipients of the awards. In addition, it was noted that another reason for the hosting lies in the regional group having significant business interests in the Land of Many Waters.</p><p><strong>Article Adapted from:&nbsp;<a href=\"http://guyanachronicle.com/2017/05/15/caribbeans-rich-talent-rewarded\"><u>http://guyanachronicle.com/2017/05/15/caribbeans-rich-talent-rewarded</u></a></strong></p>', '', 'full_html'),
('news', 0, 291, 292, 'und', 0, '<p>Attached below is a Kaieteur News Editorial on Sunday May 7th, 2017 describing The Univertsity of Guyana&#39;s history and role in the national development of the nation.&nbsp;</p>', '', 'full_html'),
('news', 0, 292, 293, 'und', 0, '<p><img alt=\"\" src=\"/sites/default/files/gallery/prof-john-rickford.jpg\" style=\"float:right; height:300px; width:300px\" /></p>\r\n\r\n<p>Guyanese-American&nbsp;<strong>Professor John R. Rickford of Stanford University</strong>&nbsp;was recently notified that he had been awarded one of the highest academic honors in the United States:&nbsp;<strong>Election to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.</strong></p>\r\n\r\n<p>Founded in 1780, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences is one of the oldest and most prestigious learned societies and independent policy research centers in the U.S., convening leaders from the academic, business, and government sectors to respond to the challenges facing—and opportunities available to—the nation and the world.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>The Academy’s work is advanced by its elected members, who are leaders in the academic disciplines, the arts, business, and public affairs from around the world. &nbsp;&nbsp;<strong>&nbsp;</strong></p>\r\n\r\n<p>Current and former members of the Academy include Benjamin Franklin, George&nbsp;Washington, Ralph Waldo Emerson,&nbsp; Margaret Mead, Martin Luther King, Jr.,&nbsp; John&nbsp;F.&nbsp;Kennedy, Georgia O’Keefe, John Hope Franklin, John Updike, Charles Darwin,&nbsp; Albert Einstein,&nbsp; Winston Churchill,&nbsp; Laurence Olivier, Nelson Mandela, and more than 250 Nobel and Pulitzer Prize winners.</p>\r\n\r\n<p><strong>&nbsp;</strong>Academy research currently focuses on education, the humanities and the arts; science, engineering, and technology policy; global security and international affairs; and American institutions and the public good.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>John R. Rickford is the J.E. Wallace Sterling Professor of Linguistics and the Humanities at Stanford University.&nbsp; He is also professor, by courtesy, in Education, and Bass University Fellow in Undergraduate Education.&nbsp; He has been at Stanford since 1980, after teaching Linguistics at the University of Guyana from 1974 to 1984 and serving as Vice Dean of the Faculty of Arts there.&nbsp; Prior to leaving Guyana for his university education on a US scholarship in 1968, he attended Sacred Heart RC elementary school and Queen’s College, where he also taught English for a year after completing his GCE “A” levels.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>Professor Rickford received his BA with highest honors in Sociolinguistics from the University of California, Santa Cruz, in 1971, and his Ph.D. in Linguistics from the University of Pennsylvania in 1979.&nbsp; He won a Dean’s Award for distinguished teaching in 1984 and a Bing Fellowship for excellence in teaching in 1992.&nbsp; He also served as President of the Linguistic Society of America in 2015, and in 2016 won the award for the Best Paper in the journal&nbsp;<em>Language</em>—one of the leading journals in his field—for a paper he authored with a graduate student on the systematic vernacular of Rachel<strong>&nbsp;</strong>Jeantel, a close friend of Trayvon Martin, and the reasons why her testimony was misunderstood and disregarded in the 2013 trial of George Zimmerman for Trayvon’s murder.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>The primary focus of John’s research and teaching is Sociolinguistics: the relation between linguistic variation and change and social structure.&nbsp; He is especially interested in the relation between language and ethnicity, social class and style, language variation and change, pidgin and creole languages, African American Vernacular English, and the applications of linguistics to educational and legal issues.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>Professor Rickford is the author of numerous scholarly articles, and author or editor of several books, including&nbsp;<em>A Festival of Guyanese Words</em>&nbsp;(ed., 1978);&nbsp;<em>Dimensions of a Creole Continuum</em>&nbsp;(1987),&nbsp;<em>Analyzing Variation in Language</em>&nbsp;(co-ed., 1987),&nbsp;<em>Sociolinguistics and Pidgin‑Creole Studies</em>&nbsp;(ed., 1988);&nbsp;<em>African American English: Structure, History and Use</em>&nbsp;(co‑ed., 1998);&nbsp;<em>African American Vernacular English: Features, Evolution, Educational Implications</em>&nbsp;(1999);&nbsp;<em>Creole Genesis, Attitudes and Discourse</em>&nbsp;(co-ed., 2000);&nbsp;<em>Spoken&nbsp;Soul: The Story of Black English</em>&nbsp;(co-authored, 2000, winner of an American Book Award);&nbsp;<em>Style and Sociolinguistic Variation</em>&nbsp;(co-ed., 2001);&nbsp;<em>Language in the USA: Themes for the Twenty-First Century</em>&nbsp;(co-ed., 2004);&nbsp;<em>Language, Culture and Caribbean Identity</em>&nbsp;(co-ed, 2012);&nbsp;<em>African American, Creole and Other Vernacular Englishes: A Bibliographic Resource</em>&nbsp;(co-authored, 2012); and&nbsp;<em>Raciolinguistics: How Language Shapes Our Ideas About Race</em>&nbsp;(co-edited, 2015).&nbsp; A collection of his papers is scheduled for publication in 2018 by Cambridge University Press in a book, entitled&nbsp;<em>Variation and Change in Sociolinguistics and Creole Studies: Theory and Analysis</em>.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>Professor Rickford stated that he was both exhilarated and humbled that the Academy had bestowed this signature honor on him.&nbsp; Election to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences is the pinnacle of his long<strong>,</strong>&nbsp;distinguished career.&nbsp; He will spend part of this summer at the Rockefeller Foundation’s research center in Bellagio, Italy, working to develop new ways to expand linguistic versatility among vernacular speakers while reducing dialect prejudice and discrimination against them in schools, courtrooms, workplaces and other gatekeeping institutions.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>John is married to Angela Rickford, née Marshall, who attended Bishops<strong>’</strong>&nbsp;High School (Guyana), and is now Professor of Education at San Jose State University.&nbsp; They have four children:&nbsp; Shiyama, Russell, Anakela and Luke.</p>\r\n', '', 'full_html'),
('event', 0, 293, 294, 'und', 0, '<p>Race for PACE is the University of Guyana’s Inaugural Fund Raiser for its recently initiated Student Support Fund (SSF). The SSF is designed to provide financial and other support to present students who may find themselves in exceptionally difficult circumstances which may require immediate short term aid during their course of study. Support by application will be provided based on need, for equipment, books, accommodation, hardship, emergency or travel grants.&nbsp;</p>\r\n\r\n<p>&nbsp;</p>\r\n\r\n<p>Call: Trovana Azeez, Philanthropy Officer, PACE on 222-5423/5122/2487/5499/3602/2111/4930/5408/4182/3713 ext 2232 or 623-3154 for more information and clarification.&nbsp;</p>\r\n\r\n<p>Email: <u><a href=\"mailto:pace@uog.edu.gy\">pace@uog.edu.gy</a></u>&nbsp;</p>\r\n\r\n<p>Website: <u><a href=\"https://paceuog.wixsite.com/pace-uog/race-for-pace\">https://paceuog.wixsite.com/pace-uog/race-for-pace</a></u></p>\r\n', '', 'filtered_html'),
('news', 0, 295, 296, 'und', 0, '<p><strong>The University of Guyana </strong>(UG) extends sincere congratulations to Mr. Winslow Craig, Master Sculptor and Lecturer in our Faculty of Education and Humanities, whose superb craftsmanship, creativity, and pursuit of excellence have been rewarded with him being named a 2017 Sabga Laureate for Arts and Letters.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>We also applaud the other 2017 Laureates—Ms. Shadek Nyack Compton from Grenada (Entrepreneurship), Mr. Kwame Ryan from Trinidad and Tobago (Arts and Letters) and Dr. Christopher Arif Bulkan from Guyana (Public and Civic Contributions). We note with pride that Dr. Bulkan is a former UG lecturer who validates the importance of the Guyanese Diaspora, soon to be engaged at our historic Diaspora Conference in July.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>The University of Guyana extends sincere gratitude to the Sabga Foundation, Dr. Norman Sabga and the family of Dr. Anthony Sabga, O.B.E, the national selection committees and the panel of Eminent Regional Persons for their generosity, erudition and diligence in seeking and supporting the pursuit and practice of Excellence in the Caribbean.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>We embrace the values of Excellence, Integrity, and Service that the Laureates demonstrate and we pledge to pursue and practice these values across the university, including in the newest entity, the School of Entrepreneurship and Business Innovation— SEBI.&nbsp;</p>\r\n\r\n<p><span style=\"font-family:savoyeletplain; font-size:18.000000pt\">Professor Ivelaw Lloyd Griffith<br />\r\nTenth Vice Chancellor and Principal<br />\r\nThe University of Guyana&nbsp;</span></p>\r\n', '', 'full_html'),
('news', 0, 297, 298, 'und', 0, '<p>The University of Guyana’s (UG) ‘Race for Pace’ fund-raising Go-kart event on Sunday at the GT Motorsports track was a huge success with the organisers meeting their target of $4M for the Student Support Fund.&nbsp;It was a day of fun, thrills and spills and the rain only contributed to the excitement, as persons gathered to race for a good cause.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>While the race of the day featuring Vice-Chancellor of the University Dr. Ivelaw Griffith and Professor Suresh Narine had to be postponed because of time and wetness of the track, that did not stop the event from having some good races early on.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>The Alumni and Friends ended up being the most star-studded race with Deputy Mayor Sherod Duncan and lawyer Darren Wade finishing fifth and sixth respectively. However, Christopher Persaud won the race, while Azad Hassan finished second and Gavin Persaud third.</p>\r\n\r\n<p><img alt=\"\" class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-28921\" src=\"http://newsroom.gy/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/UG-race-1-300x169.jpg?x69198\" style=\"backface-visibility:hidden; border:0px; float:left; height:auto; margin:20px 20px 20px 0px; max-width:100%; padding:0px; vertical-align:baseline; width:300px\" />Duncan and Wade agreed to the fact that the cause of the fund towards aiding students in need was definitely a good move by the University while commending Deputy Vice-Chancellor Dr. Paloma Mohamed for her initiative with the fund.&nbsp;</p>\r\n\r\n<p>Vice-Chancellor Dr. Griffith also highlighted that such an event is not just important because of the impact it will have on students in need, but also the impact on student/staff relationships that can only develop campus life.&nbsp;</p>\r\n\r\n<p>Meanwhile, Dr. Mohamed, the brainchild of the event, shared the importance of the University helping students in need and using sport as a means of impacting student life both on and off campus.&nbsp;In addition, Dr. Mohamed was enthusiastic of the event becoming an annual staple on UG’s calendar of activities.&nbsp;</p>\r\n\r\n<p>Meanwhile, other winners of the day were&nbsp;Rinaldo Delano in the student race, Christopher Ramakrishna in the staff race, Kezia Bridgewater in the female event, Nicoli Mahangi in the student versus staff race, Christopher Ramalho in the Turkeyen versus Tain event and Ron Glasgow in the male versus female event.&nbsp;</p>\r\n\r\n<p>UG’s Sport Coordinator Lavern Fraser-Thomas mentioned that such events highlight the impact sport can have on society and noted that more events of this nature are needed not just on campus but holistically to help athletes in general.&nbsp;</p>\r\n\r\n<p>The top race of the day, which was postponed, will be held at a later date.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>Article adapted from:&nbsp;<a href=\"http://newsroom.gy/2017/05/23/ugs-race-for-pace-meets-4m-target-with-go-kart-event/\"><u>http://newsroom.gy/2017/05/23/ugs-race-for-pace-meets-4m-target-with-go-kart-event/</u></a></p>\r\n', '', 'full_html'),
('news', 0, 298, 299, 'und', 0, '<p>The Guyana Defence Force (GDF) is collaborating with the University of Guyana (UG) to strengthen its Officer Cadet programme by adding an Associate Degree in General Studies component to it.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>In a release, the GDF said, “in a major shift for effective transformation for total national defence is embarking on an initiative to significantly upgrade its training of Officer Cadets, through the introduction of an Associate Degree in General Studies, as a compulsory element on their road to officer-ship.”</p>\r\n\r\n<p>This initiative, the army said is set to commence with the next cohort of Cadets on Standard Officers Course Number 50. To this end, the GDF and the University of Guyana have held preliminary discussions regarding the move to enhance the training of the Officer Cadets.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>Additionally, in a follow up move, Brigadier Patrick West invited UG Vice Chancellor Ivelaw Griffith and his team to visit the training facilities at the Colonel Ulric Pilgrim Officer Cadet School at Base Camp Stephenson. There, the visitors benefitted from a briefing regarding the use and administration of the facilities, which was followed by a tour.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>Article adapted from:&nbsp;<a href=\"http://guyanachronicle.com/2017/05/22/gdf-ug-in-move-to-augment-cadet-programme\"><u>http://guyanachronicle.com/2017/05/22/gdf-ug-in-move-to-augment-cadet-programme</u></a></p>\r\n', '', 'full_html'),
('news', 0, 299, 300, 'und', 0, '<h3><strong><em>CONGRATULATIONS!</em></strong></h3>\r\n\r\n<h4><strong>CACIQUE’S CROWN OF HONOUR</strong></h4>\r\n\r\n<p>Ivelaw Lloyd Griffith – Vice-Chancellor</p>\r\n\r\n<h4><strong>GOLDEN ARROW OF ACHIEVEMENT&nbsp;</strong></h4>\r\n\r\n<p>1) Winslow Marcellous Craig - Lecturer</p>\r\n\r\n<p>2) Gwyneth George- Librarian</p>\r\n\r\n<p>3) Raymond Mark Kirton – Former Dean, Faculty of Social Sciences</p>\r\n\r\n<p>4) Tota Charran Mangar - Former Deputy Vice-Chancellor</p>\r\n\r\n<p>5) Barbara Patricia Thomas-Holder - Lecturer</p>\r\n\r\n<p>6) Patrick Everton Williams - Lecturer</p>\r\n\r\n<p>THIRTY-ONE women from various fields are among those who will be conferred with national awards by President David Granger for their outstanding service and sterling contributions to national development.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>The announcement was made hours before Guyana celebrated its 51st Independence anniversary.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>According to a Ministry of the Presidency release, leading the list of 69 awardees is acting Chancellor of the Judiciary, Madame Yonette Decina Cummings-Edwards, who has been recognised with the Order of Roraima.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>Madame Justice Edwards, who boasts an illustrious legal career that commenced in 1988, was sworn in to her current post on March 28, 2017.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>She served as a judge on the Court of Appeal of Guyana for several years and is now the second woman to be appointed to the position of acting Chancellor of the Judiciary.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>Acting Chief Justice, Madame Alison Roxane Mc Lean George, who was admitted to the Bar in October 1990, for service as a Senior State Counsel, Assistant Director of Public Prosecution, Deputy Director of Public Prosecution and Director of Public Prosecution, has been named among the recipients for the Cacique’s Crown of Honour, along with Secretary General of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), Ambassador Irwin La Rocque.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>Environmental activist and pilot, Annette Arjoon-Martin,&nbsp;who has been a driving force in marine conservation and mangrove replanting projects, has been named as a recipient of the Golden Arrow of Achievement alongside Secretary General of the Guyana Red Cross Society, Dorothy Fraser;&nbsp; Chief Librarian of the University of Guyana, Gwyneth George; veteran journalist Julia Ann Johnson; General Secretary of the Guyana Teachers’ Union (GTU) Coretta McDonald; veterinarian, Dr. Karen Pilgrim and veteran educator Gem Ann Rohlehr, among others.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>Meanwhile, veteran journalists Enrico Woolford and Adam Harris, artist and sculptor Winslow Marcellous Craig, Human Resources Management and Organisational Development Specialist Sandra Jones are all among the recipients for the Arrow of Achievement.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>Among the Medal of Service recipients are businessman Patrick Nigel de Groot, Camille Patricia Carrington and George Barclay, a Guyana Chronicle journalist with more than 50 years of service in the media.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>President David Granger has said that the conferring of national awards is recognised as a mechanism, provided under the Constitution of Guyana to give due national recognition to outstanding citizens. The regular conferral of national awards is a commitment made by President Granger.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>Under the current administration, 51 Guyanese women have already been conferred with national awards. In 2015, 19 women from a total of 53 received national awards.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>The Order of Roraima was received by one person; three received the Cacique’s Crown of Honour (CCH); seven received the Golden Arrow of Achievement (AA); five received the Medal of Service (MS) and three received the Disciplined Service Medal (DSM).</p>\r\n\r\n<p>In October 2016, a total of 32 women received awards; four received the CCH, 14 the AA, 12 the MS and two received the DSM.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>A total of 86 individuals were conferred with awards. Additionally, 12 groups were conferred with the MS insignia on the occasion of Guyana’s 46th Republic Anniversary in February, earlier in 2016.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>The President and members of the Advisory Council for the Orders of Guyana offer sincere congratulations to all the persons who have been honoured.</p>\r\n\r\n<h4><strong>Order of Roraima</strong><br />\r\n1 Yonettte Decina Cummings-Edwards</h4>\r\n\r\n<h4><strong>Cacique’s Crown of Honour</strong><br />\r\n1 Alison Roxane Mc Lean George<br />\r\n2 Ivelaw Lloyd Griffith<br />\r\n3 Moeenul Hack<br />\r\n4 Irwin La Rocque<br />\r\n5 Murtland Raphael Massiah</h4>\r\n\r\n<h4><strong>Golden Arrow of Achievement</strong><br />\r\n1 Ramsay Ali<br />\r\n2 Annette Arjoon<br />\r\n3 Lloyd Fitzgerald Austin<br />\r\n4 Everette Lancelot Carberry<br />\r\n5 Rhoda Amelia Stephne Clarke<br />\r\n6 Winslow Marcellous Craig<br />\r\n7 Jose Louis Da Silva<br />\r\n8 Jennifer Dewar<br />\r\n9 Dorothy Fraser<br />\r\n10 Gloria Regina Fraser<br />\r\n11 Ameena Gafoor<br />\r\n12 Samuel Jaidatt Goolsarran<br />\r\n13 Gwyneth George<br />\r\n14 Adam Elias Harris<br />\r\n15 Hilton Gregory Hemerding<br />\r\n16 Sandra Hooper<br />\r\n17 Julia Ann Johnson<br />\r\n18 Sandra Valerie Jones<br />\r\n19 Raymond Mark Kirton<br />\r\n20 Hemraj Kissoon<br />\r\n21 Doris Ann Lewis<br />\r\n22 Tota Charran Mangar<br />\r\n23 Hyacinth Gloria Massay-Thomas<br />\r\n24 Julie Andrea Matthews<br />\r\n25 Coretta McDonald<br />\r\n26 George Gladstone McDonald<br />\r\n27 Ann Elizabeth McLennan<br />\r\n28 Marie June Mendes<br />\r\n29 Abena Nkenge Moore<br />\r\n30 Cecil Norman Murray<br />\r\n31 Vibert Virnen Parvatan<br />\r\n32 Jawahar Persaud<br />\r\n33 Karen Pilgrim<br />\r\n34 Andrew Godfrey Proctor<br />\r\n35 Khakan Ally Ramjohn<br />\r\n36 Gem Ann Rohlehr<br />\r\n37 Sonya Indira Roopnauth<br />\r\n38 Pradeep Parmanand Samtani<br />\r\n39 Godfrey Steve Statia<br />\r\n40 Barbara Patricia Thomas-Holder<br />\r\n41 Desmond Trotman<br />\r\n42 Patrick Everton Williams<br />\r\n43 Enrico Mortimer Woolford<br />\r\n44 John Carlson Yates</h4>\r\n\r\n<h4><strong>Medal of Service</strong><br />\r\n1 Sandra Michelle Adams<br />\r\n2 John Andries<br />\r\n3 George Rupert Barclay<br />\r\n4 Erma Hyacinth Bovell<br />\r\n5 Camille Patricia Carrington<br />\r\n6 Patrick Nigel de Groot<br />\r\n7 Denise Dias<br />\r\n8 Merlene Ellis<br />\r\n9 Joan Anges Fredericks<br />\r\n10 Heeralall Makhanlall<br />\r\n11 Jenevieve Jenny Murray<br />\r\n12 Julio Perreira<br />\r\n13 Ryan Perreira<br />\r\n14 Emelda Sandy</h4>\r\n\r\n<h4><strong>Military Service Medal</strong><br />\r\n1 Lt Col Lawrence Anthony Fraser<br />\r\n2 Lt Col Ramkarran Doodnauth</h4>\r\n\r\n<h4><strong>Disciplined Services Medal</strong><br />\r\n1 Assistant Commissioner of Police Nigel Anthony Hoppie<br />\r\n2 Acting Director of Prisons Gladwin Andrea Samuels<br />\r\n3 Deputy Chief Fire Officer Winston Michael McGregor</h4>\r\n\r\n<p>Article adapted from:&nbsp;<u><a href=\"http://guyanachronicle.com/2017/05/25/31-women-to-receive-national-awards\">http://guyanachronicle.com/2017/05/25/31-women-to-receive-national-awards</a></u></p>\r\n', '', 'filtered_html');
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('news', 0, 300, 301, 'und', 0, '<p>University of Guyana Vice-Chancellor Professor Ivelaw Law Griffith talks with The Guyana Review about the challenges that inhere in the transformation of The University of Guyana</p>\r\n', '', 'filtered_html'),
('news', 0, 301, 302, 'und', 0, '<p>Georgetown, Guyana – (May 31, 2017)&nbsp;President David Granger, last evening, paid homage to his former history lecturer at the University of Guyana (UG), distinguished historian and humanitarian, Sister Mary Noel Menezes, who at age 87, launched her new book entitled ‘Guyana and the Wider World’, which features a collection of her essays and addresses. Topics covered in the book include education, Christianity, Guyana’s Indigenous Peoples and the Guyana-Venezuela border controversy. All proceeds from the sale of the book will be donated to the Mercy Boy’s Home. Publisher, Mr. Vic Insanally presented a cheque for $100,000 in advance in anticipation of expected sales to Sister Celine Marie of the Home.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>In his remarks at the launching ceremony, which was held at Cara Lodge, President Granger spoke fondly of his interactions with Sister Menezes, describing her as a meticulous and dedicated teacher, who gave her students a granular method of instruction, particularly as it relates to research. He told the gathering that Sister Menezes published a book called ‘A guide to historical research’ and later penned another book entitled ‘How to do better research’.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>“This meant that once you passed through her hands you had to know how to do research and sometimes even after you have grown up and become an ‘old boy’, when you write something you would ask yourself, would Sister approve of this? This book that is being launched here gives you an idea of Sister’s intellect, the range of her interests and the intensity and passion with which she wrote. Students who were taught by her were made to think,” President Granger said.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>He noted that Sister Menezes’ students will never forget her because she helped them to develop their intellectual foundation and this is quite evident in their accomplishments later in life.&nbsp; Past students include former UG Vice Chancellor, Dr. James Rose, former Registrar, Dr. David Chanderballi, former Acting Chancellor of the Judiciary, Mr. Carl Singh, former Dean of the School of Education and Humanities, Mr. Tota Mangar, UG’s first Master’s graduate, Dr. Basdeo Mangru and, of course, President Granger.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>Another close friend of Sister Menezes, Dr. Nigel Gravesande said that quite apart from her academic achievements, she led a life of faith to God and dedication to the service mankind.&nbsp;“Sister Noel combined a life of prayer with a life of active ministry both at the UG and with her pastoral work…Her achievements as an outstanding educator did not deflect her from her real mission in life. She trained from her teens and committed her heart and her soul to serving the disadvantaged. Her exemplary service to the needy is recorded in the writings of several journalists and publications and articulated by many leading regional and international academics,” he said.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>Sister Menezes’ friend and colleague, Dr. Winston McGowan, who edited the book, described her as an observant and militant individual who held very strong views on a wide range of issues and said that this book, which documents some of those views, is worth being added to individual library collections. “The book consists mainly of articles and addresses that Sister made about private groups and individuals, some of whose contributions are of an academic nature,” he said.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>It also consists of section on the Amerindians, the rise of the Portuguese, an account of Marian’s Academy, a historical outline of UG and biographical sketches of Albert Raymond Forbes Webber, whose contribution to Guyana was multi-faceted, Ms. Elsa Gouveia an iconic Guyanese historian and German explorer, Sir Robert Hermann&nbsp;<em>Schomburgk.</em></p>\r\n\r\n<p>Sister Menezes who was born in 1930,&nbsp;is&nbsp;a nun, Emeritus Professor of History, philanthropist, author and recipient of the country’s second highest National Award, the Order of Roraima as well as the Golden Arrow of Achievement. She also received an Honorary Doctorate of Laws Degree from the University of the West Indies. She joined Religious Sisters of Mercy at the age of 17.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>Article adapted from:&nbsp;<u><a href=\"http://gina.gov.gy/sister-noel-menezes-launches-new-book-on-guyana-at-age-87/\">http://gina.gov.gy/sister-noel-menezes-launches-new-book-on-guyana-at-age-87/</a></u></p>\r\n', '', 'filtered_html'),
('news', 0, 302, 303, 'und', 0, '<p>The Ministry of Finance has partnered with the University of Guyana and the GuyanaTelephone and Telegraph Company to offer current and former students, an easier option to repay their student loans. The partnership is described by Minister of Finance Winston Jordan as another in a series of initiatives, to have students repay their debts in a fast and secure manner.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>The Minister noted that during the Jubilee Independence Anniversary celebrations, several options were put in place to have errant loan defaulters repay their debts. He said it was regrettable that many did not take advantage of the offer. This has resulted in the Government being left with a huge number of outstanding student loans, he explained.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>At the launching of the Guyana Telephone and Telegraph’s (GT&amp;T) Mobile Money Guyana (MMG) system that will allow the repayment of student loans by cellular phones, the Finance Minister said that approximately G$10 billion worth of 28,936 loans issued since 1994, 20, 301, remain outstanding. He is hopeful that loan defaulters would take advantage of the new payment option.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>He stated, “I don’t think there has been a significant dent to what I gave at the last time….There was some exuberance at the offer but it didn’t get the kind of response that we were hoping for where a significant dent would have been made. We did get some money in but it’s not significant to what is owing.”</p>\r\n\r\n<p>The Jubilee Offer gave defaulters a 75 per cent reduction in the accumulated arrears of interest if they had paid their indebtedness, no later than August 31, 2016 or a 50 percent reduction in accumulated arrears of interest if borrowers had brought their accounts up to date by September 30, 2016.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>The Finance Minister says he is currently working with Western Union to facilitate payments for those former students residing overseas and this will be launched soon. The criteria for issuing loans and potential guarantors, is also being restructured, so as to facilitate easier payments.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>The MMG agreement was described as a very simple process by GT&amp;T’s Chief Executive Officer Justin Nedd. He explained that, “All current and past students have to do to repay their tuition loans is to enter their UG registration number, the amount they would like to pay and press send. The new option adds to the facility already being used by thousands to pay various utility bills. The GTT CEO described the new plan as just one of the many ways the company is using technology to improve the lives of Guyanese. The Mobile Money Guyana Application, is also in keeping, with a call by President David Granger, to use technology to extend the reach of financial services to underserved and un-served communities.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>Among those present at today’s event were Minister within the Ministry of Finance Jaipaul Sharma, University of Guyana Vice Chancellor Ivelaw Griffith and staffers of UG and GTT.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>Article adapted from:&nbsp;<u><a href=\"http://gina.gov.gy/ug-students-can-now-repay-loans-using-mmg-app/\">http://gina.gov.gy/ug-students-can-now-repay-loans-using-mmg-app/</a></u></p>\r\n', '', 'filtered_html'),
('news', 0, 303, 304, 'und', 0, '<p>University of Guyana Tain and Turkeyen’s students will now be able to access local and international classes from their respective locations. This was revealed today when the University of Guyana officially launched its Teleconferencing Platform at the Centre for Information Technology (CIT), Turkeyen Campus.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>The commissioning featured a live demonstration of the Teleconferencing Suite’s capabilities with the participation of students on the Berbice Tain campus. It was explained that prospective students especially from Region Six, East Berbice Corentyne will now be able to access courses that are unavailable at the Tain campus but are at the Turkeyen campus without leaving their classrooms.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>Minister of Public Telecommunications, Catherine Hughes said that the agreement between the Ministry and University is to ensure that there is more connectivity on the campuses and also to enhance education countrywide.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>She explained that with the use of technology, distant locations are able to connect which makes it easier for students, teachers and lecturers. “This teleconferencing suite is one more step in the march of creating a higher level of digital connectivity for all citizens of Guyana”, Minister Hughes emphasised. She noted that there “is no time to pause” when the government moving to make Guyana a digital country.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>Minister Hughes said that her Ministry recognised that technology around the world is changing rapidly and even though Guyana is behind, the prospect of “catching up” is exciting.” She expressed gratitude to Huawei Technologies, the University of Guyana, and E- Government Agency for “their tireless efforts in making the Teleconferencing Platform a reality.”</p>\r\n\r\n<p>Vice Chancellor of the University of Guyana, Professor Ivelaw Griffith said that this commissioning of the Teleconference suite is the result of a Memorandum of Understanding signed between the University and the Ministry of Telecommunications. He stated that the Teleconferencing is “the renewing of vows” between the relevant agencies for greater cooperation.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>The Vice Chancellor added that it is the memorandum of understanding &nbsp;which will enable the presence of the University in a number of locations. He also expressed gratitude to the relevant agencies for their co-operation in bringing the initiative to light.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>The teleconferencing suite is a 2013 gift from Huawei Technologies which was installed on the University’s Turkeyen Campus recently as part of the agreement for Technical Cooperation between the University and the National Data Management Authority (NDMA) of the Ministry of Public Telecommunications.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>The NDMA first had to reconfigure the suite to the new fibre optic network connectivity requirements on campus before the teleconferencing was made possible.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>In April, 2017 Minister of Public Telecommunications Catherine Hughes and University of Guyana’s (UG), Principal and Vice Chancellor Professor Dr. Ivelaw Griffith signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to boost the Information Communication Technology (ICT) platforms at the Turkeyen campus, in keeping with one of the major goals of the Ministry of Public Telecommunications to better equip UG to provide broad band internet access to students and lecturers.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>Article adapted from:&nbsp;<u><a href=\"http://gina.gov.gy/ugstain-and-turkeyens-capacity-boosted-with-commissioning-of-teleconferencing-platform/\">http://gina.gov.gy/ugstain-and-turkeyens-capacity-boosted-with-commissioning-of-teleconferencing-platform/</a></u></p>\r\n', '', 'filtered_html'),
('news', 0, 304, 305, 'und', 0, '<p>A less than satisfactory number of University of Guyana (UG) students and former students have taken advantage of the Independence Jubilee reduced tuition fee repayments, resulting in the Guyana government being still saddled with a huge number of outstanding student loans, Finance Minister Winston Jordan said Monday.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>Addressing the launch of the Guyana Telephone and Telegraph’s (GT&amp;T) Mobile Money Guyana (MMG) system that will allow the repayment of student loans by cellular phones, Finance Minister Winston Jordan said of the nearly GYD$10 billion worth of 28,936 loans issued so far since 1994, 20,301 are delinquent.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>Jordan said despite the “substantial rebates” offered to graduates in Guyana and overseas last year as part of Guyana’s 50<sup>th</sup>&nbsp;Independence anniversary celebration, few did not take advantage of the opportunity to clear, update their debts.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>“I don’t think there has been a significant dent to what I gave at the last time….There was some exuberance at the offer but it didn’t get the kind of response that we were hoping for where a significant dent would have been made. We did get some money in but it’s not significant to what is owing,” he said.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>Before signing the MMG agreement, GT&amp;T’s Chief Executive Officer Justin Nedd said all current and past students have to do to repay their tuition loans is to enter their UG registration number, the amount they would like to pay and press send.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>The Finance Minister welcomed the Guyana Telephone and Telegraph’s extension of the “fast and secure” Mobile Money Guyana system to offer past and continuing students a new option to repay their loans. Jordan announced that, “very soon borrowers from abroad will be able to make payments online as we are in talks with GT&amp;T and Western Union.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>The Finance Minister warned that if the loans are not repaid and the student loan system does not revolve, government would have to examine “other methods which unfortunately will not be to the benefit of those said people who want to come to university.”</p>\r\n\r\n<p>Figures dating back to last year show that since the inception of the Student Loan Agency in 1994, at least GYD$9.5 billion were made available to the revolving agency to facilitate the payment of tuition fees. Up to May, 2016 figures show that 26,239 loans had been issued but&nbsp; repayment up the same period had amounted to GYD$1.75 billion, with installments due amounting to GYD$5.7 billion.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>The Jubilee offer had entailed a 75 percent reduction in the accumulated arrears of interest if borrowers had paid their &nbsp;indebtedness no later than August 31, 2016 or a 50 percent reduction in accumulated arrears of interest if borrowers had brought their accounts up to date by September 30, 2016.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>At the Ministry of Finance’s Student Loan Office, Jordan said there are a new director, new administrative manager and more loan officers. Other plans include the appointment of more loan officers, a lawyer and an accountant as&nbsp; well as the introduction of a new computerized system “to replace the ancient technology currently in place.” The Finance Minister added that the “massive reforms” &nbsp;to ensure that funding is available to future borrowers include the refinement of the criteria for qualification and guaranteeing of loans.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>“The recalcitrance and disinterest that is inherent in the unacceptably large delinquent portfolio must be halted. Students, graduates and guarantors have to work together to reverse this situation. The government has shown its willingness to be engaged and has already provided the first steps,” said Jordan.</p>\r\n\r\n<p><img alt=\"\" class=\"img-responsive\" src=\"/sites/default/files/images/mmg_experts.jpg\" style=\"width:100%\" /></p>\r\n\r\n<p>Article adapted from:&nbsp;<u><a href=\"https://demerarawaves.com/2017/06/05/few-ug-student-loan-borrowers-repaying-under-jubilee-offer-govt-turns-to-different-payment-methods/\">https://demerarawaves.com/2017/06/05/few-ug-student-loan-borrowers-repaying-under-jubilee-offer-govt-turns-to-different-payment-methods/</a></u></p>\r\n', '', 'full_html'),
('news', 0, 305, 306, 'und', 0, '<p><img alt=\"\" class=\"m-10 potrait-img\" src=\"/sites/default/files/images/grad-2.jpg\" style=\"float:right; height:300px; width:200px\" /></p>\r\n\r\n<p>Three students from the South American country of Guyana are currently pursuing master’s degrees in agricultural regulations from the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff. In addition to regular coursework, they are fulfilling graduate assistantships through work on a UAPB project intended to increase the availability of high-quality sweet potato planting materials to limited-resource farmers both in Guyana and in the Arkansas Delta.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>Ryan Nedd, Tiffanna Ross and Kenisha Gordon – all alumni of the University of Guyana (UG) in Georgetown, Guyana – are being trained in plant breeding, virus-indexing and other molecular techniques at UAPB’s state-of-the-art tissue culture laboratory. An integral part of the UAPB Sweetpotato Foundation Seed Program, the laboratory allows researchers to develop and multiply virus-indexed sweet potato slips. The experience the students gain using UAPB’s resources will aid in the development of a similar facility in Guyana in the coming years.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>“The UAPB School of Agriculture, Fisheries and Human Sciences (SAFHS) will greatly benefit from the contributions of these new recruits to the graduate program in agricultural regulations,” Dr. Edmund Buckner, interim dean/director for SAFHS, said. “Their work will strengthen sweet potato production in Guyana and help build applied research and international Extension capacity at UAPB.”</p>\r\n\r\n<p><img alt=\"\" class=\"m-10 potrait-img\" src=\"/sites/default/files/images/grad-1.jpg\" style=\"float:left; height:300px; width:200px\" /></p>\r\n\r\n<p>At the tissue culture lab, the students are working to breed sweet potato plants with better resistance to common diseases and pests. After hybrid plants are tested in the field, the plant lines deemed healthiest and virus-free will be multiplied for distribution to farmers in Guyana.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>“This project is important for both farmers in Guyana and Arkansas because our sweet potato lines are being developed to increase production and yields,” Gordon said. “Often hindered by lack of access to high-quality planting materials, small-scale and limited-resource farmers will now be able to use these plants to expand their farming operations and foster economic stability within rural areas.”</p>\r\n\r\n<p>Ross said sweet potatoes are packed with nutrients and are an important part of food systems around the world. The increased production of sweet potatoes at local levels in the Delta and in Guyana can lead to health benefits for both populations.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>“I enjoy the in-vitro development and multiplication of virus-free sweet potato plants for student research and production by farmers,” she said. “Just the thought of being a part of a program that aids in improving agricultural science and enhances food production is exhilarating and purposeful. Being able to carry out research on sweet potato DNA and explore new avenues of enhancing this crop for full utilization of its inherent nutritional value is even more remarkable.”</p>\r\n\r\n<p><img alt=\"\" class=\"m-10 potrait-img\" src=\"/sites/default/files/images/grad-3.jpg\" style=\"float:right; height:300px; width:200px\" /></p>\r\n\r\n<p>Nedd said continued cooperation between UAPB, UG and organizations such as the National Agricultural Research and Extension Institute in Guyana will lead to more shared research opportunities for sweet potato crop enhancement. While studying at UAPB, he appreciates the balance between field research opportunities and lessons learned in the classroom.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>“The agricultural regulations curriculum gives UAPB students an edge in learning how to deal with current agricultural and environmental issues, as well as using research to make wiser decisions for the future,” he said. “The master’s program makes you think critically, opens the opportunity for growth through field work and provides access to professors who are very helpful to students and their particular goals. My area of interest has always been agriculture and the environment, and I believe this degree will give me a great advantage in furthering my studies in the area of agricultural and environmental sustainability.”</p>\r\n\r\n<p>Ross said the agricultural regulations degree program is structured to give students a broad familiarity with a wide range of subjects including molecular biology, biochemistry, biotechnology, plant breeding, food safety and food microbiology. The versatile nature of the curriculum ensures students can be hired in a number of areas after graduation. To further prepare students for their future careers, the course hours and requirements are designed to emulate the expectations of a professional in the field.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>“What is most interesting to me is the fact that our lecturers are not only interested in the academic growth of their students, but are also concerned with our preparation for the world of work, life and responsibilities.”</p>\r\n\r\n<p>Gordon said she chose to pursue a master’s degree in agricultural regulations at UAPB to obtain a broad theoretical understanding and practical research experience in the area of food safety and related fields. She believes the degree will propel her toward her career goals of managing and increasing the awareness of agricultural food safety and quality assurance in Guyana.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>In addition to the challenging nature of the degree program, Gordon said she appreciates the campus atmosphere at UAPB and some similarities to her home in Guyana.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>“UAPB is the epitome of cultural diversity because there are people here from different countries and various walks of life, all of whom are genuinely courteous, jovial and welcoming,” she said. “I like that I get to be a part of an environment where people are eager to know about my country, culture and experiences back home, while willing to share their own history. As an international student, this has made my transition easier and my experience so far excellent and fulfilling. Life in Arkansas is fairly quiet, which in many ways reminds me of home.”</p>\r\n\r\n<p>Atricle adapted from:&nbsp;<u><a href=\"https://uapbnews.wordpress.com/2017/06/06/graduate-students-from-guyana-pursue-degrees-in-agricultural-regulations-at-uapb/\">https://uapbnews.wordpress.com/2017/06/06/graduate-students-from-guyana-pursue-degrees-in-agricultural-regulations-at-uapb/</a></u></p>\r\n', '', 'full_html'),
('news', 0, 306, 307, 'und', 0, '<p dir=\"LTR\">Students from the University of Guyana’s Tain Campus can now access courses offered at the University’s Turkeyen Campus without leaving Berbice. This is now possible with the launch of the Teleconferencing Platform, which connects the two campuses.</p>\r\n\r\n<p dir=\"LTR\">UG, in collaboration with the Public Telecommunications Ministry, on Monday launched the Teleconferencing Platform at the Centre for Information Technology (CIT), Turkeyen Campus.</p>\r\n\r\n<p dir=\"LTR\">Vice Chancellor, Professor Ivelaw Griffith said the Platform, donated by Huawei – a China-based company, was just one step towards connecting the University’s campuses. He added that he intended to push the envelope of engagement not only within and between the classrooms, but also in the communities for wider participation.</p>\r\n\r\n<p dir=\"LTR\">Public Telecommunications Minister Cathy Hughes said Government wanted to ensure there was more connectivity between the country’s premier tertiary institution and other stakeholders. “Today, we are celebrating the operation of our teleconferencing facility, which has been given as a gift to UG, and from a macro perspective, this teleconferencing suite is one more step in the march towards creating a higher level of digital connectivity for all citizens of Guyana,” she said.</p>\r\n\r\n<p dir=\"LTR\">“…where we are hoping to take Guyana as a country means that we want to ensure that we can provide, as a Government, more and more digital services online,” Hughes added.</p>\r\n\r\n<p dir=\"LTR\">The Minister revealed that it was hoped that birth registration, passport and driver’s licence applications would be available online since that would be more efficient and less time-consuming. Minister Hughes underscored the importance of the teleconferencing suite, noting that it would allow students from the Tain Campus the opportunity to take courses only offered at the Turkeyen Campus, without the hassle of travelling back and forth between Berbice and Georgetown.</p>\r\n\r\n<p dir=\"LTR\">“With the use of technology we recognise that we can connect distant locations and that, of course, makes it easy for individuals, for students, for teachers in our society and communities to be able to connect. This equipment was a gift from Huawei and they actually presented this to Guyana since 2013. We are excited; I am excited, that finally with the help of capable staff at the ICT [Information and Communications Technology] Department here at UG and with my staff they’ve made the commitment – that guess what? although the instructions for assembling this unit is actually in Mandarin, they decided that they would put their heads together and they have delivered,” Hughes commended.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>She also revealed that the unit would be powered by the Ministry’s e-Government Unit. Hughes added that through the e-Governanace Agency, they have been able to connect 84 schools, 20 educational institutions and created some 56 ICT hubs.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>Article adapted from:&nbsp;<u><a href=\"http://www.inewsguyana.com/ugs-tain-turkeyen-campuses-now-digitally-connected-with-teleconferencing-platform/\">http://www.inewsguyana.com/ugs-tain-turkeyen-campuses-now-digitally-connected-with-teleconferencing-platform/</a></u></p>\r\n', '', 'filtered_html'),
('news', 0, 307, 308, 'und', 0, '<h4><strong>By Dr. Ken Danns</strong></h4>\r\n\r\n<p>I WAS teaching at the University of Guyana during the era of the Desmond Hoyte’s Presidency and that of the succession in government of the PPP/C. I introduced what I termed the “Sociology of Enterprise” as an integral component of my SOC 100: Introduction to Sociology course which had enrolment numbers of between 100 – 150 students annually. The course lasted the duration of the academic year and students were introduced to theories on the origins of capitalism and entrepreneurship and required and trained to enact the role of entrepreneurs. The students were required to come up with a lawful business idea, develop a business plan and operationalise a short-term economic enterprise. This assignment explicitly stated that the more profit students successfully made, relative to their investment of time and money, the higher their grades would be for that assignment.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>The students reported with great pride to the entire class on their rather innovative projects. These projects ranged from food businesses, farming, craft, organising large entertainment ventures, daycare, cleaning and other services, etc. Some of these enterprises have continued long after the class ended. The first couple of years the Sociology of Enterprise students did so as “individual entrepreneurs” or formed groups and worked together as “group entrepreneurs”.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>By the third year while maintaining the individual and group entrepreneurs’ initiatives the entire class was turned into a “corporate enterprise”, complete with a managing board of directors, including a finance director, and board chairman and secretary. My University of Guyana’s sociology class, as a business incubator, initiated and developed successful and enduring projects like “Academic Freedom” a large all day fair held on Easter Monday on the Turkeyen Campus with the tag line “Academic Freedom, you got fuh come”; AWE Society – a theatrical production held at the National Cultural Center and “Miss University of Guyana Beauty Pageant”. In all of these highly successful short term enterprises, repeated for several years, the students actively engaged the business community as advertisers, investors, service providers and the public as consumers. The media, paid and unpaid, were crucial in promoting the students’ ventures. Students understood that all entrepreneurship involved risk taking and that many ventures fail.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>The University of Guyana kept half of all profits made for use of its brand and facilities and these monies were used to buy computers, printers, office furniture, etc. that the university otherwise would not have been able to afford. The board of directors elected by the students accounted for all monies and paid each student from the profits. The Sociology of Enterprise Project maintained an account at Citizen’s Bank leaving a token sum of money in the account so the next year’s class would have some capital to start with.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>I also lived what I preached by creating two successful businesses AWE Society Productions and the Center for Economic and Social Research and Action (CESRA). Many of my students created and sustained their own businesses after leaving the class. Entrepreneurship was not only taught and learned. It was also lived. The hundreds of students who took the course earned marks, money and a creative disposition to innovation and entrepreneurship.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>The biggest problem I had as professor for the course was to convince our Guyanese students that it was okay to make money for themselves from their created enterprises. Students understood readily and eagerly related to the necessity for and challenges of innovation. But, the students in every class kept asking me same thing: “To whom or where do I/we donate the money I/we make”. The idea of engaging in entrepreneurial activities exclusively for personal profit rather than for altruistic purposes made most students feel uncomfortable and seemingly clashed with their value orientations to economic life. For most of the students “profit” was a bad word. The path to success in life consisted of earning a degree and acquiring a “good job”. Becoming an entrepreneur was not on their career radar. It required an epistemological break by students from their current understanding of economic life. I had to act as a “moral entrepreneur” and assured them that making money and a profit for themselves was a good thing. Further, that through their business enterprises they were providing a public service for private good.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>Emerging from it post-colonial socialist past the Guyanese people were largely a nation of job seekers rather than wealth creators. The government was the dominant entrepreneur, followed by foreign enterprises, and the local private sector comprised mainly of family businesses. In addition, there were numerous small farmers, vendors and artisans engaged in “survival entrepreneurship”.</p>\r\n\r\n<h4><strong>Cooperative socialism</strong></h4>\r\n\r\n<p>The Hoyte administration had abandoned cooperative socialism, restored market oriented economic policies and embraced the private sector as the engine of development. The emphasis was on attracting foreign investment – industrialization by invitation – and divesting state-owned enterprises. The PPP/C government maintained this trend and in addition promoted government partnerships with the private sector. While emphasising the role of the conventional private sector in the country’s development, as a reality and an abstraction, these preceding governmental administrations maintained state dominance in the economy and were not very effective in promoting a vibrant entrepreneurial culture in Guyana.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>Of course, survival entrepreneurship as a method to generate “income” rather than “profit” has always existed in Guyana. Tens of thousands of relatively new survival entrepreneurs have emerged unable to rely on paid employment alone from the government or from the private sector. Herein lies a virtual reservoir of untapped entrepreneurial talent waiting for a salubrious policy climate and appropriate incentives like paved roads, transportation, power, potable water and access to local and international markets to explode. Many operate in the informal sector and in the underground economy as “guerilla entrepreneurs”. People are getting their hustle on, starting their own small businesses or at a minimum buying and selling commodities and services. Seems like everybody in Guyana selling something. Guyanese are earnestly seeking to explore entrepreneurial activities outside of their conventional employment. Sugar workers, for example, supplement their seasonal incomes as taxi and minibus drivers, farmers, artisans and shopkeepers.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>A few months ago, I travelled along the coastlands from the University of Guyana’s Turkeyen Campus in Georgetown to its Tain Campus in Berbice. I was fascinated to see the roadside markets in many villages with their bounty of greens, vegetables, colourful fruits, fish, shrimp, crab, chicken, beef, and other commodities tantalisingly displayed. These markets seemed to be flourishing more than ever. I tried only to think of this endless bounty of produce as “organic” and fresh, rather than wondering about their shelf life and what happens to these primary commodities when they are not sold. I tried to think of how very blessed and verdant Guyana is. If you even spit on the soil something will grow. Truly a green economy!</p>\r\n\r\n<p>Most of these small enterprises are wholly dependent on the labour power of these survival entrepreneurs and lack survivability and prospects for transformative growth. A visa to the United States or Canada is a huge incentive to abandon these small enterprises and the country. If only the production of these primary goods can be converted into value added commodities through the application of technology to preserve, to can and to export. If only these vendors can be trained to tap the wind and hot tropical sun as reliable energy sources for manufacture in their communities.</p>\r\n\r\n<h4><strong>Marked departure</strong></h4>\r\n\r\n<p>The two year old APNU/AFC Coalition Government in Guyana has made a marked departure from its predecessors. It is decidedly and openly fostering entrepreneurship to generate employment, stimulate manufacturing and other value added enterprises and in general to give citizens a stake and a say in the development of the country and their communities. President David Granger in urging villagers to develop cottage industries stated: “Get into manufacturing; open packaging plants and factories! Villagers can do simple things by planting guava and using them to make jams and jellies; villages today are empty, so the villagers need to get involved in various manufacturing activities.” Guyana’s Minister of Finance Winston Jordan encouraged residents in the Town of Linden for example to “get involved in business” and assured them that the government will support their entrepreneurship.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>This is a major policy shift where entrepreneurship is seen as a protocol for wealth creation and development not only by the conventional private sector, both local and foreign, but by Guyanese everywhere in the villages and townships. The Guyana government is seemingly cultivating an entrepreneurial culture among its peoples. Remarkable indeed! When the state plays the major and activist role in promoting private entrepreneurship countries develop rapidly. Examples are, China, South Korea, Taiwan and Japan.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>This major paradigm shift in thought on Guyana’s development must of course be accompanied by the conscious recognition that “profit” is not a bad word”. Government regulations and taxation must function as incentives to wealth creation and profit generation rather than onerous burdens and disincentives. Celebrate the generation of wealth and profit. Promoting an entrepreneurial culture in Guyana as a development strategy importantly requires buy in by government administrators and not only its articulation by political leaders. Government bureaucrats must be oriented to stop seeing profit as a bad word. Emergent or established businesses must come to perceive government functionaries as enablers, rather than deadweights and vampires. The caring actions and long term commitment of the government are crucially important for bringing large segments of the vibrant survival entrepreneurship into the formal economic sector and above ground and enabling their sustainability. This is by no means to suggest that emergent business enterprises must be dependent on government for their survival. Private enterprise is economic freedom and a foundation of modern democracy.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>The entrepreneur is important for development. It is through entrepreneurship that the forces of production are organised and revolutionised to create the wealth associated with industrial and postindustrial societies. The generation of profit is a good thing. It must be seen and treated as such by those committed to their own and the country’s development.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>Article adapted from:&nbsp;<u><a href=\"http://guyanachronicle.com/2017/06/05/profit-is-a-bad-word-entrepreneurship-and-the-guyanese-mind\">http://guyanachronicle.com/2017/06/05/profit-is-a-bad-word-entrepreneurship-and-the-guyanese-mind</a></u></p>\r\n', '', 'full_html'),
('event', 0, 308, 309, 'und', 0, '<h2>Student Art Exhibition</h2>\r\n\r\n<h3>UNDER THE THEME: Aspects of Perception The Rennaissance</h3>\r\n\r\n<p>Open on 19th June 2017</p>\r\n\r\n<p>Admission: Free (June 19th - June 24th) Umana Yana, Kingston,&nbsp;Georgetown, Guyana.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>The University of Guyana, Faculty of Education and Humanities proudly presents a Student Art Exhibition under the theme: Aspects of Perception: THE RENAISSANCE. The Exhibition will showcase the works of ten students, which includes:</p>\r\n\r\n<ul class=\"list\">\r\n	<li>Micheal Griffith</li>\r\n	<li>Leevon Brummell</li>\r\n	<li>Aelish Garnett-Williams</li>\r\n	<li>Elodie Cage-Smith</li>\r\n	<li>Sandra LaRocque</li>\r\n	<li>Chelsea Ramotar</li>\r\n	<li>Violet Holder</li>\r\n	<li>Tonya Williams</li>\r\n	<li>Alvina Naughton</li>\r\n	<li>Keisha Beharry</li>\r\n</ul>\r\n', '', 'full_html'),
('news', 0, 314, 315, 'und', 0, '<p>Georgetown, Guyana – (June 15, 2017) First Lady, Mrs. Sandra Granger said that she is confident that the librarians, who completed the Guyana Library Association’s Library Management Workshop, yesterday, are now better equipped with the technological knowledge and skills pertinent to efficiently meeting the modern information needs of clients in a digital era. The First Lady made these comments at the closing ceremony of the workshop, which was hosted at the Education Lecture Theatre of the University of Guyana (UG), East Coast Demerara.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>“The advent of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) has demanded a shift to library and information science… inferring the merger of libraries and information. The fact is that libraries have to adapt to the communication age, not only in the administration of libraries, but also in the ways in which they acquire and lend books and offer services to the communities they serve,” she said.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>The First Lady noted that librarians, who would have used hard copies of documents, magazines and other reading material and the Dewey system of cataloguing, must now upgrade their skills in order to remain relevant, while meeting the needs of current and future generations.</p>\r\n\r\n<p><img alt=\"\" src=\"/sites/default/files/images/sg.JPG\" style=\"width:100%\" /></p>\r\n\r\n<p>“Electronic cataloguing, storage and retrieval of priceless documents of national importance would make it more simple for borrowers to access the information needed, and the librarians, who are custodians of our national depositaries, can breathe easier that their valuable assets will not be maimed, disfigured or, horror of horrors, stolen from their respective collections. This is where librarians recognise the importance of information management, so that the process of acquiring, cataloguing and lending materials, as well as signing up new membership, is done electronically,” she said.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>The three-day workshop, which started on Monday, saw participation from librarians attached to the Guyana Parliament, the National Library, the Bank of Guyana Library, the Guyana National Bureau of Standards, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Library and the University of Guyana Library. It is the first training workshop that the GLA has held since it resuscitated its membership in 2016.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>Secretary of the GLA, Ms. Simone Bernard, said that the group was eager to capitalise on the opportunity to participate in the workshop as in Guyana, library science is a “dying” profession. “Changes in the library environment in recent years have resulted in the need for new skills, new abilities and new knowledge. This new GLA body hopes that workshops such as this one… and other types of training would help our local librarians and library workers to acquire new skills and knowledge that are required to do our day-to-day work, that are required to keep us relevant, that are required to make us useful to our users,” she said.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>The workshop, which was held under the theme “Contemporary Issues in a Library and Information Management” covered topics such as strategic planning in libraries, leadership and quality assurance issues in libraries, all aimed at equipping the librarians with the skills needed to accomplish the goals of their various libraries. The librarians received Certificates of Participation at the closing ceremony.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>The programme was chaired by Mr. Ian Castello, Assistant Librarian-Systems, UG. Ms. Jiselle Alleyne, Campus Librarian/Assistant Professor, University of The Bahamas, who facilitated the workshop, Dr. Fitzroy Yaw, Director of Strategic Initiatives, UG, Ms. Gwyneth George, Chief Librarian, UG, Ms. Emily King, Chief Librarian at the National Library and Dr. Terrence Smith, Deputy Governor of the Bank of Guyana and Ms. Juneann Garnett, President of the Guyana Library Association also attended the ceremony.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>Article adapted from:&nbsp;<u><a href=\"http://www.motp.gov.gy/index.php/2015-07-20-18-49-38/2015-07-20-18-50-14/2224-first-lady-commends-librarians-on-completion-of-library-management-workshop\">http://www.motp.gov.gy/index.php/2015-07-20-18-49-38/2015-07-20-18-50-14/2224-first-lady-commends-librarians-on-completion-of-library-management-workshop</a></u></p>\r\n', '', 'full_html');
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('news', 0, 317, 318, 'und', 0, '<p align=\"left\">The University of Guyana (UG) will host the historic inaugural Diaspora Engagement Conference (DEC 2017) from July 23 to 28, 2017, at the Ramada Georgetown Princess Hotel, under the theme: <strong>Dreaming Diaspora Engagement, Doing Diaspora Engagement.</strong> The Conference is expected to attract over one hundred participants from within and outside Guyana.</p>\r\n\r\n<p align=\"left\">His Excellency President David Granger will host the Welcome Reception on Sunday, July 23 and deliver the keynote address to declare the conference open on Monday, July 24, 2017, while the Opposition Chief Whip, Hon. Gail Teixeira, will deliver the luncheon address on Tuesday, July 25. Additionally, several government ministers, including those for Business, Public Telecommunications, Finance, and Public Health, have confirmed their participation. Video messages also will be coming from Baroness Valerie Amos, director of the School of Oriental and African Studies in the UK, and Ms Gina Miller, founding partner of Spencer Churchill Miller (SCM) Direct, of Brexit fame.</p>\r\n\r\n<p align=\"left\">Additionally, Mr Glen Khan, Chairman of LAPARKAN; Mr David Lammy, British MP; and Mexican Ambassador to Guyana Mr Ivan Roberto Sierra Medel will speak at the conference, along with 40 other keynote speakers and presenters. The Indian High Commission will also share India’s experience in engaging its Diaspora. Guyanese businessmen, academics, and civic leaders scheduled to speak and chair sessions at the conference will be coming from the United States of America, Nigeria, the British Virgin Islands, the United Kingdom, Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica, Canada, and Russia. They will join local civic and business leaders, government officials, diplomats, and academics in discussions on the various panels, the ministerial roundtables, and the business dinner.</p>\r\n\r\n<p align=\"left\">Hosted by the University of Guyana with planning input from local and Diaspora stakeholders, DEC 2017 is organised around two overarching pillars: human, social and entrepreneurship development, and Diaspora philanthropy, diplomacy, and educational engagement. It is expected to provide the platform for developing a diaspora engagement strategy to inform the work of the first Caribbean Diaspora Engagement Center. The launch of the Center is expected to be a major highlight of the six-day conference. According to UG’s Vice-Chancellor Ivelaw Lloyd Griffith, “the conference will contribute to the development of a mechanism to effectively attract diaspora social and economic investment and engage the diaspora in educational and economic development.”</p>\r\n\r\n<p align=\"left\">Brain-child of the Vice-Chancellor, the conference has several components, including academic and policy conversations, community engagement, a Know Guyana Day where local and international attendees will have an opportunity to make day visits to various parts of the country, and the second meeting of UG’s Education Resource Ambassadors. The academic conversations will focus on issues such as international and regional migration policies and experiences, cultural identity dynamics, financial transfers and remittances, role and contribution of hometown associations, diaspora trade and investments, and tourism.</p>\r\n\r\n<p align=\"left\">The historic event will end on Friday, July 28 with two highlights. The first is the Investiture of Professor Ivelaw Lloyd Griffith as UG’s Tenth Vice-Chancellor, the first time a UG Vice-Chancellor will be officially installed as Chief Executive and Chief Academic Officer. The second highlight will be a cultural extravaganza that will be free of cost to conference registrants. The extravaganza is being organised by London-based music icon Mr Keith Waite, and it will spotlight Guyana’s rich cultural diversity at home and abroad. Performers will be coming from Ghana and the UK, and Mr Waithe will be returning to Guyana to serve a second stint as Visiting Distinguished Artiste-in-Residence at the University.</p>\r\n\r\n<p align=\"left\">The period for submission of abstracts has ended. Registration, however, is still open, and can be done online at http://diasporaconference.uog.edu.gy/. Conference participants in Guyana can pay for their registration at Citizen’s Bank locations and at the Bursary at the Turkeyen or the Tain campus. Persons registering now will catch the ‘Early Bird’ rate, which ends on July 1.</p>\r\n\r\n<p align=\"left\">The university appreciates the sponsorship received so far from LAPARKAN, Movie Towne, the Ministry of the Presidency, Fly Jamaica, the Ramada Georgetown Princess Hotel, Caribbean Airlines, Roraima Airways, Metro, Republic Bank, GBTI, ENetworks, Slingshot, Go-Invest,&nbsp; the Ministries of Business and Public Telecommunications, E.C. Vieira Investments Ltd. Guyana, and the Guyana Tourism Authority.</p>\r\n\r\n<p class=\"rtecenter\">###</p>\r\n\r\n<p align=\"left\">For more information contact:</p>\r\n\r\n<p align=\"left\"><strong>Dr Fitzgerald (Gerry) Yaw</strong></p>\r\n\r\n<p align=\"left\"><strong>Director, Office of Strategic Initiatives </strong></p>\r\n\r\n<p align=\"left\"><strong>Vice-Chancellery, </strong></p>\r\n\r\n<p align=\"left\"><strong>The University of Guyana </strong></p>\r\n\r\n<p align=\"left\"><strong>Tel: 592 222 8063 </strong></p>\r\n\r\n<p align=\"left\"><strong>E-mail: ugdiaspora@uog.edu.gy </strong></p>\r\n\r\n<p align=\"left\"><strong>http://diasporaconference.uog.edu.gy</strong></p>\r\n\r\n<p align=\"left\"><strong>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;or</strong></p>\r\n\r\n<p align=\"left\"><strong>Mr Wayne Forde </strong></p>\r\n\r\n<p align=\"left\"><strong>Florida-based member of the Conference Planning Committee </strong></p>\r\n\r\n<p align=\"left\"><strong>Wforde94@gmail.com </strong></p>\r\n\r\n<p align=\"left\">&nbsp;</p>\r\n\r\n<p align=\"left\"><strong>UG IN BRIEF</strong></p>\r\n\r\n<p>With a current enrollment of some 8,000 students, The University of Guyana (UG) has graduated more than 20,000 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 part-time 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 Under-graduate and Post-graduate Programmes including Engineering, Environmental Studies, Forestry, Urban Planning and Management, Tourism Studies, Education, Creative Arts, Economics, Law, Medicine, Optometry and Nursing. Several online programmes are available and The UG also offers extra-mural 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.</p>\r\n\r\n<p align=\"left\">&nbsp;</p>\r\n\r\n<p align=\"left\">Public Relations Division</p>\r\n\r\n<p>June 22, 2017</p>\r\n', '', 'full_html'),
('news', 0, 318, 319, 'und', 0, '<p>AS the University of Guyana (UG) prepares to host a major inaugural diaspora engagement conference, plans are in train for the launch of a Diaspora Engagement Centre in December this year.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>The initiative was announced by the university’s Vice-Chancellor, Dr Ivelaw Griffith, who along with Mexico’s Ambassador to Guyana , Ivan Robero Sierra Medel and other university officials, briefed the media at the Mexican Embassy on Brickdam on Thursday of UG’s upcoming diaspora conference . The event is slated for July 23-28 at the Ramada Georgetown Princess on the East Bank of Demerara.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>According to Dr Griffith, the diaspora centre is being pursued as an avenue to assist the university in working with persons in the diaspora. He said the idea of the establishment of the centre is to enable a permanent entity to facilitate a variety of events over time. These include facilitation of linkages between the university and the diaspora, ”Guyana beyond the university “ and he noted that it is expected that the centre will undertake conferences and hold a talent databank. “One of the things we will be asking the centre to do is to manage that,” he said of the talent database of Guyanese persons.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>Griffith said that one of the outcomes of the conference is a discussion of a concept paper that will advance dialogue on the centre. He said several organisations have been engaged on funding of the facility, noting that the idea presents an opportunity to UG to extend its partnerships beyond Guyana. He said that physical location of the centre has to be decided.” I’m excited about the centre”, Griffith noted.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>Griffith said he anticipates, as part of the diaspora conference, that there will be structured guidance about the timeline leading to the opening of the centre, noting that the facility will be established in a phased process commencing this September.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>As regards the conference, UG is looking to host at 100-150 participants at the event which will be held under the theme, “Dreaming Diaspora Engagement, Doing Diaspora Engagement.” Griffith noted that while persons may not be able to attend, the interest in participation is there. “For me participation in the conference is only a small proportion of interest,” he said.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>The objectives of the conference include engagement of the diaspora in facilitating the pursuit of entrepreneurship, innovations and social and human capital opportunities. In addition, the event will be used to discuss global best practices in diaspora-engagement policies and strengthen partnerships with organisations overseas.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>Griffith said that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has been engaged in many areas in terms of the partnership with the university in the lead-up to the conference. Dr Fitzgerald Yaw, Director of the Office of Strategic Initiatives at UG, noted that the Government of Guyana is reviewing its diaspora-engagement strategy and the university plans to ask the government to launch or discuss the strategy at the conference in July. As regards the Mexican Embassy’s participation in the event, Ambassador Medel noted that he has a good relationship with the university and as such, the embassy is in conversation with the institution as regards the hosting of the event. “We are open to this very important potential area”, he said. Ambassador Medel is among a list of persons who are expected to speak at the conference.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>As part of the calendar of events, President David Granger is expected to host the welcoming reception on the opening day of the event and he is also expected to deliver the keynote address the following day. Opposition Chief Whip, Gail Teixeira, will also speak during the early days of the event, while several government ministers have confirmed their participation.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>In addition, British Member of Parliament, David Lammy, is expected to speak during the conference, while academics, civic leaders, businesspersons and members of the diplomatic community are also expected to participate in the inaugural event. Meanwhile, the conference will see the investiture of Dr Griffith as UG’s 10th Vice-Chancellor on the last day of the event. It is the first time a VC will be officially installed as head of the university. The event’s last day will also be highlighted by a cultural extravaganza and will be organised by London –based musician Keith Waite.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>Article adapted from:&nbsp;<u><a href=\"http://guyanachronicle.com/2017/06/22/ug-to-set-up-diaspora-centre-upbeat-about-upcoming-conference\">http://guyanachronicle.com/2017/06/22/ug-to-set-up-diaspora-centre-upbeat-about-upcoming-conference</a></u></p>\r\n\r\n<p>&nbsp;</p>\r\n\r\n<p>&nbsp;</p>\r\n', '', 'full_html'),
('news', 0, 319, 320, 'und', 0, '<p>The Education Sector is set to be boosted with the signing of a US$13.3M loan by the Minister of Finance, Winston Jordan and World Bank Senior Country Officer, Pierre Nadji. The signing was done in the Ministry of Finance’s boardroom, Lamaha Street, Georgetown today.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>As part of the agreement, money will be allocated to the Ministry of Education for the Education Sector Improvement(ESI). Director of Projects, Management Division, Ministry of Finance, Tarchand Balgobin said, “This is government’s thrust in the development of the Education Sector, bearing in mind the Oil and Gas Sector and personnel training to respond to the developmental challenges that are before us.”</p>\r\n\r\n<p>According to Director of Projects, the new project, the ESI will facilitate the development of a new curriculum framework and teaching guides, teacher training, strengthening of national assessment capacity and development of teaching materials. It is a successor programme to the Secondary Reform Programme.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>The project will also support the University of Guyana’s Health Sciences Facility, Balgobin said. He noted that the loan will aid the University in achieving and maintaining regional accreditation for its medical programme through improved and sustained teaching quality.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>The Projects Director explained that a new Health Sciences Education building, with modern training and laboratory facilities, will be constructed. The Ministry of Education will be the implementing Ministry for this project.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>Additionally, a US$6M loan was signed for a National Payment System. The system is a technology driven process that seeks to engender and facilitate financial and other commercial transactions. Balgobin explained that, “What this does is to improve the way cash is handled in Guyana.” He said that it is more than the physical money transactions, the system includes the legal and regulatory framework, the institution policies, rules, regulations and procedures. The Bank of Guyana will be the implementer of this project.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>Balgobin added that the Information Technology system is very important. He pointed out that this system drives the&nbsp;</p>\r\n\r\n<p>electronic transfers and the clearing house mechanisms. He noted that the system affects both the national as well as the international economy and is an indispensable system ecommerce age.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>He further said that the system will be applied to governmental transactions which include the Public Sector Payroll, The Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA), the National Insurance Scheme (NIS), government pensions among others.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>Balgobin said that it is envisaged that the system will roll-out to include all commercial transaction nationally. He explained that the Private Sector is expected to be a key stakeholder in the process as, “the system takes foot and becomes effective across the board.” This initiative will see Guyana forward towards the ecommerce industry.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>Following the conclusion of the most recent Country Development strategy between the World Bank and government a significant increase in concessional resources has been announced for Guyana (approximately US$ 90M).</p>\r\n\r\n<p>Looking ahead, government intends to focus this development support in the improvements to the Linden Soesdyke Highway; selected important technical assistance support to the emerging Oil and Gas Sector including studies, institutional development and capacity building and on a policy based lending facility, among other areas.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>Article adapted from:&nbsp;<u><a href=\"http://gina.gov.gy/two-world-bank-loans-signed-for-education-sector-and-the-national-payment-system/\">http://gina.gov.gy/two-world-bank-loans-signed-for-education-sector-and-the-national-payment-system/</a></u></p>\r\n', '', 'full_html'),
('news', 0, 320, 321, 'und', 0, '<p>The University of Guyana(UG) is partnering with Mexico to deliver its School of Entrepreneurship and Business Innovation programme.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>Vice Chancellor of UG, Professor Dr. Ivelaw Griffith at a recent press conference said that Mexico, through the local embassy, has committed to providing an instructor in the Spanish language for the new programme.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>“We’re asking every student that graduates from that School of Entrepreneurship and Business Innovation has one language other than English. Spanish will be one of those languages; Mandarin will be one of those languages and Portuguese,” Professor Griffith explained.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>“Mexico through its embassy and the UG have been developing over the last year several different strands of partnership,” the Vice Chancellor said. In May, the Mexican Embassy sponsored a presenter to participate in the Turkeyen and Taine Talks on the oil and gas sector.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>The UG has been restructuring its curriculum to meet the practical capacities of the local business community.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>UG has been developing partnerships and “friendships” with local and international partners as part of its renaissance movement. The Vice Chancellor noted the renaissance project seeks to take different non-traditional paths and build friendships and partnerships in a variety of ways to improve the functioning of the University.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>Article adapted from:&nbsp;<u><a href=\"http://gina.gov.gy/ug-partners-with-mexico-for-school-of-entrepreneurship-business-innovation/\">http://gina.gov.gy/ug-partners-with-mexico-for-school-of-entrepreneurship-business-innovation/</a></u></p>\r\n', '', 'filtered_html'),
('news', 0, 321, 322, 'und', 0, '<p>&nbsp;</p>\r\n\r\n<p>Although they are not named among the most popular programmes offered, those that fall under Medical Rehabilitation at the University of Guyana [UG] are no less important, especially when they suffer from conditions that limit the effective functioning of various aspects of their anatomy.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>The knowledge gained from courses such as Bachelor’s Degrees in Physiotherapy, Speech-Language, Audiology and Occupational Therapy have long been found to be very instrumental in this regard.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>It was against this background that the Rehabilitation Department of the Ministry of Health decided to collaborate with UG a few years ago to realise the Medical Rehabilitation programme. Thus far, the programme, which falls under the purview of the Faculty of Health Sciences, has graduated two batches consisting of not more than 12 individuals.<br />\r\nAccording to Dean of the Faculty of Health Sciences, Dr. Emanuel Cummings, although the numbers are few, offering the Medical Rehabilitation programmes is still very relevant. He noted that while it was introduced as a general Rehabilitation Services Degree, the university with the support of the American Speech-Language- Hearing Association [ASHA], was able to apply some modification touches.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>Under the broad heading of Medical Rehabilitation, the Rehabilitation Services programmes are coordinated by Dr. Shaine Villareal of the Philippines. The programme has also been gaining immense support from Peace Corps Guyana which has been bringing to Guyana very experienced professionals to assist with lecture sessions.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>Also, local doctors who were trained in Cuba, and elsewhere, have also been lending lecture support. Other trained professionals within the public health sector have also been contributing their services.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>Despite the high quality of the programme being offered, Dr. Cummings admitted that very few persons are attracted to the programme. He, however, attributed this to the fact that “these [programmes] are all new health care profession training [at an advanced level] to Guyana.” He explained that the Ministry of Health, several years ago, only offered such training at a certificate level.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>The certificate programmes were offered for a period of 18 months and allowed persons to be trained in the various areas of rehabilitation services. Once completed these individuals would be qualified at the Assistant level and employed within the public health sector throughout the country.<br />\r\nHowever, with the higher level training at UG, the health sector is now in a position to recruit more qualified persons to cater to its delivery of rehabilitation services, according to Dr. Cummings.<br />\r\nAmong those who have already taken advantage of the programme is Christine Alphonso. The ambitious young woman revealed that even after she had commenced studies at UG in the area of Biology she was not aware that the institution was offering a programme such a Medical Rehabilitation.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>She confided that her interest in sports would have undoubtedly caused her to be attracted to the programme had she been aware of its existence. Moreover, when she learnt of the programme through a friend, Alphonso said that she immediately made a switch. She chose to pursue training in Physiotherapy and last year graduated among the second batch of students to have completed UG’s Medical Rehabilitation programme.&nbsp;She passed with distinction.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>Alphonso is currently a Physical Therapist attached to an arm of the Rehabilitation Department of the Ministry of Public Health which is located at the Brickdam, Georgetown Palms Geriatric Home.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>It was rather simple to enter the programme, according to Alphonso, who explained that once persons would have attained success at the Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate examination, complete with Mathematics, English and a Science Subject, they can apply for the programme.<br />\r\n“I wanted to do this [physiotherapy] because I like sports a lot but I really didn’t realise that the rehabilitation programme entailed so much. You can help not just athletes or persons with sports related injuries but now I can even help people who suffer from stroke, arthritis, spinal cord injury and a lot of other conditions…once you have a limitation in movement you are referred for therapy and people really can get better,” asserted Alphonso.<br />\r\nShe finds joy offering therapy to the several persons she has been assigned since joining the department in January.<br />\r\nRecruiting persons, such as Alphonso, back into the public health care system is indeed among the objectives of the programme, according to Health Sciences Dean.<br />\r\n“The programmes we offer are geared at improving the quality of life for persons who have a disability so that they can be incorporated back into society so if we are able to train one person and put them to work in audiology, for instance, that is a jack pot for us….there was a time when we didn’t have anybody.”<br />\r\nThe Dean said that UG will be working in close collaboration with organisations such as ASHA to have some of its very successful graduates have access to even more advance training.<br />\r\nDr. Cummings hopes that more persons will gravitate to the programme so that they too can benefit from training that can ultimately help to improve the delivery of service offered locally.<br />\r\nThe Dean is convinced that with proper career guidance more students could be aware of the variety of programmes offered, not only at the vanguard faculty, but at faculties throughout the university.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>Article adapted from:&nbsp;<u><a href=\"http://www.kaieteurnewsonline.com/2017/06/22/ug-rehabilitation-programme-graduates-few-health-sciences-dean/\">http://www.kaieteurnewsonline.com/2017/06/22/ug-rehabilitation-programme-graduates-few-health-sciences-dean/</a></u></p>\r\n', '', 'filtered_html'),
('news', 0, 322, 323, 'und', 0, '<p>A great video showcasing a STEMGuyana achievement. Thanks to Mr Dwayne Hackett for this outstanding production. Check out this video, then contact stemguyana@gmail.com about creating a STEM club in your community.</p><iframe width=\"560\" height=\"315\" src=\"https://www.youtube.com/embed/0dciWWC3ZVA\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen></iframe>', '', 'full_html'),
('news', 0, 323, 324, 'und', 0, '<p>Any university that has suffered the kind of neglect that the University of Guyana [UG] has experienced needs not only money to recover, but other support as well. This assertion was made during the past week by UG Vice Chancellor, Professor Ivelaw Griffith. It was with this, among other things, in mind, that the University has collaborated with key stakeholders to organise a Diaspora Engagement Conference [DEC] which is slated for July 23 – 28, 2017 at the Ramada Princess Hotel, Providence, East Bank Demerara.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>At a recent press conference held at the Mexico Embassy – which is also collaborating with UG to convene the DEC – Professor Griffith said, “we will be asking, and have been asking Diaspora Guyanese and non-Guyanese, not only to give money. We are not only looking for help in monetary ways, but we are also looking for people to open doors…part of it is monetary; part of it is non-monetary.”</p>\r\n\r\n<p>As such, the intent of the Conference, is to ascertain, “how Diaspora Guyanese and non-Guyanese can help to give not only financially, but time, treasure, talent and open doors to help us connect, to help our students, help our faculty, help our university overall”. According to Professor Griffith, the week-long Conference, which was in the making for just under one year, will not take on a traditional form.\\</p>\r\n\r\n<p>“We are spending a week doing a variety of things; only two days of which are the traditional conversations, but those conversations are not only by academics…we have businessmen, we have civic society, we have diplomats, we have government officials as part of the conversation mix,” Professor Griffith noted. The DEC will see Guyanese participants travelling from as far as Nigeria, Russia, the United States, Jamaica, Trinidad and other countries. In fact, the event is even slated to be attended by the President of the Caribbean Development Bank.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>President David Granger is scheduled to host the welcome reception and deliver a keynote address to declare the conference officially opened. Speakers will include: People’s Progressive Party Chief Whip, Ms. Gail Teixeira, several ministers of Government, and it is expected that there will be video messages from Baroness Valerie Amos, Director of the School of Oriental and African Studies in the United Kingdom and Gina Mille, the founding partner of Spencer Churchill Miller, an investment company of Brexit fame.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>Other speakers will include Mexican Ambassador, Mr. Ivan Roberto Sierra Medel; Mr. Glen Khan, Chairman of LAPARKAN and Mr. David Lammy, British Member of Parliament. And since Guyana’s Diaspora and Guyana’s homeland have a wonderful cultural diversity, the Vice Chancellor added that “we want to end the conference by showcasing some of the cultural diversity, that mix of music, and dance and culture.” This will translate to a cultural extravaganza also on the last day of the conference which is being organised by renowned flautist Keith Waithe.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>Waithe, who is one of Guyana’s musical icons, resides in London. According to Professor Griffith, he had a hand in including Waithe in the Conference, “to be our distinguished artist and resident. He will be coming back in that role. He will be organising Guyanese at home and in the Diaspora for that extravaganza that showcases the right talent of our races, culture, our sports.”</p>\r\n\r\n<p>Tasked with the role of being Chairman of the Planning Committee of the entire conference is Dr. Fitzgerald Yaw, UG’s Director of the Office of Strategic Initiatives. Dr. Yaw returned to Guyana last year August to take up the appointment at UG. According to him, he has returned to work with the University and help the Vice Chancellor with the project of rebuilding and restoring UG to the place it has to hold in the development of Guyana.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>As such, the Conference is expected to play an integral role in this regard. Dr. Yaw has been working with a diverse group both in Guyana and other parts of the world, helping to organise the Conference.<br />\r\n“Working in Guyana and seeing the challenges directly, living in it really just reinforces for me the importance of the Diaspora in the rebuilding of Guyana…” Dr. Yaw noted, even as he disclosed that the Conference is one that is expected to lead to the establishment of a Diaspora Centre at UG, that will help to deepen and strengthen the engagement of the Diaspora with Guyana and the Caribbean too.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>As such, the Conference is expected to play an integral role in this regard. Dr. Yaw has been working with a diverse group both in Guyana and other parts of the world, helping to organise the Conference.<br />\r\n“Working in Guyana and seeing the challenges directly, living in it really just reinforces for me the importance of the Diaspora in the rebuilding of Guyana…” Dr. Yaw noted, even as he disclosed that the Conference is one that is expected to lead to the establishment of a Diaspora Centre at UG, that will help to deepen and strengthen the engagement of the Diaspora with Guyana and the Caribbean too.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>“We are not saying that the Diaspora is not being engaged… we all know that it is. It is just a matter that we want to deepen and enhance it,” related Dr. Yaw. Persons locally and broad, including students, business persons, among others are encouraged to register to participate in the Conference. Registration is being done at varying costs to the participants. But according to Professor Griffith, the hosting of the Conference will have significant economic benefit for Guyana as a whole. “Think of what this week – even if we have only 200 people come to this Conference, think of what that does to an economy. Each of those people who comes for the investiture from abroad, paying an airfare, part of it comes to this country, staying at a hotel, part of it comes here, taking the taxi around, buying souvenirs…there is economic value added,” Professor Griffith asserted.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>Article adapted from:&nbsp;<u><a href=\"http://www.kaieteurnewsonline.com/2017/06/26/economic-gains-anticipated-from-ugs-diaspora-conference-vice-chancellor/\">http://www.kaieteurnewsonline.com/2017/06/26/economic-gains-anticipated-from-ugs-diaspora-conference-vice-chancellor/</a></u></p>\r\n', '', 'filtered_html'),
('book', 0, 324, 325, 'und', 0, '<h1 class=\"rtecenter\">&nbsp;</h1>\r\n\r\n<h1 class=\"rtecenter\">COMING SOON!</h1>\r\n', '', 'full_html'),
('book', 0, 325, 326, 'und', 0, '<h1 class=\"rtecenter\">&nbsp;</h1>\r\n\r\n<h1 class=\"rtecenter\">COMING SOON!</h1>\r\n', '', 'full_html'),
('book', 0, 326, 327, 'und', 0, '<h1 class=\"rtecenter\">&nbsp;</h1>\r\n\r\n<h1 class=\"rtecenter\">COMING SOON!</h1>\r\n', '', 'full_html'),
('book', 0, 327, 328, 'und', 0, '<h1 class=\"rtecenter\">&nbsp;</h1>\r\n\r\n<h1 class=\"rtecenter\">COMING SOON!</h1>\r\n\r\n<p>&nbsp;</p>\r\n', '', 'full_html'),
('book', 0, 328, 329, 'und', 0, '<p>&nbsp;</p>\r\n\r\n<h1 class=\"rtecenter\">COMING SOON!</h1>\r\n', '', 'full_html'),
('book', 0, 329, 330, 'und', 0, '<h1 class=\"rtecenter\">&nbsp;</h1>\r\n\r\n<h1 class=\"rtecenter\">Coming Soon!</h1>\r\n', '', 'full_html'),
('event', 0, 331, 332, 'und', 0, '<p class=\"rtecenter\">The Tenth Vice-Chancellor and Principal of the&nbsp;<strong>University of Guyana</strong></p>\r\n\r\n<p class=\"rtecenter\"><strong><em>Professor Ivelaw Lloyd Griffith</em></strong></p>\r\n\r\n<p class=\"rtecenter\">invites you to the 2017 Walter Rodney Chair Lecture Series</p>\r\n\r\n<p class=\"rtecenter\"><strong>See photo for more details</strong></p>\r\n', '', 'filtered_html'),
('event', 0, 332, 333, 'und', 0, '<p class=\"rtecenter\">The University of Guyana</p>\r\n\r\n<p class=\"rtecenter\">requests your presence at</p>\r\n\r\n<h4 class=\"rtecenter\"><strong>The Investiture of</strong></h4>\r\n\r\n<h4 class=\"rtecenter\"><strong>Professor Ivelaw Llyod Griffith</strong></h4>\r\n\r\n<p class=\"rtecenter\">as The Tenth Vice-Chancellor of</p>\r\n\r\n<p class=\"rtecenter\">the University of Guyana</p>\r\n\r\n<p class=\"rtecenter\">Friday, July 28, 2017</p>\r\n\r\n<p class=\"rtecenter\">16:00hr</p>\r\n\r\n<p class=\"rtecenter\">George Walcott Lecture Theatre</p>\r\n\r\n<p class=\"rtecenter\">Turkeyen Campus, The University of Guyana</p>\r\n\r\n<p class=\"rtecenter\">Greater Georgetown, Guyana</p>\r\n\r\n<p class=\"rtecenter\">&nbsp;</p>\r\n\r\n<p class=\"rtecenter\"><em>R.S.V.P. by July 14, 2017</em></p>\r\n\r\n<p class=\"rtecenter\"><em>Telephone: (592) 222-5575</em></p>\r\n\r\n<p class=\"rtecenter\"><em>Email: investiture@uog.edu.gy</em></p>\r\n', '', 'filtered_html'),
('event', 0, 333, 334, 'und', 0, '<h2 class=\"rtecenter\"><strong>INVITATION</strong></h2>\r\n\r\n<p class=\"rtecenter\">The Tenth Vice-Chancellor of the University of Guyana</p>\r\n\r\n<h4 class=\"rtecenter\"><strong>Professor Ivelaw Lloyd Griffith</strong></h4>\r\n\r\n<p class=\"rtecenter\">requests the pleasure of your company at</p>\r\n\r\n<h4 class=\"rtecenter\"><strong>School of Entrepreneurship&nbsp;</strong></h4>\r\n\r\n<h4 class=\"rtecenter\"><strong>&amp; Business Innovation (SEBI)</strong></h4>\r\n\r\n<h4 class=\"rtecenter\"><strong>Launch &amp; Cocktail Reception</strong></h4>\r\n\r\n<p class=\"rtecenter\">Date: Friday, July 7, 2017 | Time: 17:00h</p>\r\n\r\n<p class=\"rtecenter\">Venue: Duke Lodge, 94 Duke Street, Kingston, Georgetown</p>\r\n\r\n<p class=\"rtecenter\">Dress: Business Casual</p>\r\n\r\n<p class=\"rtecenter\"><em>Please RSVP to&nbsp;<u><a href=\"mailto:tamika.profitt@uog.edu.gy?subject=SEBI%20Launch%20%26%20Cocktail%20Reception%20RSVP\">tamika.profitt@uog.edu.gy</a>&nbsp;</u>by July 4, 2017</em></p>\r\n', '', 'filtered_html'),
('event', 0, 334, 335, 'und', 0, '<p>The University of Guyana - PACE will be hosting Turkeyen and Tain Talks 8 under the theme: Youth, Crime and Violence. The event is sponsored by UNICEF (Guyana) and Pegasus Hotel.</p>\r\n', '', 'filtered_html'),
('news', 0, 335, 336, 'und', 0, '<p>A serious, protracted pilfering situation has been listed among the factors that have been hampering the development of the University of Guyana [UG]. In fact, the Guyana Police Force a few months ago was called in to investigate reports of theft from the Centre for Information Technology [CIT].</p>\r\n\r\n<p>But according to UG Vice Chancellor and Principal, Professor Ivelaw Griffith, during an interview with this publication, CIT is not the only department of the university to be so plagued. The situation, he informed, is far-reaching and has translated to millions worth of items disappearing from various departments of the University.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>This state of affairs has undoubtedly helped to contribute to the financial challenge that UG has been faced with over time.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>“If we have to replace 17, 18, 19 million dollars a year of stuff, how can we progress as a university? These are equipment for classrooms, for offices, even some of the contractors [are stealing]; stuff are just being stolen from this University,” Professor Griffith related.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>“This University has a lot of theft,” stressed the unapologetic Principal of the national university.&nbsp; And according to him, he has made no secret of the state of affairs, but rather, has shared information he has compiled in this regard with both staff and the student body as well.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>“I’ve publicly said we don’t have drones coming… [so] it is staff or students, or people facilitated by staff or students, who are coming and stealing stuff.”</p>\r\n\r\n<p>Professor Griffith said that during a meeting with Union representatives, for instance, he made it clear to them that “you have an obligation to help us deal with that…there are things that we have to do if we want a different environment.”</p>\r\n\r\n<p>“We have to look ourselves in the mirror and say ‘who is going to fix these things?’ It has got to be us,” the Vice Chancellor asserted.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>In fact, Professor Griffith said that in his quest to be transparent and share information, even before turning the CIT allegations over to the police, he had had the discussions with the unions of the university – the University of Guyana Workers’ Union and the University of Guyana Senior Staff Association.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>It was only after this, he said, that “I called in the CID and they started with that building. What I said to the unions is that I am turning this matter over to the police, and the chips will fall where they may. When the CID is done with its investigation whomever they want to prosecute, I will say go right ahead.”</p>\r\n\r\n<p>This happened a few a months ago. But according to Vice Chancellor Griffith, he has since learnt that there is an even greater pilfering problem within the maintenance department of the university.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>According to the Vice Chancellor, he got information that suggests that the skulduggery in that department might have surpassed what has already been brought to the attention of the university’s administration.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>“I said I know [what’s going on] but I didn’t know the full extent of it, but I have already put [the] Maintenance [Department] on warning that I am coming to them next,” Professor Griffith stated.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>According to the Vice Chancellor, when one takes into consideration the persons who are already being investigated, there is a nexus between them and some people associated with the university.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>During the month of April, Professor Griffith had called in the Police Force to investigate the allegations of theft of equipment and misconduct of staff members of CIT. The Manager of the Centre and several employees were sent on leave as an interim measure to allow the investigation to proceed without disruption of evidence, and to preserve a safe, orderly, and professional work environment. A temporary manager was identified to oversee the operations of the Centre during the conduct of the investigation which, Professor Griffith said yesterday, was ongoing.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>Additionally, there are reports coming out from UG that the Ministry of Public Telecommunications was asked to conduct a forensic audit of the CIT operations at the Turkeyen and Berbice campuses and the four centres of the Institute of Distance and Continuing Education located at Anna Regina, Georgetown, Linden and New Amsterdam.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>Article adapted from:&nbsp;<u><a href=\"http://www.kaieteurnewsonline.com/2017/06/29/ugs-development-hampered-by-serious-pilfering-problem-vice-chancellor/\">http://www.kaieteurnewsonline.com/2017/06/29/ugs-development-hampered-by-serious-pilfering-problem-vice-chancellor/</a></u></p>\r\n', '', 'filtered_html'),
('news', 0, 336, 337, 'und', 0, '<p>Some basic things to ensure the efficient management of the University of Guyana [UG] have been neglected for so many years that some people have accepted them as the norm.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>This was the assertion of Vice Chancellor of the national university, Professor Ivelaw Griffith.<br />\r\n“There are some things for the management; for the efficiency of the economics and operations [that] we have neglected for years, so much so that people think it’s normal.<br />\r\nIt is a university that has been so accustomed to managing on a shoe-string budget that people think that anytime you do a little, you are being profligate.”<br />\r\nThe Vice Chancellor’s remarks were forthcoming in response to concerns about allegations that his appointment of a number of senior officials at the national university has resulted in the institution becoming ‘top heavy’.<br />\r\nThe University last year released information to the effect that on August 22, 2016, the Finance and General Purpose Committee (F&amp;GPC) – the second highest policy-making body after the Council – approved a proposal by the Vice Chancellor Griffith to comprehensively restructure the university’s leadership.<br />\r\nThis move, it was revealed, was designed to create greater levels of efficiency and effectiveness and set the stage for innovation in academic and non-academic areas. The changes, which became effective on October 1, 2016, entailed having Dr Michael Scott, the immediate past Dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences, become Deputy Vice- Chancellor (DVC) of Academic Engagement.<br />\r\nThe former DVC of Academics, Dr Barbara Reynolds, was named DVC for Planning and International Engagement, a new entity intended to streamline and extend UG’s international relationships and build new grant, research, and other relationships with other universities and with international organizations.<br />\r\nDr Paloma Mohamed, a former Director for the Centre for Communication Studies and a former Dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences, now occupies the newly-created position of DVC of Philanthropy, Alumni and Civic Engagement (PACE), which has the mandate to enhance UG’s fund-raising, rebranding, alumni relationships, and public interchange, all of which are said to be crucial to the University’s renaissance.<br />\r\nAdded to this, the new administrative team was expected to be strengthened with the establishment of an Office of Strategic Initiatives in the Vice Chancellery, to undertake institutional strengthening, project management, and allied services.<br />\r\nAppointed to head this area is Dr. Fitzgerald Yaw, Consultant on Governance, Sustainability, and Economic Development, who has worked across the Americas and the Caribbean.<br />\r\nAdded to this, Ms Karen Wishart, who was the Programme Officer in the Office of the Vice-Chancellor, was promoted to the first Chief of Staff in the Vice-Chancellery.<br />\r\nThis promotion was said to coincide with the renaming of the Senior Administrative Group to the Vice- Chancellor’s Cabinet, which includes the DVCs, Registrar, Bursar, Human Resources Director, Director of the Berbice Campus, the Legal Officer—another new position—the Director of the Office of Strategic Initiatives, and the Chief of Staff.<br />\r\nBut there have been numerous concerns voiced that the size of the university does not warrant the magnitude of appointments.<br />\r\nVice Chancellor Griffith, however, made it clear that while the proposal was his to present, it certainly wasn’t suddenly conjured up upon his appointment as the principal of the university.<br />\r\nHe explained that the University over the years benefited from a number of assessment studies intended to help improve its operation.<br />\r\nAmong the most recent, was one completed by Hamilton Associates in 2012. The assessment in question, Professor Griffith said, not only recognised that the university was neglected in terms of its human capital, but went on to outline that it did not have sufficient lecturers or administrators for that matter.<br />\r\nHe underscored that the one of the things that the Hamilton Report highlighted is that “the university is too big and part of why it has not done well is that it is running on a shoe-string budget, both on the lecturers’ side and on the administrative side.”<br />\r\nPart of the recommendation to help address the shortcomings of the University that is detailed in the Report is the appointment of at least four Deputy Vice Chancellors in addition to the Vice Chancellor.<br />\r\nBut according to Professor Griffith, although he saw the need for the recommended measures to be implemented, “I said we can’t afford four [but] let’s move from one to three.” In fact, he noted that among the neglected human resource area of the university is the lack of a Civil Engineer, an Attorney and even a Chief Accountant.<br />\r\n“Partly because of the low salaries at this university, both on the teaching and administrative sides, we have had difficulty recruiting people,” said Professor Griffith, as he related that the recommendation for an augmented staff did not even taken into consideration the university’s current 8,000-plus student population.<br />\r\nMoreover, Professor Griffith has said, “what I have begun to do, and I make no apologies for doing this, is to try to right-size both the teaching staff and the administrative staff.”<br />\r\n“How are we going to get grants if we don’t have people to write them? How do you get the alumni to give back if you don’t have the mechanisms? How do you get the corporations to give, if you don’t have people who will wine and dine them and follow up with them?” questioned the Vice Chancellor as he added, “There is a lot of vacuous, misinformed commentary about big spending.”<br />\r\nThe Vice Chancellor also made it clear that “I am going to always make the right decisions for the right reasons, irrespective of the criticisms, because sometimes the people don’t know the facts…So I would say to anyone the documents are there.”</p>\r\n\r\n<p>Article adapted from:&nbsp;<u><a href=\"http://www.kaieteurnewsonline.com/2017/06/30/vice-chancellor-justifies-several-senior-appointments-at-national-university/\">http://www.kaieteurnewsonline.com/2017/06/30/vice-chancellor-justifies-several-senior-appointments-at-national-university/</a></u></p>\r\n', '', 'filtered_html'),
('news', 0, 337, 338, 'und', 0, '<p>The University of Guyana (UG) on Friday evening launched its School of Entrepreneurship and Business Innovation (SEBI), with the goal of educating and developing leaders and managers to contribute to the advancement of the nation.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>Speaking at the launch at Duke Lodge, UG Vice-Chancellor Professor Ivelaw Griffith thanked those who helped make the vision of the business school a reality, while saying that it represented a partnership to creating opportunities for not only entrepreneurship in thinking and dreaming, but entrepreneurship in doing.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>Griffith said the SEBI would begin tuition from the next semester as a team, led by UG’s Deputy Vice-Chancellor of Planning and International Engagement Dr Barbara Reynolds, has already been created to start working towards delivery.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>SEBI programmes, Griffith said, will facilitate&nbsp;significant cross-discipline collaboration, allowing students in other areas to participate. He also said its programmes and courses would be internationally-accredited.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>Professor Leyland Lucas, Visiting Professor in Business Strategy and Dean Designate of SEBI, told the launch that while the nation needs change, it also needs an institution responsive to its needs and one that ensures that it provides the skills, competencies and capabilities needed to move forward.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>He noted that SEBI’s programmes, which will include undergraduate degree programmes in Accounting, Entrepreneur-ship, Finance, General Management, Supply Chain Management and Tourism, and graduate-level programmes in Entrepreneurship, Management, General Management and Sustainable Develop-ment, can all move the country forward.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>Lucas, who also addressed concerns about accreditation of the programmes offered by the school, said that it will be accredited by one of the premier accrediting institutions in the world. He assured those in attendance that the degrees earned from SEBI will be recognised globally as the institution is establishing relationships with other entities to ensure professional certification.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>Giving his congratulatory remarks at the launch, Ambassador of Mexico to Guyana Ivan Roberto Sierra Medel was optimistic that SEBI will jumpstart Guyana’s economic development. He anticipated too that the school will bring together academia and the private sector, Georgetown and the hinterland, and Guyanese around the world. “Somebody has to provide the specific training not only in strategy to tap into markets but in harvesting the tremendous friendship that can be part in successful economic engagements with the world,” the Ambassador said. “SEBI can become the strategic asset to take advantage of international business practices and successful experiences in the specific field of doing business,” he added.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>SEBI has emerged from exhaustive engagements between the university and both the public and private sectors, as well as the intellectual effort of a feasibility study team that included highly qualified Guyanese in the diaspora, many of whom hold key administrative and academic positions at highly reputable universities in the United States.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>Article adapted from:&nbsp;<u><a href=\"https://www.stabroeknews.com/2017/news/stories/07/09/ug-launches-business-school/\">https://www.stabroeknews.com/2017/news/stories/07/09/ug-launches-business-school/</a></u></p>\r\n', '', 'filtered_html');
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('news', 0, 338, 339, 'und', 0, '<p>IN keeping with the constantly changing economic environment, the University of Guyana (UG) on Friday launched its School of Entrepreneurship and Business Innovation (SEBI) with the aim of moving away from conventional teaching.<br />\r\nMembers of the private sector, the education sector and other stakeholders gathered at the Roraima Duke Lodge in Kingston to witness the unveiling of the banner bearing the insignia of the new faculty.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>The new school, which is set to open at the start of the new semester in September, will offer new undergraduate and graduate degrees, executive degrees and short-term programmes.<br />\r\nStudents who were engaged in management studies through the university’s Social Sciences Faculty will be able to continue their studies under the new school, and even be able to pursue areas such as accounting, finance, and supply chain management among other things.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>“Some of what is happening is, we will be shifting the management department and offering new degree programmes such as entrepreneurship,” Vice-Chancellor, Professor Ivelaw Griffith said at the opening.<br />\r\n“Also, we will not be waiting to offer degrees, because we will have a number of courses and specifically tailored programmes that can be done in days, weeks and even months,” he added.<br />\r\nAs opposed to the Faculty of Social Sciences, the school will be moving away from just creating opportunities for entrepreneurship in thinking and dreaming, and looking towards entrepreneurship in doing.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>In order to ensure the desired outcomes, a thorough feasibility study into the project was done after the idea was first mooted in 2016.<br />\r\nThe process included local, regional and international stakeholders, who explored several ideas that were later conceptualised into the school’s curriculum.<br />\r\nProfessor Griffith alluded to the inclusivity of the project, pointing out that stakeholders visited areas in Regions Six (East Berbice-Corentyne), Two (Pomeroon-Supenaam) and 10 (Upper Demerara-Upper Berbice) in order to hear the views of persons who will potentially benefit from the SEBI.</p>\r\n\r\n<h4><strong>DELIVERING THE PRODUCT</strong></h4>\r\n\r\n<p>“We have come a long way, and we intend to start delivering the product this coming semester,” Professor Griffith said, adding:<br />\r\n“We have already sent out the implementation team, members of the technical unit and other persons in all the elements of the university who are working towards the actualisation.”</p>\r\n\r\n<p>The team, he said, is now in the process of building the capacity of staff by hiring lecturers and administrative professionals.<br />\r\nThe Dean Designate of SEBI, Professor Leyland Lucas, followed up on what the Vice-Chancellor said, adding that they have recognised the changes in the needs of the nation; therefore an institution that is responsive to its needs is necessary to ensure that the nation has the right skills, competence and capabilities.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>“Everything we have set up here is geared towards providing the nation with what it needs to move forward in both the public and private sectors,” Professor Lucas said.<br />\r\nTheir mandate is expected to be carried out through a system called “ESCAPE” (Ethics, Superiority, Academics, Professionalism and Engagement).<br />\r\nESCAPE, he said, will be complemented by CEED-Centre for Entrepreneurship and Economic Development, which will let persons who are majoring in other fields join forces with those in the management fraternity and create a money-making initiative.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>Mexico’s Ambassador to Guyana, Mr Ivan Sierra Medel, was also in support of the intervention, noting that SEBI can become the strategic asset to take advantage of international best practices and successful experiences in specific fields of doing business.<br />\r\nHe, however, suggested that in order to have dialogue with the world, UG needs to introduce aspects such as foreign languages, internships, mentoring and confidence-building at the school.<br />\r\nMembers of the private sector echoed similar sentiments, but pointed out that tertiary education has remained stagnant for a while, so in order to tap into new opportunities, the work of SEBI will be necessary in developing the countries’ human capital.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>Article adapted from:&nbsp;<u><a href=\"http://guyanachronicle.com/2017/07/09/ug-launches-innovative-business-school\">http://guyanachronicle.com/2017/07/09/ug-launches-innovative-business-school</a></u></p>\r\n', '', 'full_html'),
('news', 0, 339, 340, 'und', 0, '<p>Guyana hopes to surpass Trinidad and Tobago, and Jamaica in the amount of monies it gives to youth empowerment and employment by scrapping a multi-billion dollar subsidy to the state-owned Sugar Corporation (Guysuco) and injecting more funds from oil revenues when production begins in 2020, Public Security Minister Khemraj Ramjattan says.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>“This why we are making sure that the bailouts now that we are having on sugar will have to come to a halt and understand that,” he said to applause Wednesday night at a University of Guyana-organised public forum on Youth Crime and Violence.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>“We will not be bailing out sugar and we have a plan for that and so there will be some more money that can go into some other sectors and rest assured that we are going to up that 0.7 percent to more. I cannot tell you how much more… No, no, no I am being realistic here. We have to be realistic. If the economy produces much more and the price of sugar gets up high, you’ll expect us challenging the other two other countries in the percentage rather than being half Jamaica and just one-third of Trinidad,” he said.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>Speaking in his personal capacity, Registrar of the University of Guyana, Dr. Nigel Gravesande highlighted that Guyana’s budgetary allocation for “direct youth empowerment” is 0.7 percent compared to 1.5 percent in Trinidad and Tobago, and 2.3 percent in Jamaica. “That is the statistical reality and the most recent UNECLAC (United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean) report that I have seen spoke to a direct correlation in youth violence and economic empowerment,” he said at the forum.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>Gravesande questioned the Public Security Minister about whether there were short-term, medium-term and immediate plans to structure the economy to focus on sustainable youth empowerment through increased monies in annual national budgets.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>He reiterated government’s position at a time when authorities are grappling to manage the fall-out from last Sunday’s fire that destroyed the Georgetown Prison on Camp Street. The opposition People’s Progressive Party Civic (PPPC) has already criticised Ramjattan for using the state of the sugar industry as a scapegoat.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>The Public Security Minister acknowledged that more money needs to spent on empowerment, education and employment opportunities for youths. &nbsp;With a number of Guyana’s sugar exports not doing well, he said government has had to decide on its priority areas for spending scarce cash.&nbsp;“If we have to take our monies and do what is priority by our Cabinet. It does not necessarily mean that importance is not attached to others,” he said.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>Ramjattan suggested that with more revenues going into the national treasury from oil, Guyana would be able to spend more on a number of areas. “Until such time that we have a better day with an oil-stream revenue, we’ll have to start making some serious decisions and we have started that already,” he said.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>The Public Security Minister said it is time to implement the numerous recommendations contained in several reports on crime and violence among youths in Guyana and the Caribbean. “”We in the Caribbean, we in Guyana do a lot of reports. Somehow, that has to stop. We have to start utilizing the recommendations in those reports to immediately walk the talk as it were because we sometimes don’t do that and we do that to the detriment of all of us” he said.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>Painting a picture of the reality confronting authorities, he said youths are affected by unemployment, poverty, alcohol and drug consumption- youths smoking marijuana as early as 11 years old.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>Concerns were also raised about virtual illiteracy to the extent that only one in every five youths detained can read and there are also declining performances at high school and university among males . “We have a number of things in these reports from which we have to move on,” he said.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>Ramjattan said authorities also have to address poor parenting, reduce risk factors and ensure that sport facilities ate made readily available to youths.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>The state of youths has been thrown in the spotlight following an attempted bank robbery allegedly involving two qualified professionals and a number of members of the Guyana Police Force.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>Article adapted from:&nbsp;<u><a href=\"http://demerarawaves.com/2017/07/13/guyana-hopes-to-invest-more-cash-in-youth-empowerment-from-scrapped-sugar-subsidy-oil-revenues-ramjattan/\">http://demerarawaves.com/2017/07/13/guyana-hopes-to-invest-more-cash-in-youth-empowerment-from-scrapped-sugar-subsidy-oil-revenues-ramjattan/</a></u></p>\r\n', '', 'filtered_html'),
('news', 0, 340, 341, 'und', 0, '<p>This month, Guyana is hosting three Agriculture sophomores from the University of Arkansas as part of the Education Abroad Program of the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff (UAPB).</p>\r\n\r\n<p>According to a press release from Partners of the Americas, the students, Imani Coleman, an Agronomy major, LaTaylor Rembert, an Agriculture Business major and Laura Wright, an Animal Science major, will spend one month (July 8 – August 5) in Guyana learning not only about agriculture in Guyana, but also learning generally about life in a foreign country, understanding Guyana’s history and all aspects of its culture.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>The release stated that the Guyana leg of the Education Abroad Program is part of a wider project entitled, “Building Teaching, Research and Extension Capacity at UAPB to enhance Global Learning and Strengthen Sweet Potato Production in Guyana and the Arkansas Delta”. One of this project’s main objectives is to produce high quality, virus-tested sweet potato seed material for Guyanese farmers through the establishment of a virus-indexing laboratory in Guyana.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>Guyana is one of five countries included in UAPB’s Education Abroad Program. The other countries are China, Ghana, Mexico and Dominican Republic.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>Article adapted from:&nbsp;<u><a href=\"https://www.stabroeknews.com/2017/news/stories/07/13/guyana-hosting-university-of-arkansas-agri-students/\">https://www.stabroeknews.com/2017/news/stories/07/13/guyana-hosting-university-of-arkansas-agri-students/</a></u></p>\r\n', '', 'filtered_html'),
('news', 0, 341, 342, 'und', 0, '<p>CITING procrastination regarding various reports, Public Security Minister Khemraj Ramjattan has called for more action on recommendations relevant to youth, violence and crime. At the same time, a call has been made for the authorities to place emphasis on youth involvement in the decision-making process of the country’s policies regarding the nation’s youth.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>Speaking to a packed room at the Pegasus Hotel on Wednesday night during the University of Guyana‘s (UG) Turkeyen &amp; Tain Talks, Ramjattan noted that there have been a number of reports which form part of the government’s strategy which centres on youth, crime and violence. These include the United Nations Report on Violence Against Children in the Caribbean as well as the 2010 UNDP Citizens Security Survey, among others. Noting that they are all major reports, he said such reports would remain on the shelves over the years.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>“We have to start utilising recommendations of these reports to immediately walk the talk,” he said, noting that if such is not undertaken, the results can be detrimental.<br />\r\nRamjattan told the gathering that from such reports, there is a correlation cited between young people and drugs or alcohol, noting that if someone is going to be a standout from the youth ages, that person can be affected by factors such as unemployment or poverty. Touching on the recent Georgetown Prison unrest, he informed the gathering that information from the prison hierarchy indicated that out of every five prisoners, only one can read.</p>\r\n\r\n<p><img alt=\"\" src=\"/sites/default/files/images/DSC_4730-640x420.jpg\" style=\"float: right;\" />&nbsp;<span>He said this is relative to the entire prison population across the country’s prisons.&nbsp;</span><span>“It’s very serious,” he said, noting that the government has a number of findings and recommendations which will be effectuated.&nbsp;</span><span>He said the issue of skills training is being addressed, noting that in each police division across the country, the commander of the division has been tasked with developing social programmes which integrate children into progressive projects “especially those who may have come from dysfunctional families”.&nbsp;</span><span>The minister noted that such programmes have proved to be effective since they have impacted positively in communities which in the past had high crime rates.&nbsp;</span><span>He said having received the recommendations, the priority ones are addressed and funding is sought for such programmes.</span></p>\r\n\r\n<h4><strong>WORKING WITH GANG MEMBERS</strong></h4>\r\n\r\n<p><span>Pastor Eworth Williams of the Heavenly Light Church in Cooper Street, Albouystown noted that the church has been working with gangs for a number of years.&nbsp;</span><span>Speaking on the subject of youth and violence, he said the church is not only about the four walls, but rather an avenue which persons can turn to in difficult situations.&nbsp;</span><span>He spoke also of the prison population and posited that all prisoners would have had experiences in the church, temple or masjid.</span><br />\r\n<span>However, according to him, the reality is no one would have noticed such persons and this would have led to such persons choosing a life of crime.&nbsp;</span><span>“So what has happened is that they would have turned to things that would make them noticed,” Williams said.&nbsp;</span><span>He informed the gathering that in Albouystown, there are approximately 48 main gangs, of which 26 are said to be notorious.&nbsp;</span><span>The church, he said, has a good relationship with the gangs, noting that from time to time, he would meet and have discourse with the gang members, “because we believe that if we don’t touch them, then someone else will”.&nbsp;</span><span>He also said it has not been an easy task, noting that at times the church officials would wonder if the persons engaged would really change their lives.&nbsp;</span><span>He noted, however, that there are examples of those who have worked to change their lives. “We have a part to play, especially as a church,” Williams said.&nbsp;</span><span>Youth advocate Derwayne Wills, who spoke at the event, called for more youth involvement in the decision- making process.&nbsp;</span><span>He said there are many questions which demand answers. He said when the government changed in 2015, many anticipated the setting up of a Ministry of Youth. Wills suggested that this should be reviewed by the authorities.&nbsp;</span><span>He noted that there is a national youth policy while legislation relative to youth is being addressed. However, he called for accountability of various constitutional bodies which have oversight over the nation’s youth.&nbsp;</span><span>“What we need is action, to fix the system’s short-comings,” Wills said as he called on the authorities to meet the youth half way.</span></p>\r\n\r\n<p><span>University of Guyana Health Sciences student, Patricia Gittens, spoke on the issue of mental health. She said there is need for the authorities to place prevention of crime and violence on the front burner. Gittens said the good news is that there is hope in that direction.&nbsp;</span><span>The forum, which was moderated by Professor Ivelaw Griffith, Vice-Chancellor of the university, attracted a large turn-out. It concluded with a discussion between the panel of presenters and the audience.</span></p>\r\n\r\n<p><span>Article adapted from:&nbsp;<u><a href=\"https://guyanachronicle.com/2017/07/13/too-much-procrastination\">https://guyanachronicle.com/2017/07/13/too-much-procrastination</a></u></span></p>\r\n\r\n<p>&nbsp;</p>\r\n', '', 'full_html'),
('news', 0, 342, 343, 'und', 0, '<p>When Triston Thompson and his cousin decided to launch information technology company&nbsp;<a class=\"ext-link\" href=\"http://www.intellectstorm.com/\" rel=\"external nofollow\" title=\"IntellectStorm\">IntellectStorm</a>&nbsp;in 2014, they knew they would have an uphill battle.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>“IT is not something that is adopted that much in Guyana,” the 20-year-old explained.&nbsp;“Businesses are still stuck in their old way of doing things.”</p>\r\n\r\n<p>Thompson wanted to help bring his country into the 21st century. He had studied computer science and graduated cum laude from the University of Guyana. Through&nbsp;IntellectStorm, he wants to show people how the internet can be used as a tool to engage customers and build relationships.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>Thompson calls one of his company’s products the “Google of Guyana.” This mobile app, called&nbsp;<a class=\"ext-link\" href=\"https://directory.gy/\" rel=\"external nofollow\" title=\"Directory.gy\">Directory.gy</a>,&nbsp;is a resource on “everything Guyana,” from current news and upcoming events to businesses, restaurants and public services. Directory.gy was recognized by the Guyanan government as the&nbsp;<a class=\"ext-link\" href=\"http://www.stabroeknews.com/2016/news/stories/05/15/local-company-launches-everything-guyana-app/\" rel=\"external nofollow\" title=\"Local company launches ‘everything Guyana’ app | Stabroek News\">official application</a>&nbsp;of the 50th anniversary of&nbsp;Guyana’s independence and&nbsp;<a class=\"ext-link\" href=\"http://www.pressreader.com/guyana/stabroek-news-sunday/20160605/281736973714935\" rel=\"external nofollow\" title=\"Directory.gy wins PitchIT Caribbean Challenge in Jamaica | Stabroek News\">took first place</a>&nbsp;at the PitchIT Caribbean Challenge in Jamaica.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>&nbsp;</p>\r\n\r\n<h4><strong>Connecting&nbsp;with others</strong></h4>\r\n\r\n<p>A challenge for Thompson was&nbsp;figuring out how to get the word out about his company.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>“It’s difficult in Guyana to come into the entrepreneurial ecosystem and just sell yourself alone,” said Thompson, who grew up in a village called Melanie Damishana, about 17 kilometers from Guyana’s capital of Georgetown. You have to expand your network and get people to “know you and what you can do.”</p>\r\n\r\n<p>Participating in a&nbsp;<a class=\"ext-link\" href=\"https://ylai.state.gov/about-ylai/\" rel=\"external nofollow\" title=\"About YLAI | Young Leaders of the Americas Initiative\">Young Leaders of the Americas Initiative</a>&nbsp;pilot program helped him do just that. Thompson received valuable feedback on his ideas, and encouragement&nbsp;—&nbsp;“one of the most helpful things” about his YLAI experience. Since then, he has expanded his professional network and collaborated with another YLAI fellow on an IT application.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>Thompson is optimistic that more IT solutions will catch on in Guyana and that IntellectStorm will become one of the top Guyanan tech&nbsp;companies. What’s next? More connections and stronger relationships with other entrepreneurs and businesspeople. “Even people in government can be good connections to build,” he adds. “You never know who could be the key to your progress.”</p>\r\n\r\n<p>Connecting with other entrepreneurs has helped Thompson&nbsp;stay positive and focused on his venture, especially during the first year when funds were tight. “Being part of a community of entrepreneurs helps you to realize that you’re not alone, that your problems are not unique,” he said.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>His advice to other entrepreneurs? “Surround yourself with positive people who will build you up and not tear you down.”</p>\r\n\r\n<p>Article adapted from:&nbsp;<u><a href=\"https://ylai.state.gov/meet-man-behind-google-guyana-20170713/\">https://ylai.state.gov/meet-man-behind-google-guyana-20170713/</a></u></p>\r\n', '', 'filtered_html'),
('news', 0, 343, 344, 'und', 0, '<p>THE University of Guyana (UG) and the Dalian University of Foreign Languages (DUFL) in China have reached an agreement for UG to offer a minor in Mandarin Chinese studies and for development of a Bachelor’s Degree programme. This agreement was reached recently when a team from the University of Guyana comprising Vice-Chancellor Professor Ivelaw Griffith; Deputy Vice-Chancellor for Planning and International Engagement, Dr Barbara Reynolds; Director of the Confucius Institute, UG, Al Creighton; and Chinese Director of the Confucius Institute Ma Tao, recently met in China with officials of the Dalian University of foreign Languages (DUFL) for the first official meeting of the Board of the Confucius Institute, UG.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>The meeting was hosted by DUFL, the UG’s partner institution in China for the operation of the Confucius Institute and it was held on their campus in the City of Dalian, China. Representing DUFL were Vice-Chancellor, Professor Liu Hong, Dean of the Multi-language Base in Dalian for the International Promotion of Chinese Language, Professor Sun Yuhua and Li Fan of the International Office at DUFL. Professor Sun Yuhua pledged the full support of DUFL with assistance from Hanban – the headquarters for Confucius Institutes in China – for the programmes. UG will continue to offer Mandarin as one of the languages that UG students may choose in addition to Spanish, French and Portuguese. Mandarin will also be available as one of the foreign language requirements of the new School of Entrepreneurship and Business and Innovation (SEBI) at the UG.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>The meeting was chaired by Ma Tao and addressed by the two vice-chancellors, Dr Reynolds, the Dean of the Multi-language Base and the Director of CIUG. Both universities reaffirmed the MoU already in force between them and pledged continued cooperation, while Dr Reynolds put on the table ideas for areas of future cooperation and ways in which the institutions can assist each other for mutual development. She also reaffirmed the vice-chancellor’s invitation to DUFL to visit the UG for the next meeting of the board. CIUG Director Al Creighton presented the report of the institute, covering its operations since 2014, the conduct of the programme in Mandarin as well as the academic, cultural and social events on the UG Campuses and in the Guyanese community.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>He presented the budget of the CIUG and outlined the vision of the institute, plans for its future development and ways in which there can be deeper academic exchanges. DUFL trains and makes available lecturers in Chinese Language Teaching for the CIUG. Although it was historically founded with its strength in foreign languages, it now has programmes in several other disciplines and the UG will now look forward to a widening in two-way exchanges involving areas beyond Chinese Language Teaching.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>With a current enrollment of some 8,000 students, UG has graduated more than 20,000 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 part-time 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.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>It now offers more than 60 undergraduate and post-graduate programmes including engineering, environmental studies, forestry, urban planning and management, tourism studies, education, creative arts, economics, law, medicine, optometry and nursing. Several online programmes are available and UG also offers extra-mural classes at four locations through its Institute of Distance and Continuing Education (IDCE). UG also offers the opportunity for student engagement in debating, sports, and cultural, religious and professional activities.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>Article adapted from:&nbsp;<u><a href=\"http://guyanachronicle.com/2017/07/13/ug-to-offer-mandarin-studies\">http://guyanachronicle.com/2017/07/13/ug-to-offer-mandarin-studies</a></u></p>\r\n', '', 'filtered_html'),
('news', 0, 344, 345, 'und', 0, '<p>University of Guyana (UG) students can now pay their dormitory, application, general and graduation fees using the Guyana Telephone Telegraph (GTT) Mobile Money application.&nbsp;A Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) signed today, between UG and GTT is a new initiative to improve services, Vice Chancellor(VC) and Principal of the University, Ivelaw Griffith said.&nbsp;Professor Griffith added that there are a number of benefits to this new initiative. He explained that the service is a convenience factor for the student. Additionally, there is the benefit of financial savings for students who have to travel to pay tuition fees, which has a transportation cost attached.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>The VC said that with the university’s increasing overseas population, the service is a timely one. He highlighted that 60 percent of current students at the University are cash paying students. GTT’s Chief Executive Officer Justin Nedd said, all current and past students have to do to repay their tuition loans is to enter their UG registration number, the amount they would like to pay and press send after the application would have been downloaded from thee Goggle Play Applications Store. “It is easy as 1, 2, 3,” Nedd added. The University of Guyana continues to launch and implement a number of initiatives to improve and enhance the quality of education and services offered.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>Article adapted from:&nbsp;<u><a href=\"http://gina.gov.gy/ug-gtt-sign-mou-for-students-to-pay-fees-via-mmg-app/\">http://gina.gov.gy/ug-gtt-sign-mou-for-students-to-pay-fees-via-mmg-app/</a></u></p>\r\n', '', 'filtered_html'),
('news', 0, 345, 346, 'und', 0, '<p>The University of Guyana (UG) is modernising its campuses in preparation for the September semester.&nbsp;In an interview with the Department of Public Information (DPI,) Vice Chancellor, Professor Ivelaw Griffith, said works have already started to outfit lecture theaters with air conditioning. He explained, “We’ve got to try to create the physical environment that is more hospitable to working and to studying and to doing research.”</p>\r\n\r\n<p>UG has also boosted its ICT connectivity on all its campuses through an agreement that was recently signed between the University and the Ministry of Public Telecommunication.&nbsp;“They can expect full Wi-Fi on this campus wherever they go and that is a signally important achievement,” Professor Griffith added. Better dormitory facilities will also be available when the semester begins at the end of August.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>Incoming students at the University can also expect “curriculum innovation”. UG’s academic board has recently approved several new programmes which include:</p>\r\n\r\n<ul class=\"list\">\r\n	<li>Associate Degree in Mining Geology</li>\r\n	<li>Master’s programme in Agro Business</li>\r\n	<li>Master’s programme in Psychology</li>\r\n	<li>Post Graduate programme in Health Sciences on Radiology</li>\r\n	<li>Bachelors in Environmental Sciences</li>\r\n</ul>\r\n\r\n<p>“There’s a list of new degree programmes baccalaureate(Bachelor’s) and post grad. There is some new degree programmes coming on board as well in the next academic year,” Professor Griffith said. These improvements are all part of the University’s rebranding to modernise its campuses and curriculum.</p>\r\n\r\n<p><img alt=\"\" src=\"https://i2.wp.com/gina.gov.gy/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/DSC_1616.jpg?w=640\" style=\"width: 100%;\" /></p>\r\n\r\n<p class=\"rtecenter\"><em><span style=\"color: rgb(84, 84, 84); font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; text-align: center;\">George Walcott Lecture Theatre, UG’s largest lecture theatre, fitted with air conditioning units.</span></em></p>\r\n\r\n<p class=\"rtecenter\">&nbsp;</p>\r\n\r\n<p><span style=\"color: rgb(84, 84, 84); font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; text-align: center;\">Article adapted from:&nbsp;<u><a href=\"http://gina.gov.gy/ug-upgrades-campus-and-curriculum-for-new-semester/\">http://gina.gov.gy/ug-upgrades-campus-and-curriculum-for-new-semester/</a></u></span></p>\r\n', '', 'full_html'),
('news', 0, 346, 347, 'und', 0, '<p>The Juvenile Justice Bill will be presented to Parliament by month end, Minister of Public Security Khemraj Ramjattan said on Wednesday, while speaking on issues related to ‘Youth, Crime and Violence’ at the University of Guyana’s eighth Turkeyen and Tain talks.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>Ramjattan was on a panel that included Pastor Eworth Williams, activist Derwayne Wills, and Child Protection specialist Patricia Gittens. Assistant Commissioner of Police Clifton Hicken, though slated to speak, was not present at the event.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>The discussions, which invited comments and questions from the audience, touched on youth policy, constitutional reform, and the justice system, including how culture can influence youth to become involved in crime, and affect them once they become part of the system.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>“In a study I did just recently, I looked at the relationship between parenting styles and juvenile delinquency. And what it showed is that our parenting styles in Guyana [are] literally… creating some of the issues we have with our youth,” Debbie Hopkinson, a member of the university’s sociology department commented. “Our youths are becoming violent because sometimes they’re abused, and sometimes they become a victim twice—first, by being abused, then when they wander away, the system also makes them a victim again. And that is something we need to look at…,” she added.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>In response to a query from Hopkinson on the status of the Juvenile Justice Bill, Ramjattan stated that the bill is complete and will be taken to Parliament by the end of this month, when costing has been completed. The bill will then be debated in October.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>Once passed, he said, it will do away with several archaic laws that are responsible for the incarceration of many of the country’s youth.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>“In that bill, all the difficulties we have, I have made sure that the consultation process went through successfully — truancy, wandering, all those economic crimes are going to be abolished. All of them, and they are not going to be made crimes anymore because the days for that are long gone…,” Ramjattan said.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>He further stated that policing authorities would have “far more stringent methods” to follow when it comes to the incarceration of youth and that provisions would be made at police stations to have rooms for juveniles.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>After being called out by Dr Nigel Gravesande on what he said was a 0.7% budget allocation to youth, Ramjattan assured those gathered that this figured would be upped once monies became available.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>“If we have to take our monies and do what is regarded as priority by all Cabinet, we have to do that. It does not necessarily mean that importance is not attached to others. And youth, especially, we feel we have to spend more money on and that is why of recent times—and this might sound again clichéd—we are making sure now that the bailouts that we will have for sugar will have to come to a halt,” Ramjattan said.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>“… At the present moment, because of the fact that we do not have resources… sugar is not doing well, bauxite is not doing well, only gold it would appear is doing that well and until such time as we have a better day with an oil revenue stream, we have to start making some serious decisions, and we have started making those already,” he added.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>Ramjattan noted that the government in its mandate of youth development has been guided by a number of published reports, including the United Nations Report on Violence against Children; Crime, Violence and Development; the Citizens Security Survey; and the Paramaribo Declaration on the Future of Youth in the Caribbean Community.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>Acknowledging that a lot of reports are usually churned out but shelved, the minister stated that there is a need to begin utilising the recommendations in order to “immediately walk the talk”.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>He stated that among those recommendations is the need to provide skills training in at-risk areas, while referencing the Guyana Police Force’s programme that sees divisional commanders setting up youth groups within such communities.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>He also made reference to the IDB’s Citizen Security Strengthening Programme, one of the components of which is to train 25 students from across 20 communities in areas such as carpentry, masonry and electrical engineering, and providing them with a US$70 allowance so they are able to attend the nearest skills centre.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>“I know that it is going to be a difficult task solving this thing because it is somehow …young people feel that they could do the wrong things because the wrong things are being done by everybody, high and low. And when a culture starts that bad habit of young people thinking that that can be done it is going to be very, very dangerous,” the minister said.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>Wills had shared similar sentiments in his presentation.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>“We must be mindful of the images our youth are fed – particularly our men. Everywhere I look, I see the lucrative spoils of celebrated local kingpins who walk amongst us. We must also be mindful of how these images shape the value systems of our youth, particularly men, in their pursuit for success,” Wills had stated. Ramjattan had also made reference to how parenting and the socialisation process affect how youth relate to crime.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>Shedding light on the inefficiencies in the justice system, Wills spoke of what he called “indifference” on the part of magistrates as it pertains to the sums assigned for the granting of bail to persons who hail from impoverished communities, and criticised the outdated legislation that results in scores of persons being incarcerated for offences such as narcotics possession. It was on this note that he referred to the recent events as a correction of the system.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>“I was prepared to stand here and champion many causes for reforms – in the prison system, in the modus operandi of the police, in the judiciary… but the prisoners of Camp Street have accomplished in a matter of days what activists have championed for years,” Wills stated.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>“…These are continued acts of defiance against the system and its agents for unnecessarily long trials, inefficiencies in the police prosecution system, exorbitant bail amounts… just naming a few… Justice delayed is justice denied. And the Camp Street prison fire remains a radical act of defiance which has forced the system to correct itself,” the youth activist further said.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>Article adapted from:&nbsp;<u><a href=\"https://www.stabroeknews.com/2017/news/stories/07/15/juvenile-justice-bill-for-parliament-by-month-end-ramjattan/\">https://www.stabroeknews.com/2017/news/stories/07/15/juvenile-justice-bill-for-parliament-by-month-end-ramjattan/</a></u></p>\r\n', '', 'filtered_html'),
('news', 0, 347, 348, 'und', 0, '<p>DPI, GUYANA, Saturday, July The University of Guyana(UG) last June, undertook an initiative to modernise the functioning of the more than 50-year-old institution.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>Under the leadership of Vice Chancellor(VC)Professor Ivelaw Griffith, Project Renaissance intends to “rebuild, (and)rebrand the university” and bring it “into a zone of modernity”.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>In a recent interview with the Department of Public Information (DPI) Professor Griffith explained that Project Renaissance utilises a “package of activities, of events, of programmes all intended to rebuild, rebrand the University&nbsp;of Guyana”.&nbsp;Project Renaissance builds on four pillars:</p>\r\n\r\n<ul class=\"list\">\r\n	<li>Capital investment</li>\r\n	<li>Academic enhancement</li>\r\n	<li>Economic viability</li>\r\n	<li>Alumini engagement</li>\r\n</ul>\r\n\r\n<p>In the last year since the project was initiated, the University has enhanced its campus grounds and facilities. Extensive refurbishment on the Turkeyen campus has been undertaken as part of the capital investment. There are still a series of capital projects that the University has earmarked for completion.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>The Turkeyen and Tain Talks (TTT), a bimonthly forum engaging communities to discuss national issues, is an initiative under the academic enhancement pillar. The University recently hosted its eight rounds of TTT.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>The Vice Chancellor noted that creating partnerships is important for enhancement of the University’s academics. He pointed out that the historic Diaspora Engagement Conference seeks to tap into the Guyanese talent in the diaspora.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>The week-long conference slated for later this month will see the solidification of partnerships between the University and the private sector and investors including strengthening of relations with the University of the West Indies.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>“It’s a way of saying how can we enable the spotlight on the University to be better than it has been. My idea is to enable the talent, the culture of Guyana at home and abroad to be showcased,” Professor Griffith said.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>These partnerships that the University is building also help to secure the institution’s economic viability. The UG has been in receipt of equipment and funds from various donors to the tune of US$450,000.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>The University has also signed MOUs with government and private sector for future actualisation valued at US$30M. Professor Griffith noted that these partnerships give technical support to the University and helps build capacity.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>These are just some of the initiatives that have been undertaken as part of UG’s renaissance. However, the full modernisation of the institutions campuses and curriculum will take time, Professor Griffith cautioned.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>“This university’s neglect has been so deep and so wide it’s going to take at least five years to get to a state where we can be comfortable that we’ve got many of the platforms where they should be,” Professor Griffith said.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>Project Renaissance is envisioned as a “maturing overtime project” which will enable the University of Guyana to become a consequential national and international educational stakeholder.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>Article adapted from:&nbsp;<u><a href=\"http://gina.gov.gy/project-renaissance-seeks-to-bring-ug-into-a-modernity-zone/\">http://gina.gov.gy/project-renaissance-seeks-to-bring-ug-into-a-modernity-zone/</a></u></p>\r\n', '', 'full_html'),
('news', 0, 348, 349, 'und', 0, '<p>Later this month the University of Guyana(UG) will undertake a Science, Technology, Engineering Arts and Math (STEAM) project to redress shortcomings in these areas.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>Vice Chancellor of the University, Professor Ivelaw Griffith, told the Department of Public Information (DPI) in a recent one and one interview, that this new initiative seeks to address the institution’s “human capital deficit”.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>“So it’s a journey we’ve begun for some degree programmes to look at what we might need. That is something that the Technology Faculty will be doing,” Professor Griffith told DPI.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>The University has begun to “take a hard look” at the gaps in the need for human capital at the institution Professor Griffith said.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>The need to strengthen its human capital is even more necessary for the University as it is looked upon to help build capacity for the country’s new oil and gas sector. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;“University of Guyana’s capacity to do what that industry requires takes significant investment overtime,” Professor Griffith pointed out.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>The country’s highest educational institution has received assistance in this regard from the Ministry of Natural Resources. The Ministry has pledged $100M over the next three years to the University.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>The funding is to strengthen the University’s human and enhance physical facilities of the Technology Faculty which churns out graduates who work in the extractive industries.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>Article adapted from:&nbsp;<u><a href=\"http://gina.gov.gy/ug-looks-to-steam-to-redress-short-comings-in-human-capital/\">http://gina.gov.gy/ug-looks-to-steam-to-redress-short-comings-in-human-capital/</a></u></p>\r\n', '', 'filtered_html'),
('news', 0, 349, 350, 'und', 0, '<p>The University of Guyana (UG) and the Guyana Telephone and Telegraph Company (GTT), after launching Money Mobile Guyana (MMG) last month for students to make easy tuition payments, on Friday signed a Memorandum of Understanding to solidify the deal.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>Last month, the Ministry of Finance, GTT and UG launched a new payment plan that would be convenient for students to pay their tuition fees on their cellphones via the MMG application. On Friday, UG Vice-Chancellor Professor Ivelaw Griffith and GTT CEO Justin Nedd met to formally sign the MMG agreement that would benefit both international and local students at the university.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>Speaking at the event, Griffith noted that the new payment system would be beneficial to the some 8,000-plus students who attend the institution. It was confirmed that 60 percent of the student population on the university make cash payments annually, and this new payment system is&nbsp;aimed at helping them make the process easier. Griffith also mentioned how convenient the new system will be for international students who return to their homes after a semester break, as they will not need to travel back to pay their fees.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>The professor said that apart from the convenience for their students, it is also useful for the Bursary Department of the university. He noted that the MMG app, allows the Bursary to make a quicker turnaround to process student registration among other things, enhancing service delivery. “One of the central reasons that any university exists is to serve the main constituency which is the students and part of what we intend as the university to do is to enhance the nature, scope and significance of service to our students,” Griffith added.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>He also mentioned that what was captured in the agreement is that the partnership with GTT is to have other tangible elements to it, which will enable GTT to give to UG and its students additional benefits that will go to sports, medical services and other areas.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>Meanwhile, University of Guyana Student Society President Ron Glasgow said that the student population would appreciate the new payment avenue provided by GTT and the university. While noting the significance of the MMG app, he described its service as “up to date, quick and convenient,” noting that the old process of standing in a line to make payments was “primitive.”</p>\r\n\r\n<p>Nedd said that apart from students paying tuition fees, they can also pay graduation fees, registration fees, summer registration fees, and any other additional fees that students are required to pay. Students are required to download the MMG app to start, enter their UG registration number, the amount they wish to pay and press send. A service fee of $100 would be attached to each transaction. Students can pay a minimum of $500 to a maximum of $60,000 in one go, however a student can pay $100,000 per day in their transactions to the university via the MMG app.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>Article adapted from:&nbsp;<u><a href=\"https://www.stabroeknews.com/2017/news/stories/07/17/ug-gtt-ink-mobile-money-app-pact/\">https://www.stabroeknews.com/2017/news/stories/07/17/ug-gtt-ink-mobile-money-app-pact/</a></u></p>\r\n', '', 'filtered_html');
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('news', 0, 350, 356, 'und', 0, '<p>One of Prof. Ivelaw Griffith’s Renaissance aims for the University of Guyana is for it to make itself immediately relevant to the life of the Guyanese Community. The Turkeyen and Tain Lectures is one such example; the University is now being brought to the public. Both the younger and older generations have come to look forward to these lectures not merely as an intellectual treat but as something that is raising public awareness of important societal problems and giving pointers to their solutions.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>The recent lecture on “Youth, Crime and Violence” was very topical and in the presentations of the various speakers as well as in the audience discussion, various thought-provoking reasons and solutions were proffered as to why Guyanese youth were being drawn into a whirlpool of crime and violence.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>All reasons and solutions put forward by presenters as well as the audience had much validity but none was all-encompassing. The various solutions were reminiscent of the ancient story of six blind men who were brought to an elephant and were then asked what an elephant was.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>The first one touched the trunk and he concluded that an elephant was a tube; the next touched the tusks and decided that the elephant was a kind of spear; the next touched the legs and believed that the elephant was a column; the fifth touched the side of the animal and said an elephant was a wall; and the last touched the ear and concluded that an elephant was a kind of large flat fan.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>The first presenter was the Khemraj Ramjattan, Minister of Public Security. He avoided putting forward any specific solutions as he could have done but instead referred to the various reports on the subject which covered a great number of solutions. Among the solutions which surfaced during the evening was that youth should be kept away from drugs and alcohol; that poverty was a major cause of youth crime and this has to be addressed by creating more jobs and teaching various skills to youth so that they could become self-employed; having healthier TV, radio and press since the media have oftentimes stimulated youth crime; youth crime and violence often become ingrained in Society because of the emergence of criminal youth gangs. These gangs could be changed or even dissolved if such gangs are in contact with sincere and understanding men of God and religious bodies.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>Many youth feel alienated and are drawn into criminal anti-social behaviour because they feel society is run by the old and as such they have no stake in it.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>Promoting youth into more decision-making roles in society would help in ending alienation and diminish youth crime. Several participants felt that the State, through an active, imaginative and creative Ministry of Youth could do a great deal for young people and greatly diminish youth crime and violence.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>Many consumer societies such as the Committee of the Guyana Consumers’ Association take a slightly different approach towards the elimination or containment of youth crime and violence:<br />\r\nIn the first place, we feel that greater importance and stress should be given to religion in society. This implies that though we feel that the metaphysical teachings of Hinduism, Islam and Christianity should be taught and made known, by far the main focus should be on the moral and ethical teachings of Religion.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>The moral and ethical teachings of all religions are much the same and such would bring about greater solidarity among people of Faith in socializing parents and their children in a moral and ethical life.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>Two or three generations ago, people in the villages of Guyana and even in the city were far more God-fearing than to-day; youth crime and violence were almost unknown.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>Suicide is today an important element of youth crime. If young persons have a strong religious background, they would not be suicidal since they would understand that it is a privilege to have a human body and that the body is the source of both material as well as spiritual joy.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>If one becomes overwhelmed in suffering and unhappiness and one is aware of the basic religious teaching that pleasure and pain are not permanent states of being, one would never feel that one could escape from pain and suffering by destroying one’s body since suffering and unhappiness are temporary states which will pass away.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>In addition to religion, the secular education system could help to socialize children and youth into law-abiding members of Society. And this should start from the primary schools. Two or three generations ago, there were textbooks like the Royal Readers which inculcated moral virtues such as obedience to parents and familial solidarity, belief in and respect for religion, serving and even sacrificing for society, empathizing with the sufferings of other human beings and love and respect for animals.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>Today’s textbooks are mainly concerned with teaching the skills of reading and writing, and not with the content of the written word as was the case of the Royal Readers. Accordingly, today’s textbooks need to be supplemented with reading matter inculcating moral values and behaviour. Two or three generations ago, the textbooks helped to produce law-abiding and constructive youth and if we resuscitate the method, it would work again.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>A third approach towards youth crime and violence is to strengthen the family by having parents know the value of bringing up their children as law-abiding citizens and also to give them an understanding of how much more profitable it is to be moral rather than unmoral.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>Other virtues parents, and so eventually children, will have to be exposed to is to live within one’s means. Clothes, for example, should be made to go their fullest usage before discarded and food should be wholesome and not fast foods which are more expensive.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>Parents should help their children and encourage them in their studies and encourage reading, using the public library facilities. Closer familial contact would lead to stronger families and such inhibits juvenile delinquency and youth crime and violence.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>Article adapted from:&nbsp;<u><a href=\"https://www.kaieteurnewsonline.com/2017/07/23/prof-ivelaw-griffiths-ug-renaissance-at-work/\">https://www.kaieteurnewsonline.com/2017/07/23/prof-ivelaw-griffiths-ug-renaissance-at-work/</a></u></p>\r\n\r\n<p>&nbsp;</p>\r\n', '', 'filtered_html'),
('news', 0, 351, 357, 'und', 0, '<div>\r\n<div>\r\n<div>\r\n<div>\r\n<p>The collaboration between the Office of the Vice-Chancellor and the Centre for Communication Studies (CCS) of The University of Guyana brings to you this Volume 2: No. 4 edition of <em>Renaissance</em>, a monthly newsletter. <em>Renaissance </em>is the Vice-Chancellor’s medium of sharing with you our University’s developments.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>The months of April, May and June were filled with activities. UG observed its Annual Sports Day and World Press Freedom Day. Reflect on the Faculty of Social Sciences’ (FSS) Department of Sociology and Centre for Communication Studies exhibitions along with UG’s activity to honour Professor Ulric Trotz.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>In this edition take pleasure in reading the profiles of UG Alumnus and Minister of Finance, Honourable Winston Jordan, FSS’ Assistant Dean, Diana Gobin and UG’s Student Society President, Ron Glasgow. Also learn of the outstanding achievement of Mr Winslow Craig, Master Sculptor and Lecturer.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>Our University has received tremendous support from the private sector. Read about our recently signed pact with MovieTowneInc and DaChin Development Inc, to develop a solar farm and new student housing. Additionally Grace Kennedy recently awarded some of our students with prizes and tuition as rewards for using their services. We thank the private sector for their interest in collaborating with UG for a more developed and sustainable university.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>UG recently hosted the Carter Center’s Constitutional Reform Symposium along with Bridges Global Medical Missions’ Continuing Medical Education Conference. Moreover learn more about our upcoming Inaugural Diaspora Conference and how you can contribute towards this event and to our nation’s premiere academic institution.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>As you read, be inspired to join us as we celebrate UG’s <em>Renaissance&nbsp;</em></p>\r\n</div>\r\n</div>\r\n</div>\r\n</div>\r\n', '', 'full_html'),
('featured_person_of_the_month', 0, 352, 359, 'und', 0, '<p>Before his appointment as Minister of Finance under the APNU/AFC regime, you may have never heard about Winston Jordan.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>However, there is much to the new minister. With over 30 years of working experience in a number of areas, including macroeconomic management, economic policy reform, and programming and governance as well as numerous honours and fellowships to his name, Minister Jordan is a force with which to be reckoned. However, he is more than the sum of his accomplishments, and in a recent interview in his office at the Ministry of Finance, Minister Jordan told the story of his humble beginnings.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>Before “minister” was added to his name, Jordan came from a simple background. He was the third of seven children in a strong-rooted Guyanese family, the son of a joiner and a housewife. While he has lived in several parts of Georgetown, including Lodge, Kitty, and West Ruimveldt Park, Jordan is a country boy at heart, having been born in the village of Good Intent, West Bank of Demerara. He shared that his large extended family, including his siblings, his parents, and aunts and uncles, lived simply in a one-bedroom apartment.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>He was exposed to school late due to a number of challenges, including race riots in the 1960s. He managed to attend a private school, Britton’s Private, in Lamaha Street but after that, there was a holdup in his education: when it was time for primary school, there were no schools available since all were packed to capacity. He shared that, in many cases, children were being taught on the schools’ steps. Nonetheless, he persevered and, after the riots ended in 1964, his parents heard about Campbellville Government School. He was placed there to write Common Entrance and copped a place at the Indian Educational Trust College, which is now Richard Ishmael Secondary School.</p>\r\n\r\n<h3><strong><em>Work Life</em></strong></h3>\r\n\r\n<p>Jordan worked as a Class II Clerk at the Public Service Commission. Not to be limited to one place, Jordan pushed for further professional and personal development “While employed at Customs, I was an evening student at the Government Technical Institute, where I pursued Commerce and then later on did Accounting before making my way at the University of Guyana,” Minister Jordan shared.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>In fact, upon his return from the United Kingdom in 1984 from his Commonwealth Scholarship programme, he immediately began teaching and researching part-time at the University of Guyana. He was engaged as a Senior Research Associate in the Institute of Development Studies, teaching development planning until 1989. He had subsequent engagements with the university through the years, teaching public finance and public administration. For him, it was both frustrating and rewarding.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>“It was frustrating in the sense that the university had lost a significant number of skills while being unable to find suitable replacements. It was also severely handicapped in terms of financing, and faced a real danger of closure,” he said.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>He recalled that many of his fondest moments revolved around teaching and mentoring students, especially those who were in difficult circumstances. He also enjoyed providing an innovative learning environment. “It was a pleasure to give back to the University and having students benefit from my experience I had while pursuing my studies at the University of Warwick,” he said proudly.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>He advised current UG students to make their time count, be true to themselves, always strive for excellence, and to be each other’s keeper.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>“Now that you are paying for tertiary education, make your four years count; stay focused, know what you want, dislike the easy way out, and take the hard way because the hard way will benefit and give you knowledge while at university and in your after university life.” He further said that communication is key and continued, “Progress doesn’t come so easily and quickly; sometimes, it doesn’t come at all and there were times when I thought about giving up and moving on. But what kept me going day in day out was that changes are inevitable. As Guyanese, we aren’t looking for handouts, but we do expect our hard work to pay off and our responsibility to be rewarded.”</p>\r\n\r\n<p>“So stay in school; don’t give up. There is no doubt that there are rough times, but we have been through tough times before. If we keep fighting for what we want, then success will eventually be ours.”</p>\r\n\r\n<p>He also encouraged those taking loans to pay them back. “Remember: there is somebody who may be as poor as you or even poorer who would want the opportunity you have or had.”</p>\r\n\r\n<h3><strong><em>Political Office</em></strong></h3>\r\n\r\n<p>When asked what prompted his decision to run for political office, Winston Jordan shared that he was a very good friend to the former Leader of the Opposition and now President of Guyana, His Excellency, David Granger.&nbsp; The minister revealed that he had never contemplated going into politics, though he did participate in activities of the youth arm of the People’s National Congress (PNC) in his younger days.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>It was not until January 2015 that he was approached by President Granger to join the emerging multi-party coalition. “Even then I was a bit reticent about becoming a full blown politician, and had asked the president to be considered for a technocratic position in the cabinet,” Minister Jordan said. This request made sense; after all, he had extensive knowledge due to various positions held in his life, including as a Budget/Economic Adviser, Budget Specialist, Adviser in Budgeting, Budgeting and Public Investment Special, and Director of Budget. He also served as the Country Analyst in the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) from 2009 to 2015 and as the Technical Coordinator in the Public Management Modernization Programme (IDB) from 2006 to 2008.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>“So here I am today, the reluctant politician who has become the Minister of Finance of Guyana,” he added.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>Since then, the “reluctant politician” has been making a name for himself. No stranger to Guyana’s social and political activism, he brought leadership of the coalition government with his technical experience and unwavering commitment to the building of Guyana. However, despite his futuristic way of thinking, his probing mind, and true commitment to democracy at all levels, Winston said that Guyana’s economy remained largely unchanged. “It is heavily dependent on a few primary commodities such as rice, sugar, bauxite and, more recently, gold for growth, income, and employment while at the same time has high import content. So I see my main task as building a vibrant, resilient economy capable of withstanding both external factors – such as low prices for exports and high prices for imports – and domestic climate change factors, such as El Nino and La Nino weather Phenomena. The achievement of this goal will entail diversifying and modernising the economy away from its current dependence to one that adds more value and services,” he said.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>He further highlighted that a social cohesion framework is needed to unite the people of Guyana, who have been racked by years of divisive politics.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>Minister Jordan is married to Charmaine Atkinson-Jordan and has three children: Jo-Anne Milner, Darren Jordan, and Yonnick Jordan.</p>\r\n', '', 'filtered_html'),
('featured_person_of_the_month', 0, 353, 360, 'und', 0, '<p><em><strong>“I was looking for a way to channel that energy effectively and maximize it for the benefit of my personal growth and development so that in the long run I can help other people in many ways.”</strong></em></p>\r\n\r\n<p>Born January 08, 1997, Ron Einstein Glasgow recalled that his childhood revolved around things which were no different than that of a typical Guyanese child’s upbringing. As the eldest child in his family, he emphasized that back in the day and even until now, education and the holistic notion of academic pursuit coupled with the need for leisure activities to stimulate the mind and solicit profound thoughts and actions remains key factors in his life which helps him daily. Due to that fact, he started his academic journey toward becoming the strong, courageous and bold individual he is today at the Head start nursery school. Then, he attended the Saint Gabriel’s primary school but unfortunately was later transferred to the Saint Margaret’s primary school. It was there he wrote the Grade Six Common Entrance Examination and was fortunate to secure a place for himself at the prestigious Bishops High school. The budding 20 year old proceeded to convey that, the education and experience garnered from his secondary schooling actually played a significant role in shaping the important choices he has made thus far in life. In his own words, he said that, “the discipline, the structure, the entire academic setting at my high school showed me exactly how I should think and act and what to do in the world.</p>\r\n\r\n<p><strong><em>“Economics was and is something that brings me alive.”</em></strong></p>\r\n\r\n<p>Furthermore, as time progressed and his fondness for economics intensified, he decided to pursue tertiary level studies in the academic field and thus opted to attend the University of Guyana at the tender age of seventeen years. He noted that “I chose to pursue a higher level of economics because growth as an individual asset is something I want to achieve.” Moreover, it is quite surprising that whilst growing up he never really envisioned himself within the field of economics but rather he aspired to become a scientist. However, the manner in which his secondary school was academically structured stipulated that if the required grades for a particular stream are not achieved by a student for their first stream option then they must opt to study their second stream choice instead. Fortunately, he decided to venture into the business class which is basically streamlined by economics and it started to enthuse him. He shared that “then everything that didn’t make sense to me began doing so when I went into business. Economics was and is something that brings me alive.” Additionally, Mr Glasgow noted that “I came to the university at seventeen years old. Back then, I was childish and but also competitive and energetic. I was looking for a way to channel that energy effectively and maximize it for the benefit of my personal growth and development so that in the long run I can help other people in many ways.” Moreover, Mr Glasgow’s current academic choice aids him in functioning efficiently and effectively due to the fact that economics is a branch of social science which encompasses human interaction, human socialization and the social context within which this interaction and/or socialization occurs. In his political office, economics allows him to use the social aspect of the field productively to different aspects of his work during critical decision making times.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>Without doubt, Mr Glasgow is the epitome of stoicism and resilience. These characteristics complemented by his energetic trait allow him to function in his demanding work capacity as president of the student body. By definition a stoic is a person who can endure immense hardship and pain without becoming emotionally phased by such occurrences. Mr Glasgow described himself as such explaining that “discipline acquired from administrative rules and regulations which I did not always favor but had to adhere anyway in high school taught me this.” In fact, his adherence to the school’s rules and regulations helped him to perfect the stoic trait because “by going through the struggle of conforming to situations I did not like taught me how to put feelings aside and do what must be done regardless of personal thoughts.” Moreover, he is resilient because in a sense he encapsulates this bout of determination and steadfastness which oftentimes allows him to always complete tasks he has undertaken without feeling the need to quit. As a matter of fact, his energetic quality overlaps with his resilient trait where he is always motivated to work assiduously with a charge of energy which allows him to work fast and also smart.&nbsp; &nbsp;</p>\r\n\r\n<p>Mr Glasgow’s gets his motivational drive from two philosophical souls, to name, Seneca and Marcus Aurellius who where Greek and Roman, respectively. Unsurprisingly, they were also heralds of stoicism. &nbsp;Actually, he is fond of one Seneca’s quotation which reads: “if it is not right, do not do it and if it is not true then do not say it.” This quotation is applicable to his presidential position where he is expected to make fair, accurate, transparent and constructive and beneficial decisions regarding the welfare and development in various arenas concerning students of the University of Guyana. Also, he added that the quotation is actually an ideal one for every Guyanese man to emanate on a day to day basis.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>Currently, he has served as President of the UGSS for one and a half terms collectively. Additionally, in relation to his duties as president, Mr Glasgow is required to represent the interests of students at the institution and ensure that constituents suffer no violations and injustices. One of his aims as leader of the student body is to make the institution’s environment more dynamic and buoyant in nature for students to not only interact on a study level but on a leisure one as well since it is important for the human anatomy to have a healthy balance of both academic education and physical education. Oftentimes, many students attend university with the prime purpose of just getting their degree to leave without looking back. Thus, he is aiming to change that mundane way of thinking and provide multiple extra-curricular options for students to actively grow and development and in turn help the university.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>It should be noted that, among his major contributions toward the university, the UGSS body has helped to finance emerging recreational clubs and aided in the creation of a student facility and Mr Glasgow has worked along with the university’s Vice Chancellor, Professor Ivelaw Griffith, to provide aid for the students who were affected by the recent Cummings Lodge fire.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>Mr Glasgow shared that challenges often arise when he has to balance his school work with his job work. For instance, students learned of tuition hike during the mid-semester period. As a representative of students’ interests and affairs, Mr Glasgow had to make a critical decision which involved foregoing two mid-semester exams in order to attend politic meetings concerning the briefings about the tuition hike matter. This is actually a representation of his stoic and resilient characteristics, where he acted first as a true leader and then second as a student.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>He conveyed that in order for him to fail as a leader two things would have to happen. To name, a lack of self-interest to continue functioning in the capacity that he is in presently and since his position is connected to the unity and operations of members of the council, then disunity amongst the body would in turn cause him to ultimately fail.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>Despite his many shortcomings in the past filled of some situations which were inevitable, he shared optimistically that he still continues to try his utmost best to make all his actions and decisions transparent and objective. As aforementioned, he abides by the principle of Seneca in situations where accountability and fairness seem to be compromised.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>Undoubtedly, this signifies Mr Glasgow’s level of diplomacy and remarkable work ethic indicates why he was voted by the students to represent their rights and interests at the University of Guyana Turkeyen Campus. In addition to that, he emphasized that students can look forward to the formations of more recreational clubs and to attend those that are operational such as the Robotics Clubs, Astronomy Club and a Computer Science Club for Girls. Also he urged alums to become more actively involved in the development of clubs on the university’s campus in order to ensure that current and future students experience the full bout of academic satisfaction while attending university to impart elsewhere in their lives.</p>\r\n', '', 'filtered_html'),
('document', 0, 354, 361, 'und', 0, '<p>&nbsp;</p>\r\n\r\n<p>Download below Professor Ivelaw Lloyd Griffith\'s Investiture Address under&nbsp;the theme \"<em>Dreaming Renaissance, Doing Renaissance \" .</em></p>\r\n', '', 'filtered_html'),
('news', 0, 355, 362, 'und', 0, '<p>Vice Chancellor of the University of Guyana, Professor Ivelaw Lloyd Griffith, used the words of a Guyanese folk song which translates: “if you didn’t come you wouldn’t know”— to encourage Guyanese at home and abroad, to rediscover their homeland, and make use of the opportunities available to them, during his welcome on Sunday, July 23, to unveil the historic Diaspora Engagement Conference at the Ramada Georgetown Princess.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>Griffith told the audience of academics, politicians, professionals, civic society, as well as non-Guyanese, that they should get to know the wisdom and worth of each other, and maximize the opportunity to “come and know,” pointing out that many Guyanese at home do not know much about their country.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>Under the theme, “Dreaming Diaspora Engagement, Doing Diaspora Engagement,” the vice chancellor encouraged attendees to engross themselves in the country’s tourism mecca, by visiting tourist sites.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>Minister of Public Telecommunication, Cathy Hughes, in turn thanked members of the Diaspora for their commitment to Guyana’s development, stating that the UG Diaspora Engagement conference gives them an opportunity to help to transcend and transform Guyana, calling on the Diaspora to use the easy connectivity to give back to their communities.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>She promised to navigate the challenges of Guyana and called on visitors to be patient with the government as it repositions itself to engage Guyanese who would like to return to serve their homeland.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>Chinese Ambassador to Guyana Cui Jianchun, CEO of Roraima Airways Gerry Gouvier, and consultant from Canada Jillian Williams, Director of Roraima Institute, Paul Tennassee, and others, shared their insights and hopes for a successful Diaspora engagement.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>More than 200 delegates attended the conference, while many others delivered keynote addresses and presented papers from various professions.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>Spoken word poet, Keon Heywood, celebrated Guyana’s beauty with a poem, while London-based award-winning flautist and composer, Keith Waithe and the Macusi Players delighted the gathering.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>Article adapted from:&nbsp;<u><a href=\"http://www.caribbeanlifenews.com/stories/2017/8/2017-07-28-tc-guyana-diaspora-conference-cl.html\">http://www.caribbeanlifenews.com/stories/2017/8/2017-07-28-tc-guyana-diaspora-conference-cl.html</a></u></p>\r\n', '', 'filtered_html'),
('news', 0, 356, 363, 'und', 0, '<p>Before an audience of about 300, Professor Ivelaw Griffith in the George Walcott Lecture Theatre was yesterday officially installed as the 10th&nbsp;Vice Chancellor of the University of Guyana [UG] at an investiture ceremony.<br />\r\nAhead of the ceremonial installation, which was executed by Chancellor Professor Nigel E. Harris, tributes from various academic and professional factions were presented.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>The greetings were all flattering and amplified, among others things, that Professor Griffith was best suited to effect an already in progress paradigm shift at the university which boasts a 8,645 student-population across two campuses – Turkeyen and Tain.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>The Vice Chancellor was yesterday even credited with healing wounds, some self inflicted, at the national university. It was emphasised by Chancellor Harris before the ceremonial installation that when Professor Griffith accepted the appointment as Vice Chancellor in June 2016, it was an immense sacrifice he made.&nbsp;But there have been criticisms, he observed. Chancellor Harris said that while he believes in criticism, they should however, at all times,&nbsp;be constructive.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>There were however no criticisms yesterday. Among those who physically extended favourable greetings yesterday to the Vice Chancellor were– on behalf of students – Ron Glasgow, President of the University of Guyana Students’ Society; on behalf of UG staff – Dean of the Faculty of Health Sciences, Dr. Emanuel Cummings; on behalf of the alumni – Turks and Caicos resident, Ms Lillian Misick of Class of 1980; on behalf of the University of the West Indies, Professor Brian Copeland of the St Augustine Campus; on behalf of the University of Liberia, its President, Professor Ophelia Weeks; on behalf of the Trent University, its Director for Biomaterials Research, Professor Suresh Narine; on behalf of the Caribbean Development Bank, its President, Dr. Warren Smith; on behalf of the private sector, Chief Executive Officer of Roraima Airways, Captain Gerald Gouveia and on behalf of Government, Education Minister, Ms. Nicolette Henry.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>The ceremony commenced with a procession with faculty heads attired in academic regalia. It was after a musical rendition by Mr. Keith Waithe,&nbsp;a visiting distinguished artist, that Professor Nigel Harris administered the oath of office and installed Professor Griffith.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>The historic moment was followed by a bout of drum rolls and trumpet sounds that emanated from the Police Force Band.<br />\r\nThe ceremony advanced with Professor Griffith, who entered garbed in his doctoral robe, being asked to disrobe after which he was helped into the Vice Chancellors’ ceremonial attire.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>In his inaugural address as the first installed Vice Chancellor of the university, Professor Griffith acknowledged that although his charge is to lead the university forward he is fully aware that it did not “magically” arrive at the place it is currently at.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>“There was dreaming and there was doing,” said Professor Griffith who recalled visionaries the likes of the late Presidents, Cheddi Berrett Jagan and Linden Forbes Sampson Burnham and C. V. Nunes, a former Minister of Education.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>According to the newly installed Vice Chancellor, it was dreaming and doing that allowed UG to move from a class of 154 in 1964 to more than 8,000 in 2017.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>But it has not always been smooth sailing from the inception of the university, Professor Griffith noted even as he shared his intent to build on the work that was started a long time ago.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>Among those who witnessed the auspicious occasion yesterday were President David Granger; Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo; Government ministers and other dignitaries.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>Professor Griffith was appointed the 10th&nbsp;Principal and Vice Chancellor of UG in June 2016.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>He had earlier served as Executive-in-Residence at The University at Albany, State University of New York, and the Ninth President of Fort Valley State University in Georgia, where he led the right-sizing of the educational and economic enterprise, focusing on growing enrollment, enhancing the academic profile, controlling spending, launching Honors and Undergraduate Research programmes, and initiating a feasibility study to establish a School of Entrepreneurship and Business Innovation.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>Professor Griffith has also introduced a number of similar programmes since taking up his appointment and, according to him, he has plans to do even more as the renaissance of UG continues to unfold.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>Article adapted from:&nbsp;<u><a href=\"http://www.kaieteurnewsonline.com/2017/07/29/professor-griffith-officially-installed-as-ug-vice-chancellor/\">http://www.kaieteurnewsonline.com/2017/07/29/professor-griffith-officially-installed-as-ug-vice-chancellor/</a></u></p>\r\n', '', 'filtered_html'),
('news', 0, 357, 364, 'und', 0, '<p>Just after 5 pm yesterday, Professor Ivelaw Griffith took his seat as the Tenth Vice-Chancellor (VC) of the University of Guyana (UG) to the tune of trumpet fanfare.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>He had just been installed in the position for a second year by Chancellor Nigel Harris as part of an investiture ceremony held in the recently renovated George Walcott Theatre. First installed in June 2016, Griffith’s first year was marked by big ideas, big investments and colourful ceremonies, although he has been accused of being preoccupied with grandeur.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>President of the UG Students’ Society Ron Glasgow told those gathered that for the students the year with Griffith has been like eating a creole fish dish – sweet, but filled with pesky bones.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>He stated that like most Guyanese, UG students like fish and have enjoyed the new lecture theatre, better Wi-Fi across campus and more comfortable ways of paying tuition.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>The increase in tuition, however, was one of those pesky bones with which they have found it difficult to contend.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>Glasgow congratulated Griffith on the actions, ambitions and visions of both him and his staff, which have improved the learning experience, but took time to encourage the strengthening of transparency and communication.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>He urged the VC to “keep on, keeping on,” an encouragement echoed by Captain Gerry Gouveia, who spoke on behalf of the private sector. According to Gouveia, though persons have questioned Griffith’s audacity in several areas, he holds the support of the private sector.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>Dean of the Faculty of Health Sciences Dr Emmanuel Cummings credited Griffith with healing several wounds which proliferated across the university. “We have a much healthier university,” he told those gathered.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>Minister of Education Nicolette Henry congratulated Griffith, saying that the government and people of Guyana look forward to his continued contribution to the creation of an innovative education system.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>“In the past year, you have brought a drive towards innovation at a time when the university was in danger of stagnation. You have contributed to a sense of augustness and appropriate academic decorum at time when it was increasingly being seen as a place undeserving of respect,” she stated.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>Bolstered by this encouragement, the VC committed to the continued implementation of Project Renaissance as a means to bolster the university’s diminished resources, esteem and perspicacity.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>“For the University of Guyana to have tomorrows beyond crisis management and beyond avoidance of being practitioners of the science of muddling through, the renaissance bridge-building must be sustained at least for the next three years,” he told those gathered, noting that it was a continuation of the dreaming and doing which saw the university established five decades ago.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>Project Renaissance aims to rebuild UG’s educational and economic enterprise and enable it to become a consequential national and international stakeholder.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>Throughout its first year, the project has seen several changes being instituted to the organizational structure and operations of UG. Operating under the four pillars of Capital Investment, Academic Enhancement, Economic Viability and Alumni Engagement, this project has birthed the School of Entrepreneurship and Business Innovation, the Turkeyen and Tain Talks, two undergraduate research conferences and the just concluded diaspora engagement conference, among other things.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>According to Griffith, the next year will see even more innovation with the establishment of the Renaissance STEAM task force which will be chaired by Drs Norman Monroe and Suresh Narine.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>This team will be examining the university’s implementation of its Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Math programmes. Also on this year’s agenda is a review of the university’s law program.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>This project also has an identified chair in the person of Professor Velma Newton, Regional Project Director of the IMPACT Justice Programme.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>Others who delivered remarks at yesterday’s ceremony were Principal of the St Augustine Campus of the University of the West Indies Professor Brian Copeland, President of the University of Liberia Professor Ophelia Weeks, Director of the Trent Centre for Biomaterial Research at Trent University Professor Suresh Narine, President of the Caribbean Development Bank Dr Warren Smith and Lillian Misick of the UG class of 1980.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>Article adapted from:&nbsp;<u><a href=\"https://www.stabroeknews.com/2017/news/stories/07/29/university-vc-griffith-invested/\">https://www.stabroeknews.com/2017/news/stories/07/29/university-vc-griffith-invested/</a></u></p>\r\n', '', 'filtered_html'),
('news', 0, 358, 365, 'und', 0, '<p>Professor Ivelaw Lloyd Griffith was officially&nbsp;installed as the tenth Vice-Chancellor of University of Guyana.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>The Investiture of Professor Griffith will formally grant him the authority and symbols of high office.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>June 14, 2017, was the one-year anniversary of Professor Griffith’s selection as the University’s Vice-Chancellor and Principal.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>This historic ceremony, the first of its kind for a Vice-Chancellor at the University of Guyana, will involve a procession with faculty attired in academic regalia and the conferring of the official powers and responsibilities of the office to Professor Griffith by the Chancellor of UG Professor Nigel Harris.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>Professor Griffith had explained that the officially swearing ceremony takes place one year after the Vice Chancellor’s appointment to allow him an opportunity to prove that he is capable of performing in that capacity.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>Professor Griffith had expressed confidence that he has achieved a lot within his one year tenure.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>Professor Ivelaw Lloyd Griffith was appointed the Tenth Principal and Vice Chancellor of The University of Guyana in June 2016, having served earlier as Executive-in-Residence at The University at Albany, State University of New York, and the Ninth President of Fort Valley State University in Georgia, where he led the right-sizing of the educational and economic enterprise, focusing on growing enrollment, enhancing the academic profile, controlling spending, launching Honors and Undergraduate Research programs, and initiating a feasibility study to establish a School of Entrepreneurship and Business Innovation.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>A tenured professor of political science, he served from 2007 to 2013 provost and senior vice president at York College in New York where notable achievements included growing the full-time faculty by 30 percent, re-organizing Academic Affairs into Schools of Business and Information Systems, Arts &amp; Sciences, and Health Sciences and Professional Programs, and enhancing research and scholarship by creating the Provost Lectures, the Distinguished Scholars Lectures, and the Undergraduate Research Program. He also established Discovery to celebrate and incentivize faculty excellence in research and service. Earlier, he was provost at Radford University in Virginia, budget dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at Florida International University (FIU), and dean of The Honors College at FIU, all while holding his professorship.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>A UG alumnus, he was the first person to graduate with distinction in political science. He also holds a Master of Arts from Long Island University, New York, and both a Master of Philosophy and a Ph.D. in Political Science from The City University of New York Graduate School. As well, he graduated from the Harvard Graduate School of Education’s program in educational leadership. An expert on Caribbean and hemispheric security, drugs and crime, he originated the concept called Geonarcotics in the early 1990s as a way to study the complex relationship involving drugs, geography, power and politics, outlining it first in Canada’s leading international affairs scholarly magazine: “From Cold War Geopolitics to Post-Cold War Geonarcotics,” International Journal Vol. 49 (Winter) 1993-94, 1-36.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>Article adapted from:&nbsp;<u><a href=\"http://newsroom.gy/2017/07/28/ivelaw-griffith-installed-as-ugs-10th-vc/\">http://newsroom.gy/2017/07/28/ivelaw-griffith-installed-as-ugs-10th-vc/</a></u></p>\r\n', '', 'filtered_html'),
('news', 0, 359, 366, 'und', 0, '<p>Faced with a “REP” problem for a protracted period, the University of Guyana [UG] is in desperate need of redemption. The way has already been paved for this renaissance but the problem must be recognised in order for it to be effectively addressed.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>Several problems faced by the state university were recently amplified by its Principal and Vice Chancellor, Professor Ivelaw Griffith. “UG has had an REP—Resources, Esteem, and Perspicacity—problem. I am quite mindful of the prescient proposition of Writer and Philosopher, Rabindranath Tagore: ‘You cannot cross the sea simply by standing and staring at the water.’ “Thus, on assuming the Vice-Chancellorship, rather than lament, I launched Project Renaissance, which aims to rebuild UG’s educational and economic enterprise and enable it to become a consequential national and international educational stakeholder,” asserted Professor Griffith.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>Professor Griffith’s remarks were made during his inaugural speech after making history as the first Vice Chancellor of the UG to have a coronation ceremony. But Professor Griffith hopes to also make history by revolutionising the national university.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>He observed that “this institution’s recent yesterdays have been characterized by neglect and stormy seas, with an interlinked three-dimensional predicament, which revolved around resources, both in relation to acquisition and management; esteem, internal as well as external, and notably in relation to academic credibility and brand; and perspicacity, in that the University had lost its intellectual spunk when it comes to critical inquiry and theoretical and applied research.”</p>\r\n\r\n<p>He said that his vision for a renaissance project is both a dreaming and doing project. “Why dream, some have asked, when this University has suffered such neglect and for so long? This Renaissance Bridge Building Project has four main pillars, called imperatives, and six values,” asserted Professor Griffith.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>According to the university’s Principal, the first imperative is capital investment, which involves human capital, physical capital, and brand capital. Second to this is academic enhancement, which Professor Griffith said, entails improving instructional credentials, curricula and andragogy [adult education], and introducing new educational programmes and research to address national and regional business, civic, and overall development needs.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>He pointed out that the economic viability imperative is the third pillar. This imperative, he said, requires fortifying the major existing revenue streams, that is, government subventions and tuition fees but also expanding the revenue base, through alumni and corporate giving, grants, and merchandising.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>The fourth Imperative, Alumni Engagement, entails reaching out to UG graduates within and outside Guyana, celebrating their accomplishments, and inviting them to aid the continued pursuit of our mission and goals.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>“As one might suspect, pursuing Project Renaissance has daunting, Herculean elements. It entails facing and fixing, to quote writer James Baldwin, and it involves pursuing new ventures and setting new baselines, some of which are new to UG and to Guyana, although not new to the academy in many parts of the world,” said Professor Griffith.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>“Understandably, then, decision-making often has been—and will be—tough. But, as Roy Disney once averred—and correctly so, in my view: ‘It’s not hard to make decisions once you know what your values are,” said Professor Griffith who confidently underscored that “our Renaissance pursuits are guided by six cardinal values: Respect, Integrity, Excellence, Transparency, Inclusion, and Efficiency.”</p>\r\n\r\n<p>But such values, according to the Vice Chancellor, cannot be merely platitudinous incantations; they must be lived.&nbsp;He added, “in relation to excellence, for example, Aristotle reminds us of the importance of habituation: ‘We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act but a habit,’ he said. Living these values is particularly important at this period of Guyana’s contemporary history, as our nation has a considerable Respect-deficit and Integrity-challenged profile.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>The onus is on us at the University to aid the alteration of this profile over time,” underscored the Vice Chancellor.&nbsp;Even as he pointed out that changes introduced at the university have started to yield laudable results, Vice Chancellor Griffith noted that this has not been without challenges and criticisms. He, however, noted that the University will continue to boasts of its success. This, he revealed, will entail the posting of a scorecard to the University’s website for the world to see.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>Article adapted from:&nbsp;<u><a href=\"http://www.kaieteurnewsonline.com/2017/08/02/ug-on-course-to-addressing-rep-problem-vice-chancellor/\">http://www.kaieteurnewsonline.com/2017/08/02/ug-on-course-to-addressing-rep-problem-vice-chancellor/</a></u></p>\r\n', '', 'filtered_html');
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('news', 0, 360, 367, 'und', 0, '<p>A Food and Nutrition Security Institute is on the cards for the University of Guyana [UG]. This is according to the institution’s Vice Chancellor, Professor Ivelaw Griffith.&nbsp;Griffith made this announcement at a formal installation ceremony held in the George Walcott Lecture Theatre last Friday. According to Professor Griffith, feasibility work for the establishment of an Institute of Food and Nutrition Security will begin in the New Year.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>Support for this venture has already been streamlined.&nbsp;“A distinguished Guyanese-born chemist will be spending her sabbatical year with us, and has agreed to lead this effort. I have secured the collaboration commitment of the Director of UWI’s Centre for Food Security and Entrepreneurship at Cave Hill,” Professor Griffith disclosed.&nbsp;The Vice Chancellor spoke of moves towards re-energizing biodiversity teaching and research at the University. He noted that the collaboration with the Ministry of the Presidency and Iwokrama must be taken to a higher level.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>Professor Griffith saw these and other measures as important in the renaissance movement currently unfolding at the state university.&nbsp;Among the areas that the Vice Chancellor has also been giving keen attention to is that of the Law Department. In underscoring the need to address multiple challenges facing the Law Department, Professor Griffith outlined what he called two initial initiatives.&nbsp;The first initiative, according to him, will entail the commissioning of a comprehensive review of the department.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>“I truly appreciate the agreement by Professor Velma Newton, a former UWI Law Dean and current Director of the IMPACT Justice Project and head of the Caribbean Law Institute Centre (CLIC), to head the review team.&nbsp;“I have nominations from the Law Department, but I shall defer announcement of others in the review panel until the full team has been empanelled,” announced Professor Griffith.&nbsp;The second initiative will see the university working towards the establishment of a Jurist-in-Residence Programme, and, according to Professor Griffith, “I am pleased that former Acting Chancellor of the Judiciary Carl Singh is likely to be the first Jurist-in-Residence.”</p>\r\n\r\n<p>Professor Griffith who commenced his appointment as the UG Vice Chancellor in June last year has outlined a number of ambitious measures that he envisions will restore the image of the national university which, according to him, has been neglected for far too long.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>But according to the Vice Chancellor, while his reorganization plan of October 2016 catered for the establishment of a deanship for Research and Graduate Studies, a Centre for Teaching and Learning Excellence, and an Office of Legal Counsel, budgetary and other constraints precluded actualizing these. As such he noted that these will need to become priorities in the second year of the Renaissance.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>Part of his renaissance drive has seen the introduction of a series of actions including some that gave focus to the arts. These, according to him, have included, “using Renaissance House, my residence, as a gallery to showcase the painting and sculpture of our students and lecturers, hosting the inaugural Painting, Music and Poetry session at Renaissance House, and appointing the first Distinguished Artist-in-Residence, on a visiting basis, since Martin Carter held the position permanently decades ago.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>“Music icon Keith Waithe, who is here with us, is doing his second stint in this position. This coming year we shall formalize the Artist-in-Residence (AIR) Programme.”&nbsp;Even as he zeroed in on the arts, the Vice Chancellor announced Friday that music legend Dave Martins will be joining UG as a Distinguished Visiting Artist-in-Residence. “I have indicated to Dave and to Deputy Vice Chancellor Paloma Mohamed, who will be managing the AIR programme, that it is important that we extend the geographical reach beyond Georgetown and Berbice, to Lethem, parts of Essequibo, Linden, and other areas. Dave already has some fascinating topics for some of his edu-performance sessions.”</p>\r\n\r\n<p>The University under the guidance of Professor Griffith has started working with the Indian High Commissioner to support what he called an important component of the programme.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>Article adapted from:&nbsp;<u><a href=\"http://www.kaieteurnewsonline.com/2017/08/01/food-and-nutrition-security-institute-other-ventures-in-ug-renaissance-drive/\">http://www.kaieteurnewsonline.com/2017/08/01/food-and-nutrition-security-institute-other-ventures-in-ug-renaissance-drive/</a></u></p>\r\n', '', 'filtered_html'),
('news', 0, 361, 368, 'und', 0, '<p>The University of Guyana (UG) in collaboration with the University of the West Indies (UWI) yesterday launched the Centre for Caribbean Diaspora Engagement, at the conclusion of the five-day Diaspora Engagement Conference.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>This followed the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between Vice-Chancellor of UG, Professor Ivelaw Griffith and Principal of UWI’s St Augustine Campus Professor Brian Copeland that would see a “bonding” of the two institutions.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>Speaking at the event at the Ramada Georgetown Princess Hotel, Griffith remarked that the launch was symbolic and that the significance of the centre was in keeping with his “commitments for the conference that what we discussed and what we decide should not stay there only for the week.”</p>\r\n\r\n<p>He said the UWI had long recognized that the days of relying significantly on the governments of the region to support the enterprise, have gone.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>At UG too, he said, “We cannot keep hoping to have the government subvention be the Alpha and Omega of our resource acquisition.”</p>\r\n\r\n<p>He pointed out that they have to “broaden the horizon” and look for more ways of acquiring funding, including from the “private sector, the diaspora and the alumni here and abroad.”</p>\r\n\r\n<p>He added that there is a coincidence of interest and vision by UG and UWI of “new tomorrows that we prepare for.”</p>\r\n\r\n<p>For instance, he said, there was the question of where they would get the resources for educating their people and part of what the agreement represents is a manifestation of interests.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>He welcomed Professor Copeland to Guyana on behalf of the students of UG, faculty, alumni, and important stakeholders.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>He also expressed delight in signing the agreement, which he said would have a mutual interest and a mutual commitment to building better futures.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>Professor Copeland said that on behalf of UWI, he was truly pleased that they would engage in building a relationship and partnership, which augurs well for the future.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>“We are moving away from the whole concept of the country domain and we have to think Caribbean…,” Copeland later told the media.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>He added that the agreement “points to a new beginning and also a transformation and focus on a new direction.”</p>\r\n\r\n<p>He thanked the VC for inviting him and said the partnership has to succeed for the betterment of the people.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>Meanwhile, Griffith told the media, “We need to have a mechanism to institutionalize and take [UG] forward and this would be done through the centre.”</p>\r\n\r\n<p>He envisioned that the centre would be used for research and outreach and they would be working towards finding a funding stream and a programme of activities.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>Having to deal with the challenges of space at UG, he said, a team that was set up is working on finding a physical location for the centre that would have to be leased.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>The members would be establishing an implementation project that identifies details of the plans. They are also working on the basis of starting the centre “as quickly as we can because of the energy, the interest and the passion reflected at the conference and the wonderful good suggestions about what the centre can do with regional institutions, academic and government entities… We want to have a certain momentum kept.”</p>\r\n\r\n<p>They are looking at a number of partners to get the project started, with the main one being the Caribbean Development Bank. Coming out of the conference, Griffith said, there were expressions of interest by the local tourism sector as well as the Caribbean Tourism Organisation.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>Dr Wazir Mohamed, Professor at Indiana University, will serve as the Associate Interim Director of the centre, while Dr Fitzgerald Yaw, Director of the Office of Strategic Initiatives at UG, would also serve in a similar capacity.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>Mohamed said the centre is intended to build bridges and that governments need to understand that migration is a global phenomenon and that the diaspora want to give back, even if it is for a few months or a few years.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>According to him, there are tremendous resources among people who have lived abroad, who need to share their skills and knowledge here in order for development to take place.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>He said the centre would “create that engaging space so that for instance, you can recruit professors to come and teach at UG… and have engaging spaces between UG students and students abroad and have exchanges between professors…”</p>\r\n\r\n<p><strong>NOTE: The Diaspora Engagement&nbsp;Centre is not a joint venture of UG and UWI, although the two institutions did sign a MoU on collaboration the very day the Centre was launched.</strong></p>\r\n\r\n<p>Article adapted from:&nbsp;<u><a href=\"https://www.stabroeknews.com/2017/news/stories/07/29/ug-uwi-launch-centre-for-caribbean-diaspora-engagement/\">https://www.stabroeknews.com/2017/news/stories/07/29/ug-uwi-launch-centre-for-caribbean-diaspora-engagement/</a></u></p>\r\n', '', 'filtered_html'),
('news', 0, 362, 369, 'und', 0, '<p>Describing the diaspora as a “sleeping giant,” Professor Dhanpaul Narine of New York (NY) says more systems and policies need to be put in place to encourage overseas-based Guyanese to return home to invest.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>On the second day of the five-day Diaspora Engagement Conference that is being held at the&nbsp; Ramada Princess Hotel, East Bank Demerara, he said that politicians are not doing enough to tap the enormous resource of Guyanese living abroad.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>The conference, organized by the University of Guyana (UG) is being held under the theme: “Dreaming Diaspora Engagement, Doing Diaspora Engagement.”</p>\r\n\r\n<p>Over 200 stakeholders and leaders in the diaspora are engaging in various forums and symposiums towards the strengthening of partnerships with overseas organisations.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>Dr. Narine said that the Guyanese diaspora feel like “outsiders trying to get in but are being pushed out.”</p>\r\n\r\n<p>He said too that the politicians would only contact the diaspora about returning home during elections time. He hopes that the conference would bring about some changes in that regard.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>Dr. Narine told Stabroek News (SN) that “there is a lot of talk about investing but we still have to wait and see,” noting that people “are not going to come and invest unless the ‘climate’ is right.”</p>\r\n\r\n<p>He was referring to the benefits of serving for several years in the diaspora and then returning to serve locally and about the rights of the children of Guyanese parentage who may want to here.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>He said Guyana should take note of the way the diaspora is being treated in Jamaica and Haiti.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>According to Dr. Narine, Jamaica has a very robust diaspora policy with a minister and the diaspora is seen as an extension of the Jamaican society.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>In Haiti, which is poorer than Guyana there is a ministry for Haitians abroad. In Guyana, though the diaspora is part of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs programmes, the subject minister could not make it to address them on the first day of the conference, he lamented.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>Foreign Minister Carl Greenidge was expected to outline “what Guyana aims to do to engage its Diaspora in the most meaningful way as the world undergoes severe global changes.”</p>\r\n\r\n<p>Dr. Narine pointed out that he writes a lot of recommendations for skilled young people to volunteer their services in the Dominican Republic and places in Africa but they have never been here.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>When he inquired why they were not doing the same for Guyana they responded that no one was telling them much about here. They also said that they have written letters seeking permission to come and volunteer here but nobody responded.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>Dr. Narine said since he has been living&nbsp; in NY he has always taken an active role in the life of Richmond Hill, which has an unofficial population of 250,000 Guyanese and is dubbed ‘Little Guyana.’ The population is second to the Chinese.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>He said in the greater NY area, the “Guyanese population is number seven and we are making tremendous progress in all different fields; medical, accountancy, real estate and construction” while “the children are performing well at schools.”</p>\r\n\r\n<p>He, along with other professors, has gotten an offer from the UG Vice Chancellor, Dr. Ivelaw Griffith, to become an ambassador of UG. Living in NY, he said, he cannot do that but be can “help to raise funds for special projects and spreading good words…”</p>\r\n\r\n<p>“The conference is testimony to the good vision of the vice-chancellor because governments in this country have been talking about involving the diaspora for years but with very little being shown,” he told this newspaper.</p>\r\n\r\n<p><strong>Global diaspora</strong></p>\r\n\r\n<p>Another Professor, Naresh Singh who has lived in Ottawa, Canada for 20 years, considers himself a global citizen having lived in NY for 10 years, St. Lucia for seven years, India for two years and Jamaica for four years.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>He said he attended the conference “to get a sense of the thinking” and because of his interest in helping UG. He has been a visiting Professor at many universities, including Harvard and McGill in Canada.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>His vision is to reinstate the Institute for Development Studies at UG, which he believes is really needed because of the discipline and good academic training it would provide. But beyond that, he said, it is critical for the development of the country.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>He said they have heard a little about the challenges of returning and although he has worked at many universities, “it keeps tugging at my heartstring about why I can’t come back and do something for UG.”</p>\r\n\r\n<p>Jocelyn Marshall of New Jersey left Guyana 28 years ago and is interested in investing here. Her “aim is to come to understand the climate and the policies, learn from other people’s experience and see where I would feel comfortable in investing.”</p>\r\n\r\n<p>She said through the presentations on Monday, from the government officials and others, she got information on their policies and about diaspora programmes in other countries.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>On Monday, she saw a business opportunity from one of the presentations but said her challenge may be getting the immediate relevant information to get started.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>Marshall, a personal empowerment coach and a former project programme manager at a bank, feels that the conference was “well put together and it was what the participants wanted. The presenters were very appropriate…”</p>\r\n\r\n<p>Dr. Lear Matthews of New York City said the conference created an opportunity for frank dialogue between the diaspora and Guyana.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>He hopes that it deals with some of the tensions that exist between the diaspora and local communities as well as the diaspora and government and that they can work together for the benefit of developing communities in Guyana.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>A Professor of the State University of NY, he is part of the editorial planning committee for the conference.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>He presented on Hometown Associations in Guyanese Organisations in North America and the connections with Guyana, the extent to which they send remittances and help communities in Guyana.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>Radio broadcaster in Florida, Ron Bobb-Semple, who left Guyana 45 years ago found the conference extremely informative. He said it was “long overdue because the Guyanese diaspora has contributed so much to this nation over the years…”</p>\r\n\r\n<p>He too said that the “diaspora has to be recognized. A lot of us left the country for various reasons; to improve ourselves or because of family ties… and now there is a lot of concern with a lot of Guyanese and expatriates because of what is happening…” here.</p>\r\n\r\n<p><strong>Mentality</strong></p>\r\n\r\n<p>He recalled that in a television interview in May, he had said that “the mentality of the Guyanese people has got to change; with the way you drive, the way you express yourself, how you treat others, it has got to change.”</p>\r\n\r\n<p>He said the cleaning up of the city has to be continuous and not just what was done for special occasions like in the case of “the 50th celebration and then everything is back to square one.”</p>\r\n\r\n<p>He gave kudos to Dr. Griffith for his initiative and his impetus to bring this conference to fruition and he glad he was able to make it.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>He has made a promise to visit places in Guyana that he has never been to so as to experience its beauty.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>Asked about his interest in returning, he responded that when “one has first-hand experience of the beauty of the country, one may be encouraged to come back and invest.” He is looking into various possibilities.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>Bobb-Semple’s visit to Guyana is two-fold; to attend the conference and for his performance at the Theatre Guild on August 18, in celebration of Marcus Garvey’s birthday. The cultural entertainment included drama, poetry and comedy.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>Meanwhile, during a session about ‘Doing Business in Guyana,’ hosted by Chief Executive Officer of the Guyana Office for Investment (Go-Invest), Owen Verwey, a participant asked about plans to establish an abattoir of international standard.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>Verwey responded that an abattoir is scheduled for completion within the next 12 months in Region 9.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>He said Go-Invest, together with the Livestock Development Authority and the Ministry of Agriculture visited Boa Vista in Brazil a few weeks ago to look at abattoir operations.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>He said one of the largest abattoirs in the American region that has the capacity to slaughter one cow every 30 seconds, is being built in Boa Vista.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>Glen Khan, the Laparkan Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, delivered the keynote address and recalled his humble days growing up in New Amsterdam, Berbice.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>Even though he had dropped out of school for a year that did not prevent him from attaining 13 subjects later. Ten months later he was able to get a job at an accounting firm.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>Khan, a Certified Accountant, entrepreneur and philanthropist, established Laparkan Investments Limited in 1982 in the Channel Islands, with initial operations out of Toronto, Canada and later, Laparkan Trading.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>That was after he recognized the need to provide West Indians with a reliable channel to send supplies, gifts and other personal effects back home to their families in the Caribbean.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>In 1983, Laparkan opened its doors in Toronto, Canada and was an instant success. Word quickly spread and within 12 months fully functional Laparkan offices and warehouses were set up in New York, Miami, London and Georgetown, Guyana.</p>\r\n\r\n<p><strong>Prominent</strong></p>\r\n\r\n<p>His address came after video messages from two prominent Guyanese living in Britain; Gina Miller and Baroness Valerie Amos, who shared their experiences.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>Miller was recognized last year for forcing the British government to have a parliamentary vote on the British exit from the European Union – Brexit. She objected to no Parliamentary discussion and won her case at the Supreme Court.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>She grew up on the East Coast of Demerara and attended St Gabriel’s Primary in Georgetown. Her parents: Doodnauth and Savitri Singh taught discipline and the virtue of hard work. At the age of 13 they sent her to Britain to join her older brother, Gary, where she attended boarding school.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>Miller is an investment manager and philanthropist and co-founded the investment firm in 2009. She launched True and Fair with her hedge fund manager husband, Alan, which campaigns against mis-selling and hidden fund charges in the City of London’s fund management industry.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>Baroness Amos in her video message, spoke about growing up in Wakenaam and having the freedom to run around and of her mother tutoring her. Sadly, she recalled the tough time her family faced when her mother died on the morning of her father’s funeral.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>Coming from a family of teachers, it was no surprise that she decided to offer support to young black men such as with university scholarships, after data proved that they had the highest dropout rate. She is proud that they started with nine young men and now have over 90. “Seeing them stand up and say how they did it, is incredible,” she said.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>Baroness Amos who has lived in Britain since the age of nine, said she thinks of herself as a Guyanese, from the Caribbean and from Britain.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>From 2010, she served as Undersecretary General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator at the UN. She served in a number of roles in the public sector including in local government and as Chief Executive of the Equal Opportunities Commission.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>She was an adviser to the Mandela Government on leadership, change, management and strategy issues between 1994 and 1998.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>She was appointed a Labour Life Peer in 1997 and became a member of the Government in 1998. She was a Foreign Office Minister, Secretary of State for International Development, Leader of the House of Lords and Lord President of the Council. She also served as UK High Commissioner to Australia before joining the UN. In June 2016, she was made a Companion of Honour in the Queen’s Birthday Honours list.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>Article adapted from:&nbsp;<u><a href=\"https://www.stabroeknews.com/2017/news/stories/07/27/more-policies-systems-needed-for-diaspora-to-return/\">https://www.stabroeknews.com/2017/news/stories/07/27/more-policies-systems-needed-for-diaspora-to-return/</a></u></p>\r\n', '', 'filtered_html'),
('news', 0, 363, 370, 'und', 0, '<div>\r\n<div>\r\n<div>\r\n<div>\r\n<p>The School of Medicine at The University of Guyana (UG) was recently “accorded Accreditation for four years from 2017-2021 by the Caribbean Authority for Education in Medicine and other Health Professions (CAAM-HP). The decision to grant re-accreditation with a few conditions to the UG School of Medicine was made at the July 2017 meeting of CAAM-HP. The School first gained accreditation in 2008 and functioned as a professionally accredited institution up to 2015.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>The re-accreditation of the School, located in the Faculty of Health Sciences, Turkeyen campus, follows a site visit to UG in November of 2016 by a team of evaluators from CAAM-HP, to conduct a comprehensive re-evaluation of the teaching/learning facilities available at the School and meet with the various administrative sections of the University and medical students. The team comprised Team Chair, Professor Christopher Stephens, Emeritus Professor of Medical Education, Faculty of Medicine, University of Southampton, UK; Team Secretary, Professor Jonas Innies Addae, former Head of Preclinical Sciences Dept. and former Deputy Dean, Faculty of Medical Sciences, The University of the West Indies, St Augustine Campus, Trinidad &amp; Tobago; and Professor Trevor McCartney, Professor of Surgery and Deputy Dean, Faculty of Medical Sciences, The University of the West Indies, Mona Campus, Jamaica and former Medical Chief of Staff, University Hospital of the West Indies, Jamaica. The team was accompanied by Ms Lorna Parkins, Executive Director of CAAM-HP and Professor Emerita Marlene Hamilton, Chair of the CAAM-HP Council.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>In commenting on this long awaited announcement Vice-Chancellor Professor Ivelaw Lloyd Griffith congratulated the faculty, students and staff of the School of Medicine “on this signally important decision” and expressed appreciation to personnel and students of the School, the University Library, Registry, Estate Management, Information Technology, Personnel Division and other units, His Excellency President David Granger, the Ministry of Public Health, Ministry of Education , PAHO/WHO, and the Georgetown Public Hospital, for their contributions to this successful outcome. He stated that \"This investment of time and resources by the university in the re-accreditation of the School of Medicine is a tribute to the entire university and it strengthens our brand overall as we pursue Project Renaissance.\" He further said, “however, substantial amounts of time and money will be required to complete the needed enhancements of one of our flagship programmes.\" This sentiment was echoed by the Director of the School Dr Ronald Aaron who emphasised that the accreditation was due to \"community effort, now the real work begins\".</p>\r\n\r\n<p>Shafali Milton, President of the University of Guyana Medical Students’ Association, expressed pride in the role played by the students in the eventual outcome. She said, “The road to regain our status as a regionally accredited medical school was filled with countless challenges, however, we, the student body were undaunted and did everything in our power to assist. We are elated at the result of hard work from both the administration and the student body and on this note; we would like to thank everyone who contributed in the process. The UGSM has regained its position as a prestigious institution in the Caribbean, one which the current students as well as its alumni can be proud to be associated with. We look forward to new endeavors as the journey continues\".</p>\r\n</div>\r\n</div>\r\n</div>\r\n</div>\r\n\r\n<div>\r\n<div>\r\n<div>\r\n<div>\r\n<p>Dean of The Faculty of Health Sciences, Dr Emanuel Cummings, noted in his brief history of the School that it was established in 1985 in the Faculty of Health Sciences as a Medical Practitioners programme which included four years of medical training and two years of internship. This was upgraded in 1990 to a five-year programme followed by a one-year internship. To date, the School has graduated more than 500 doctors who are working in Europe, North America, Asia, Africa, Australia, the CARICOM Region and locally in leading positions in the Health Care Sector. Notable graduates include the current Junior Minister of Public Health, The Chief Medical Officer, Heads of Paediatrics, General Surgery, Orthopaedics, Cardiology, Emergency Medicine and Internal Medicine at the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC).&nbsp;</p>\r\n\r\n<div>\r\n<div>\r\n<div>\r\n<div>\r\n<p class=\"rtecenter\">###</p>\r\n\r\n<h3>UG IN BRIEF</h3>\r\n\r\n<p>With a current enrollment of some 8,000 students, The University of Guyana (UG) has graduated more than 20,000 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 part-time 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 Under-graduate and Post-graduate Programmes including Engineering, Environmental Studies, Forestry, Urban Planning and Management, Tourism Studies, Education, Creative Arts, Economics, Law, Medicine, Optometry and Nursing. Several online programmes are available and The UG also offers extra-mural 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.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>Public Relations Division<br />\r\nAugust 2, 2017&nbsp;</p>\r\n</div>\r\n</div>\r\n</div>\r\n</div>\r\n</div>\r\n</div>\r\n</div>\r\n</div>\r\n', '', 'filtered_html'),
('news', 0, 364, 371, 'und', 0, '<p>In its quest to drive the “intellectual processes of green development,” the University of Guyana (UG) must become an incubator of technology, President David Granger said yesterday at the opening ceremony for the inaugural Diaspora Engagement Conference.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>Under the theme “Dreaming Diaspora Engagement, Doing Diaspora Engagement,” the five-day conference, which opened at the Ramada Princess Hotel, East Bank Demerara, will see over 200 stakeholders and leaders in the diaspora engage in various forums and symposiums towards the strengthening of partnerships with overseas organisations.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>“The university is central to fulfilling the scientific and technological objective which the green state requires. The university must drive intellectual processes of green development by becoming an incubator of technology and the nurturer of skills and talents,” Granger said in his keynote address.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>While Granger noted the strides UG has made in several fields, he stated, “This country needs biologists, botanists, zoologists to document and study its unique and unmatched biodiversity. It needs engineers to erect infrastructure in the hinterland.”</p>\r\n\r\n<p>Also giving brief remarks was UG Vice-Chancellor Professor Ivelaw Griffith, who sought to give a framework of some of the unstated objectives that he hopes will be achieved at the end of the conference.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>Alluding to the economic gains expected to come out of the conference, Griffith said that “another unstated goal is to use the conference to inject into our economy some badly needed finances to help with job creation.”</p>\r\n\r\n<p>He added that it is hoped that the university will become a neutral zone “that irrespective of your political apprehension or your racially-driven or other related apprehensions, you should feel comfortable working with the University of Guyana….”</p>\r\n\r\n<p>Griffith, in a statement last month, had said that the conference will contribute to the development of diaspora policy and a framework to effectively attract direct diaspora investment and engage the diaspora in nation building.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>UG had also said that the conference will comprise three components – an academic symposium, a business forum and community engagement. While the community engagement dimension will focus on building relationships with key stakeholders, such as diaspora community leaders, the business forum will consider the process for facilitating investment, trade and enterprise development.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>Meanwhile, during a roundtable session, several ministers also engaged the conference on how the various ministries can aid in effectively engage the diaspora.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>For his part, Business Minister Dominic Gaskin told the gathering that he would like to see the diaspora invest in and visit Guyana. “Our domestic laws do not discriminate… there is plenty of space for the diaspora to insert itself into the national economy,” he said.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>Speaking to the development in the infrastructural arena, Minister of Public Infrastructure David Patterson said that the arrival of passengers in Guyana is up 14%, when compared to the same period last year. “The reason why this may sound like a really good thing for tourism… I am about to complete a terminal at the airport which was developed as a project in 2011… At those initial projections in 2011, the projected growth for passenger growth was 4% per annum. So you understand… that if the current passenger arrival and departure continues, it will be over capacity in 2019,” he explained.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>The conference also saw the launch of the 2017/2018 edition of the Invest Guyana Magazine, by publisher Lokesh Singh, a businessman and Guyana’s consul to St Lucia.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>He said that for the magazine, which was launched some five years ago with an aim of attracting investment into Guyana, they partnered with Go-Invest two years ago. “We signed a long-term agreement where this magazine is the official magazine of the Guyana Office of Investment and by extension the Ministry of Business and government of Guyana,” he noted.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>Article adapted from:&nbsp;<u><a href=\"https://www.stabroeknews.com/2017/news/stories/07/25/ug-must-become-tech-incubator-for-green-development/\">https://www.stabroeknews.com/2017/news/stories/07/25/ug-must-become-tech-incubator-for-green-development/</a></u></p>\r\n', '', 'filtered_html'),
('news', 0, 365, 372, 'und', 0, '<p>Full international accreditation for the next four years has been granted to the University of Guyana [UG’]s School of Medicine. This development, which became official last week, was confirmed yesterday by Vice Chancellor, Professor Ivelaw Griffith. Professor Griffith said that although full accreditation has been granted, it is however with some conditions. He said too, that the University will shortly issue a statement on the newest accreditation development. Dean of the Faculty of Health Sciences, Dr. Emanuel Cummings, directed this publication to the Vice Chancellor. “He is the fittest person to comment on this.”</p>\r\n\r\n<p>Regaining the accreditation was something that the University’s Vice Chancellor had identified as a top priority. This publication understands that the accreditation body, the Jamaica-based Caribbean Accreditation Authority for Education, Medicine and other Health Professions [CAAM-HP], granted accreditation to UG because of the tireless efforts that were engaged to put recommended measures in place. The body, it was revealed, in making its reaccreditation decision had in fact given keen recognition to the outstanding leadership of the University’s Vice Chancellor in the quest to put certain measures in place.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>Also taken into consideration were the efforts of key officers, including the Director of the School of Medicine and the Dean of the Faculty of Health Sciences, in this regard. But it wasn’t only the “highly motivated and committed faculty” that contributed to the CAAM-HP decision but also the “enthusiastic, motivated and high quality students.” Added to this, CAAM-HP’s decision took into consideration the work undertaken by the curriculum team to develop a new 2017 curriculum which this publication understands is likely to be up for revision in 2021.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>CAAM-HP is the legally constituted body established in 2003 under the aegis of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), empowered to determine and prescribe standards and to accredit programmes of medical, dental, veterinary and other health professions on behalf of the contracting parties in CARICOM. The acquisition of accreditation is therefore dependent on an institution’s adherence to certain stipulated standards. This translated to the School of Medicine working towards achieving some 140-plus standards established by CAAM-HP. The standards are divided into several areas including infrastructure, educational resources, faculty and the curriculum itself, and several others. In essence, the accreditation body, this publication was informed, was able to address a gamut of concerns raised by CAAM-HP in its report of 2013.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>Based on information out of CAAM-HP, accreditation for the UG medical programme was revoked because there were no progress reports forthcoming from the tertiary institution for the years 2014 and 2015. But the university was not in a position to submit these reports, since a number of measures had to first be put in place. Several of these related to infrastructure, educational resources, faculty and the curriculum itself, among others. One of the concerns of CAAM-HP that had led to the withdrawal of international accreditation in 2015 was the fact that there was no standing Memorandum of Understanding between the University, the GPHC and the Ministry of Public Health, making these clinical practice sessions formal.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>Moreover, among the measures that the University had to address, leading up to the CAAM-HP assessment process, were the introduction of plans for a new Health Sciences Faculty, improved clinical and lecture facilities and other amenities for medical students. The accreditation body had also focused on the university’s staff development programme to which the majority of staff had engaged over the last few years. It was observed by CAAM-HP that that programme had in fact produced a positive change and a move toward using more active learning methods which have been built into the new curriculum.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>There were also measures that were put in place by the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation [GPHC,] which is tasked with aiding the clinical aspect of the UG medical programme. These were reportedly also commended by CAAM-HP which recognised that efforts in this regard has allowed for the availability of a wide range of the clinical material to the students, and that the early patient contact which makes the students learning more relevant.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>However, it is expected that other measures, including the upgrading of facilities and the addition of new infrastructure, will be among the factors that will help to ensure that the accreditation status is sustained. The accreditation path was paved following a CAAM-HP site visit in November of last year. During the site visit both the Turkeyen Campus and the GPHC were under scrutiny.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>Article adapted from:&nbsp;<u><a href=\"http://www.kaieteurnewsonline.com/2017/08/03/full-intl-accreditation-restored-to-ugs-medical-programme/\">http://www.kaieteurnewsonline.com/2017/08/03/full-intl-accreditation-restored-to-ugs-medical-programme/</a></u></p>\r\n', '', 'filtered_html'),
('news', 0, 367, 374, 'und', 0, '<p>When the University of Guyana’s (UG) School of Entrepreneurship, Business and Innovation throw open its doors at Turkeyen and Tain to students for the first time later this month, the institution will be beginning its ascent to new heights in pursuit of the relevance of the offering of the institution to the development of Guyana.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>SEBI’s Visiting Professor Leyland Lucas is unmistakably upbeat about the transformative effect that SEBI can have, as much on the informal sector as on the traditional public and private sectors. He points out that the significance of SEBI reposes in the fact that it is not an abstract academic contrivance but a response to what is felt to be a critical developmental need that has been overlooked for far too long.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>SEBI, Professor Lucas says, emerged from three sets of considerations: the pronouncement made by President David Granger regarding the need to look beyond the traditional public service for viable employment options, the “vision” on the part of UG’s Vice-Chancellor Professor Ivelaw Griffith in seeking to take the institution in a direction that renders it more relevant and the feedback gleaned particularly from private sector institutions and entrepreneurs regarding the paucity of skills available to fuel the movement of the private sector.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>What makes SEBI both unique and critically relevant to the country’s developmental needs is its distinctive flexibility, its ability to respond to both the training needs of students seeking a formal academic qualification as well as private and public sector entities hoping for the targeted upgrading of specialized disciplines and skills of their employees to render them more relevant to the entrepreneurial requirements of the enterprises that they serve. There is too, Professor Lucas says, a third rung on the ladder of education and training that allows for individuals (or groups) wrestling with the myriad challenges of managing modest entrepreneurial endeavours to benefit from SEBI’s practical guidance provided through structured programmes.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>At the level of its academic programme SEBI will offer conventional degree programmes in disciplines that include Accounting, Finance, General Management, Tourism Studies and Supply Chain Management, among others. Beyond these there are more targeted programmes, fashioned out of the particular requirements of the participants and targeting the needs of individuals and public and private sector institutions. The latter focus of SEBI, Professor Lucas says, embraces a target group that ranges from those public and private sector institutions that have been forever clamouring over the lack of skills, to the host of individuals and groups in the informal sector including small vendors whose absence of entrepreneurial know-how have been largely responsible for the challenges they have faced in seeking growth for their businesses.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>Long before the exhaustive consultations between UG and its various audiences that spawned the creation of SEBI had been concluded, representatives of deficient local public and private sector organizations had already found their way to Turkeyen to plead their various skills-scarcity cases and to seek the university’s help.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>All of this is taking place against the backdrop of the reality of a university which is not only seriously cash-strapped, but still lacking in some of the requisites necessary for the effective delivery of its existing curriculum. Lucas himself admits that when consideration is given to offering the SEBI programme on both of the university’s campuses it becomes an undertaking that is beyond the capability of UG alone. He says that the recruitment of individual faculty, over time, is clearly necessary, but the many and varied national needs to which SEBI seeks to respond do not allow for any further prevarication in the launch of the initiative.&nbsp;To meet SEBI’s immediate needs, the existing corps of lecturers in the various disciplines, volunteer diaspora academics, and experienced and successful local entrepreneurs, managers and business support organizations will be pressed into service, as much for their formal qualifications as for their experience to help deliver a curriculum comprising both formal classroom instruction and field exercises as well as informal coaching designed to respond to the many and varied needs of the SEBI curriculum.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>At the levels of both faculty support and student intake Lucas anticipates a measure of broader Caricom involvement. He anticipates what he says is likely to be “a measure of UWI support in the provision of teaching resources,” whilst two countries in the region, Antigua and St Lucia have already signalled to the university their interest in benefiting from the training that SEBI seeks to offer.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>At intervals during his interview with the Stabroek Business Professor Lucas returned pointedly to the significance of the evolution of SEBI, not least, the fact that UG’ newest education and training compartment derives from what has been widely determined to be some of the critical human resource deficiencies in the society. The dialogue with the broader society – the public and private sectors and the modest entrepreneurial aspirants – he says, will persist through the creation of an Advisory Board that will seek to reflect the many and varied interests that spawned SEBI in the first place and which will play a central role in charting SEBI’s course, going forward.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>Article adapted from:&nbsp;<u><a href=\"https://www.stabroeknews.com/2017/business/08/04/school-of-business-seeks-to-consolidate-ugs-role-in-responding-to-local-skills-scarcity-headaches/\">https://www.stabroeknews.com/2017/business/08/04/school-of-business-seeks-to-consolidate-ugs-role-in-responding-to-local-skills-scarcity-headaches/</a></u></p>\r\n', '', 'filtered_html'),
('news', 0, 368, 375, 'und', 0, '<p>The National Sports Commission (NSC) Friday signed a Memorandum of Understanding&nbsp;(MoU) agreement with two athletes, providing them full scholarships to Monroe College. This was disclosed during the signing held at NSC’s boardroom.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>It was announced that 12 athletes, were given full scholarships to the University of Guyana (UG) while two athletes were scouted and offered full scholarships by the Monroe College, United States of America.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>In brief remarks, Director of Sport attached to Ministry of Education Department of Culture, Youth and Sport Christopher Jones explained that the agency’s initiative to provide scholarships to the athletes were due to their performance at the Caribbean Free Trade Association(CARIFTA) Games, earlier this year.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>“The National Sports Commission (NSC) would make available to the two athletes namely Onassha Rogers and Claudrice McKoy, the same amount that would have been used to facilitate them at the University of Guyana (UG),” Jones noted.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>Jones said the amount offered will be provided on a yearly basis and totals $230, 000 per year for four years including $50,000 deemed as miscellaneous fees. He noted that the miscellaneous fees provided will be the same amount paid for those attending UG.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>Jones highlighted that the athletes who are slated to depart on August 18, will receive their first payment Friday August 04. He noted that though the two athletes have accepted the college’s offer, they will still receive the payment per the agreement.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>“As stipulated in the agreement should there be some reason they (athletes) are unable to complete the scholarship offered by Monroe College, the payments will cease however should they decide to pursue at UG, then the payment will continue,” the Director of Sport added.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>Onassha Rogers, one of the athletes slated to depart for the US, expressed her gratitude towards the NSC and the government for their support in her abilities and furthering her education. She said that she hopes to make Guyana proud for giving her the opportunity.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>“First of all, I would like to say thank you to the National Sports Commission (NSC), the Director of Sport Christopher Jones for this contribution made. I am very excited and happy for this opportunity to further my studies and I promise to do my best,” Rogers said.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>The Director of Sport noted that the agreement signed is part of the government’s mandate of honouring their commitment towards providing platforms for the athletes’ development.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>Article adapted from:&nbsp;<u><a href=\"http://gina.gov.gy/local-athletes-offered-full-scholarship/\">http://gina.gov.gy/local-athletes-offered-full-scholarship/</a></u></p>\r\n', '', 'filtered_html'),
('news', 0, 369, 376, 'und', 0, '<p>THE curtains on Friday came down on the University of Guyana (UG) Library’s thirteenth annual “Reading is Fun” programme when participants were presented with certificates and prizes at the institution’s library at its Turkeyen Campus.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>The programme was sponsored by Courts Guyana Incorporated for the past eight years to date and will continue to receive sponsorship. The programme had formerly run on its own for five years until Courts decided to give full sponsorship.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>Customer Experience Manager of Courts, Shona Barker, said that “we’re happy to say that we were able to obtain a remarkable number of students and also able to meet with this programme as it continues to grow.”</p>\r\n\r\n<p>At the ceremony there was a list of items portrayed by the youngsters who were registered as part of the programme. These items include dramatic poetry, an acoustic, a song and a skit.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>“Items on the programme are used to show what they have gained and developed and to aid us in an evaluation of how we can do it [the programme] better” pointed out Gwyneth George the Chief Librarian at the University of Guyana.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>George also pointed out that the programme targets what they call ‘vulnerable children’. For the past 13 years they have been working with the Sophia community of children whose ages range from 5 to 13. “The basic thing is reading but the programme does not only center on reading” George said.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>The other activities which the programme aid in are health tests, educational tours, computer knowledge and creative work such as poetry. The youngsters were placed into a number of groups and they worked alongside skilled resource individuals who are exemplary in literacy and reading. These individuals consisted of members of the library staff and members from the department of humanities and education. The programme which runs three days per week for three weeks registered approximately 50 youngsters this year.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>However compared to the numbers from the first two years when it had just begun, there has been a decline.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>Article adapted from:&nbsp;<u><a href=\"http://guyanachronicle.com/2017/08/05/curtains-come-down-on-ug-reading-programme\">http://guyanachronicle.com/2017/08/05/curtains-come-down-on-ug-reading-programme</a></u></p>\r\n', '', 'filtered_html');
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('event', 0, 370, 377, 'und', 0, '<p>The “Resource-based Economy and Environment” Executive Workshop is built around the idea that resource abundance does not itself imply growth and development; and much less does it imply green growth and sustainable development.&nbsp; Indeed, resource abundance often implies, paradoxically, a growth that at best disturbs and injures the environment and at worst depletes the resource base itself, and threatens the livelihoods of those (usually the poor) who depend on it.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>Policy makers in Guyana have adopted a ‘green economy’ framework that aims to achieve economic growth that is environmentally responsible and sustainable.&nbsp; Earlier, in 2008, Guyana, had developed and launched a “low carbon development strategy (LCDS)” to show that economic growth does not have to be associated with rising carbon emissions.&nbsp; The LCDS was conceived as a contribution to global climate change <u>mitigation</u>; while green growth will have to emphasise climate change <u>adaptation</u>.&nbsp; It is not easy however to separate the two issues as they really are not independent.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>For this and other reasons a resource-rich country pursuing green economic growth will have to deal with some obvious challenges, contradictions and tensions; and it will have to be innovative in looking for opportunities.&nbsp; Challenges would include the potential for the resource curse, which would upset any growth strategy; and increased pollution and climate change impacts, which would compromise any attempt to pursue a “green” growth strategy.&nbsp; At a more abstract level, an immediate challenge facing Guyana is that issuing an oil production licence while pursuing a climate change mitigation strategy would seem to be contradictory even if, as appears to be the case, the carbon footprint associated with crude oil production in Guyana will be small.&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;The course will examine how apparent contradictions such as these can be addressed with innovative institutional and technological solutions, such as Carbon Taxes or Biofuels, which take advantage of the country’s resource-abundance.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>Note that the emphasis of this Executive Workshop is to <u>build awareness</u> and to <u>expose participants to the discourse on the green economy</u>, as against offering exhaustive training.&nbsp; It will therefore be <u>highly interactive</u>, and will benefit significantly from the feedback and involvement of participants.&nbsp; It is hoped that a core of people will emerge to advance to this other level.</p>\r\n\r\n<p><strong><u>The Uniqueness of the Programme</u></strong></p>\r\n\r\n<p>In addition to its novelty in the Caribbean and its particular focus on Guyana, which is undoubtedly the region’s most resource-abundant country, this executive course is unique among all those offered elsewhere in its focus on the importance of voluntary cooperation and coordination for the achievement of a green economy.&nbsp; The course is built around the idea that the Green Economy, especially in a developing, resource-abundant, economy presents several “social dilemma” type challenges in which the public interest is pitted against private self-interest, but the collective choice of the former expands opportunities for everyone in society.&nbsp; It takes cooperation to achieve such pro-social behaviour; and when enough people strategically positioned in social networks subscribe to pro-social norms, it takes coordination for them to avoid the inferior, “anti-social,” equilibrium.&nbsp; Nested strategies to elicit cooperation for green economic growth will be explored at the international, regional, national and sub-national levels.</p>\r\n\r\n<p><strong><u>Duration, Organisation and Delivery</u></strong></p>\r\n\r\n<p>The programme will run from Saturday, August 12, 2017 to Saturday 19, 2017 but will not include Sunday, August 13, 2017.&nbsp; The course is divided into parts:</p>\r\n\r\n<ul>\r\n	<li>Part A:&nbsp; <u>Analytical Issues in the Green Economy Discourse</u></li>\r\n	<li>Part B:&nbsp; <u>Methodological Issues in Preparing for the Green Economy</u></li>\r\n	<li>Part C:&nbsp; <u>Policy Issues in Developing a Green Economy</u></li>\r\n	<li>Part D:&nbsp; <u>Science, Technology &amp; Innovation for a Green Economy</u></li>\r\n</ul>\r\n\r\n<p>Parts A – C will be delivered in Lessons, two per day.&nbsp; Part D will take the form of post-Lesson presentations, to allow a larger group of national stake holders to attend.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>Additionally, there will be <u>LUNCH-TIME DISCOURSES</u>, which will emphasise interaction and demonstrations.&nbsp; Among the topics that will be covered will be:</p>\r\n\r\n<ul>\r\n	<li>Ethics for a Green Economy</li>\r\n	<li>The opportunities and constraints present in Law.&nbsp; Overarching principles such as inter-generational equity, and common heritage, in the context of Guyana Constitutional rights and duties.</li>\r\n	<li>Energy Audits</li>\r\n	<li>The Science Behind the Green Economy</li>\r\n</ul>\r\n\r\n<p>Lessons will be delivered in the Computer and Information Technology (CIT) Centre at the University of Guyana.&nbsp; There will be internet access, and all the software required for the Part B.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>PowerPoint slides will be used extensively, and will be available to participants before Lessons.&nbsp; In addition to lectures, there will be case studies, classroom discussion of particular problems with a view to coming up with solutions, and in the case of Lesson 8, computer laboratory experiments.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>A key element of the course will be to expose students to the global initiatives to support the development of a green economy and to integrate resources available at various green economy portals into the delivery.&nbsp; Examples include United Nations’ Sustainable Development Knowledge Platform:</p>\r\n\r\n<p><a href=\"https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/topics/greeneconomy\">https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/topics/greeneconomy</a> and the United Nations’ Environmental Programme: <a href=\"https://www.unep.org/greeneconomy/\">https://www.unep.org/greeneconomy/</a>.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>Opportunities for businesses to do side-presentations and exhibitions will be built into the programme.</p>\r\n\r\n<p><strong><u>Learning Objectives</u></strong></p>\r\n\r\n<p>Participants will learn about the green economy and its antecedents such as sustainable development, as well as global, national and sector-specific challenges and opportunities to advance low-carbon, resource efficient and socially inclusive development.&nbsp; They will begin to develop basic skills for applying the green economy concept in a real world economic, policy and/or personal context.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>On successful completion of the course, participants will be able to:</p>\r\n\r\n<ul>\r\n	<li>assess whether their policies and programs promote or hamper the goals of a green economy;</li>\r\n	<li>increase the \"green\" content of their policies and programs;</li>\r\n	<li>consider intelligently the green economy implications of national policies, legislation and regulation; and</li>\r\n	<li>recognise “green economy” negotiating issues when dealing with clients, customers, suppliers and regulators.</li>\r\n</ul>\r\n\r\n<p><strong><u>Target Audience &amp; Eligibility</u></strong></p>\r\n\r\n<p>The course targets groups and individuals that are interested in, and see the need for, obtaining a general understanding about the green economy concept and latest developments in general, and especially in Guyana and the Caribbean.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>They include: • Civil servants in Ministries, Regional and Local authorities • Diplomats from Missions, and International Agencies • Managers in private sector and civil society organizations, including political parties, the media, and trade unions • Faculty, researchers and students • Interested citizens.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>Persons who have a first degree in any discipline, or who have managerial/supervisory level experience, are eligible to participate in this Executive Workshop.</p>\r\n\r\n<p><strong><u>Lecturers and Resource Personnel</u></strong></p>\r\n\r\n<p>Lecturers on the course will be experts who will be drawn from the University of Guyana and from elsewhere.&nbsp; The full list of lecturers will be published shortly.</p>\r\n\r\n<p><strong><u>Cost</u></strong></p>\r\n\r\n<p>The cost per participant is $50,000 for the entire course; but in interest of including as many important stakeholders as possible, consideration will be given to those agencies that cannot quite afford this.</p>\r\n\r\n<p><strong><u>Programme Outline and Readings</u></strong></p>\r\n\r\n<p>The outline is presented below.&nbsp; Readings will be added.</p>\r\n\r\n<p><u>Part A: Analytical Issues in the Green Economy Discourse</u></p>\r\n\r\n<p>Lesson 1.Green Economy Issues</p>\r\n\r\n<p>The development of the concept of a green economy, and the relationship with the earlier concept of sustainability or sustainable development, will be discussed.&nbsp; On the supply side, a taxonomy of environmental resources (renewable/non-renewable), and on the demand side, a taxonomy of values (use/non-use), will be developed.&nbsp; Beginning with GDP and ending with “Genuine Savings,” the macroeconomics required for the course will be presented.&nbsp; Particular attention will be paid to the notion of total wealth.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>Readings:</p>\r\n\r\n<p><a href=\"http://www.lse.ac.uk/GranthamInstitute/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/WP92-green-growth-economic-theory-political-discourse.pdf\">Green growth: economic theory and political discourse</a>, by Michael Jacobs.</p>\r\n\r\n<p><a href=\"https://www.st-andrews.ac.uk/media/dept-of-geography-and-sustainable-development/pdf-s/DP%202014-09%20Hanley,%20Dupuy%20&amp;%20McLaughlin.pdf\">Genuine Savings and Sustainability</a>, by Nick Hanley, Louis Dupuy and Eoin McLaughlin, 2014.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>Lesson 2.Markets and Formal Institutions for a Green Economy.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>The circular flow of income will be introduced, emphasising markets and “traditional” resource allocation themes.&nbsp; The definition of resources will then be expanded to include environmental resources and natural capital, as well as social capital, and formal institutions and informal institutions.&nbsp; In discussing formal institutions the role of the state as regulator will be introduced.&nbsp; The role of individual demand will be developed but the constraining influence of society on preferences will be noted.&nbsp; The importance of interpersonal trust will be underscored, both for the reduction of transactions costs and the facilitation of market interactions; as well as for the mechanisms used in the governance of non-market activities and interactions.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>Lesson 3.Economic Growth Theories</p>\r\n\r\n<p>Review of economic growth theories, with an emphasis on the motivation of “green growth.”&nbsp; Guyana’s Green Economy Strategy will be discussed and analysed, along with the earlier Low Carbon Development Strategy.&nbsp; The role knowledge, human capital and science &amp; technology would be emphasised.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>Lesson 4.The Main Themes &amp; Policies in Environmental and Resource Economics</p>\r\n\r\n<p>The following concepts will be presented, without any attempt at a very in-depth analysis.&nbsp; Kuznet’s Environmental Curve; market failures; externalities &amp; public goods; property rights and the commons; Pigouvian Taxes, the Coase Theorem, and Elinor Ostrom’s Core Principles; Maximum Sustained Yield; Hotelling’s Rule; the Hartwick Rule; the Dutch Disease &amp; the Resource Curse.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>Lesson 5.Behaviour, Culture and Decision-making in Markets, Government and Society.&nbsp; The Prisoner’s Dilemma will be introduced to facilitate the discussion of the importance and the difficulty of voluntary cooperation, with an emphasis on multiple equilibria (i.e., Nash and Pareto) in the game.&nbsp; The mechanisms, including coordination mechanisms, and the circumstances that lead to the selection of the Pareto Optimal outcome would be surveyed.&nbsp; The importance of norms in equilibrium selection, and the approaches to changing norms would be discussed, as would the fairly recent theory of “nudging.”&nbsp; The importance for green growth of social cohesion and inclusiveness, and of having the poor involved in decision making, will be explained and analysed.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>&nbsp;</p>\r\n\r\n<p><u>Part B: Methodological Issues in Preparing for the Green Economy</u></p>\r\n\r\n<p>Lesson 6.Investment Appraisal.&nbsp; Discounting and the choice of discount rates; Net Present Value, Discounted Cash Flow and the Internal Rate of Return; the appraisal of environmental projects; public versus private investment appraisal, and the importance of complementarities in investment decisions.&nbsp; An Excel-based Mine Project Evaluation tool, using Monte Carlo Analysis, will be introduced and discussed.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>Lesson 7.Data Analysis, Policy Impact Analysis, and Survey Methodology</p>\r\n\r\n<p>Lesson 8.Classroom Experiments for the Study of Cooperation</p>\r\n\r\n<p><u>Part C: Policy Issues in Developing a Green Economy </u></p>\r\n\r\n<p>Lesson 9.Climate Change: The Paris Agreement; Guyana’s intended Nationally Determined Contributions (iNDCs); Guyana’s Green Economy Strategy Paper; and the Low Carbon Development Strategy; and REDD+, the Guyana REDD+ Investment Fund and the Norway Agreement, will all be discussed and critiqued.&nbsp; The proposal for a Carbon Tax, as well as the emergence of carbon trading, would be presented and analysed.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>Lesson 10.&nbsp;Trade and Sustainability</p>\r\n\r\n<p>Lesson 11.The Resource Curse Phenomenon, and Avoiding it</p>\r\n\r\n<p>&nbsp;</p>\r\n\r\n<p><u>Part D: Science, Technology &amp; Innovation for a Green Economy</u></p>\r\n\r\n<p>Presentation/Panel 1.Energy Transition and the Advances in Biofuels Technology</p>\r\n\r\n<p>Presentation/Panel 2.Renewable Energy in Guyana, the Caribbean and the Wider World</p>\r\n\r\n<p>Presentation/Panel 3.Issues in Sustainable Agriculture in Guyana</p>\r\n\r\n<p>Innovation &amp; the Green Economy Manager</p>\r\n', '', 'filtered_html'),
('news', 0, 371, 378, 'und', 0, '<p>Professor Ivelaw Lloyd Griffith was officially&nbsp;installed as the tenth Vice-Chancellor of University of Guyana.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>The Investiture of Professor Griffith will formally grant him the authority and symbols of high office.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>June 14, 2017, was the one-year anniversary of Professor Griffith’s selection as the University’s Vice-Chancellor and Principal.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>This historic ceremony, the first of its kind for a Vice-Chancellor at the University of Guyana, will involve a procession with faculty attired in academic regalia and the conferring of the official powers and responsibilities of the office to Professor Griffith by the Chancellor of UG Professor Nigel Harris.</p>\r\n<br>\r\n<iframe width=\"100%\" height=\"500\" src=\"https://www.youtube.com/embed/videoseries?list=PLYIqkDrB6f___3SW3KLTKjkdGPhsysckZ\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen></iframe>\r\n', '', 'full_html'),
('news', 0, 372, 379, 'und', 0, '<p>Zara Group of Companies, the cyber security body that provides technological support to the Guyana Police Force (GPF) is offering four scholarships to the University of Guyana, in collaboration with the Force. The scholarships are for full-time prospective University of Guyana students for either the Turkeyen or Tain branch. Kaieteur News was informed that two of the scholarships will be available to the public and the remaining two will be offered to the immediate family members of ranks of the Guyana Police Force. The scholarship will be for four years and completely covers the tuition fee. Students are required to maintain a high grade point (GPA) of 3.0.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>If two or more candidates are eligible, the short listed candidates will be selected by a random draw. To be eligible for the scholarship, students must have a minimum of eight subjects at the Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC), proof of acceptance letter from the university, demonstrate the need for financial assistance, and a letter showing that the candidate has completed at least 100 hours of community service. Zara Group of Companies has been contributing to the technological sector within Guyana for several years. They have been supporting the police force in terms of cyber crime fighting. The non- Governmental organization has opened computer centres across Guyana where police ranks and civilians benefit from free training. In 2013, the Zara group established a computer centre at the Richard Faikall Training College at Suddie which caters for the need of ranks in “G” division and residents.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>With the use of Information and Communication Technology (ICT), the organization aims to bridge the gap of a community/police partnership. Kaieteur News understands that the computer classes, which were being done in collaboration with the police, have made some communities a more relaxed place, where it is easy for civilians and police ranks to communicate. The Zara group was established about 30 years ago by a Guyanese family residing in the US, and is involved in real estate business. The organization has since collaborated with several institutes including the Central Islamic Organization and the GPF as a means of giving back to the country.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>Article adapted from:&nbsp;<u><a href=\"http://www.kaieteurnewsonline.com/2017/08/12/zara-police-offer-ug-scholarship/\">http://www.kaieteurnewsonline.com/2017/08/12/zara-police-offer-ug-scholarship/</a></u></p>\r\n', '', 'filtered_html'),
('document', 0, 373, 380, 'und', 0, '<p>&nbsp;</p>\r\n\r\n<p>Welcoming all new students! Join us for UG Orientation week 2017. Learn about your respective faculty &amp; everything UoG. Download calendar below&nbsp;</p>\r\n', '', 'filtered_html'),
('event', 0, 374, 381, 'und', 0, '<p>You are especially invited&nbsp;to attend<strong>&nbsp;</strong>the launch of the book&nbsp;<strong><em>An Accidental Life</em></strong><em>&nbsp;by&nbsp;</em>Professor Harold Drayton, former Deputy Vice-Chancellor of The University of Guyana. The launch will be held on Thursday, August 24, 2017, at 18:00 h in the Education Lecture Theatre.</p>\r\n\r\n<p><img alt=\"\" src=\"/sites/default/files/Book-Launch--Flyer.jpg\" style=\"width: 1185px;\" /></p>\r\n', '', 'full_html'),
('news', 0, 375, 382, 'und', 0, '<p>The University of Guyana Faculty of Social Sciences in collaboration with the Ministry of Social Protection, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), and York University launched a Master’s in Social Work programme at its Turkeyen Campus on Wednesday, August 16.&nbsp;</p>\r\n\r\n<p>he master’s programme will enable 26 social work graduates to further their studies and obtain a&nbsp;master’s degree. This is a second-cycle academic&nbsp;degree representing a high-order overview of a specific field of study. The Ministry will sponsor eight of the 26 students participating in the one-year programme.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>“The importance of Social Work cannot be underestimated” remarked Mohan Ramrattan, Deputy Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Social Protection. It operates at the boundary interface between people and their social, cultural and physical environment and “is part of the template that moulds right from wrong and protects our people through institutive, administrative and other measures” he said.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>Ramrattan explained that support for the programme will create a larger social worker populace and by extent “guarantee the prevention of social dysfunction and the protection of our vulnerable, and groups at risk.” Which is in keeping with the Ministry’s mandate “To contribute to economic and social development by maintaining a stable industrial relations climate, formulating policies and providing integrated employment, training, social and welfare services”.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>Vice Chancellor and Principal of the University of Guyana Ivelaw Griffith, quoted Rabindra Tagore, “You cannot cross any sea simply by standing and staring at the water” as a reminder to the students and groups involved that though the journey may be long, they should not surrender, for they are fighting for a greater cause. He also reminded the Social Workers to always be respectful, and pursue excellence.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>Monica Miller, Head of the Sociology Department shared that, the journey to having such a programme began four years ago. Although it has been tiring, they have truly succeeded. “This is only the beginning; we will strive to have a PhD program.”</p>\r\n\r\n<p>Barbara Heron, the coordinator from York University noted that the level of organisation, and support from all parties&nbsp;</p>\r\n\r\n<p>involved, was overwhelming. Heron and six other professors will be lecturing in the Master’s programme over the coming months.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>Deputy Representative, UNICEF Paolo Marchi congratulated the University on this milestone and urged the students of the programme to be committed, he also &nbsp;&nbsp;commended them for their desire to want to develop Guyana.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>Last year the Ministry of Social Protection hosted a conference for social work administrators, practitioners and educators to explore thematic issues within the realm of their professional practice and facilitated the exchange of ideas amongst them.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>Resulting from that conference, there is now a working draft of the Guyana National Standard for Social Work, a document containing research material and a registered list of social work professionals.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>Ramrattan reiterated that the Ministry of Social Protection remains committed to collaborating with organisations in support of social work and working in every area that falls under its purview, for the development of Guyanese.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>Article adapted from:&nbsp;<u><a href=\"http://gina.gov.gy/ug-launches-social-work-masters-programme/\">http://gina.gov.gy/ug-launches-social-work-masters-programme/</a></u></p>\r\n', '', 'filtered_html'),
('news', 0, 376, 383, 'und', 0, '<h4>Reluctant Participant</h4>\r\n\r\n<p>The theme ‘Dreaming Diaspora: Doing Diaspora’ sounded fluffy. This wasn\'t the reason I didn’t initially want to go to the conference. I knew I couldn’t afford it! From the outset, I understood that it would have to be self-funded, given that I’m not attached to an academic institution, but am independent, based in the UK, where average travel fare to Guyana would cost £700. But in July! Double that. I decided I wouldn’t go. It kept pushing me to attend, however, and finally, I agreed I’d find the funds and go. My decision to finally go was due in part to a sense that there would be few if any presentations on culture. I was right. Even so, what could I really contribute? When the current administration took office, ‘business’ for developing the economy was its focus; our High Commissioner here in the UK was formerly in business. I saw a future in which the arts and culture were forced off centre as the poor cousin of advancing the nation’s economy. My paper/presentation would highlight that culture is the bedrock of societies and should not be sidelined since it is issued from the peoples that make up our communities and societies. What culture needs in order to contribute effectively to economies is for the government to institutionalise processes for creative industries to develop and thrive. As they do in the UK and elsewhere, ‘inward investment’ is necessary, along with securing music (where we at with copyrights?) and consistent education programmes.</p>\r\n\r\n<h4>Active Participant</h4>\r\n\r\n<p>The conference opened on Sunday 23rd July with a reception. Some anxieties about feeling out of place among the suits and business people dominated. One of the first people I met, who settled some of my misgivings was my cousin, Michael Brotherson. He works in the Foreign Office, headed by Karl Greenidge, the Minister of Foreign Affairs whose absence did not go unnoticed. I was surprised but had no choice but to rise to it, when Vice Chancellor Professor Ivelaw Griffith asked me along with others to say a few words about the conference. I waited my turn, all the while styling anxieties about what I’d say. I was the last to speak. Thankfully the speaker before me, Paul Tennassee (University of the District of Columbia) had closed his remarks by introducing a young poet called Keon Heywood, who performed a wonderful piece about Guyana. The springboard was easy; he’d allowed me to highlight the importance of culture and arts in all our engagement about how to develop Guyana, to remember that culture too is business and key to our humanity. Professor Griffith did an intriguing thing giving me that momentary platform, totally unprepared as I was. After I spoke, he was able to confirm that as well as the newly developed Business/Enterprise Unit at the university there were plans too for developing the Arts. I knew of this in any case from previous conversations with the Vice Chancellor. I would embrace the conference with confidence now and appreciate that I had a place there.&nbsp;</p>\r\n\r\n<h4>The Papers and Presentations</h4>\r\n\r\n<p>It was impossible to attend most as I’d hoped but that’s the nature of conferences. I read a sour note on FaceBook that some of the presenters sounded as though they’d swallowed a dictionary. It was perhaps difficult for this observer to appreciate the quality of the papers and that it was a conference initiated by the University where one would expect the calibre of contributions I saw. What was lacking was sufficient time for us to digest and question the presenters and also better rooms to better facilitate the PowerPoint slides. We ran way over time the first day of the conference, which was due in part to the opening formalities that included a Keynote address by President David Granger. The fact that the University had sought to include the government as well as opposition leaders marked its intention to have far reaching inclusion and obviously to highlight the important role each need to play to engage the diaspora effectively if we are serious about development.&nbsp;<br />\r\n<br />\r\nThere were excellent, if hurried papers from the Theme: ‘Engaging the Diaspora’ – which included methods relating to policy development to utilise the potential of the diaspora; entrepreneurship and investment possibilities that move beyond remittances and establishing a methodology for researching the diaspora; Building Partnerships with the Diaspora Theme saw papers on creating a ‘multi-dimensional Process for engaging the Diaspora’ and exploring the reality of the resources (skills based and financial) of the diaspora. A paper I enjoyed was on the government Green State initiative, pushing for us to explore and implement renewable energy as an industry, delivered by Gary Best. It’s a commendable initiative but my misgivings about the oil exploration and development make it difficult to be convinced about how the two will mesh. I caught only an enticing tail end of ‘Mimicry and Fantasy in the Diaspora: the view from Richmond Hill in New York’ by Dr Dhanpaul Narine but others said it was a treat.<br />\r\n<br />\r\nMy presentation was titled \'Embedding Guyanese Culture\' and showcased a few organisations/initiatives based in the UK, Bogle L’Ouverture Publications, Huntley Conference, Guyana UK Sports and Development Association, Way Wive Wordz and \'Guyana Speaks!\' It emphasised the need to institutionalise/embed culture for it to effectively matter in development strategies. It was well received, though time didn\'t allow for any questions following.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>It was several times noted that the Diaspora contributed around $US450 Million in remittances, with the majority of Guyanese located in the USA. Although the US based Guyanese dominated, I was actually really impressed by the enthusiasm, initiatives (educational as well as business related investments) and experience they amass. For example, Dr Vincent Adams, one of the appointed Education Ambassadors has 30 odd years’ experience in oil and gas. He will be lending his skills in a mentoring role from the University.&nbsp;<br />\r\n<br />\r\nThere were, at times tiring rounds and key notes by government Ministers and representatives. Gerry Goveia, buoyant but for me exuding a businessy arrogance that grated, was there to speak on behalf of the Private Sector. He said some things about the business community going and demanding x and y from the government, forcefully it seemed. Gail Texeira represented the opposition and seemed to be citing statistics about increased migration, as though this was consequential to the new administration and not a process inherent to Guyana’s progress (or lack thereof) throughout its nationhood. I didn’t hear connections being made here either with the zealous dishing out of 10 year Visas by the US Embassy.&nbsp;<br />\r\nThe Foreign Office was tasked with serious questions from the floor following a presentation by Michael Brotherson, who was there in place of Karl Greenidge. The Diaspora Development Policy document or strategic document was the issue. It seemed this had been ‘in process’ for far too long, wide consultation with the diaspora missing; the possibility that Mr Brotherson, responsible for its advancement hadn’t clapped eyes on it. I felt it for him; those US delegates were not letting up. And rightly so.&nbsp;<br />\r\n<br />\r\nI wish I could say something about the Minister for Education’s presentation. Either by this point in the day I was tired or it was flat and unimpressionable. Words were said, lots of graphs and seemingly well-organised charts and things but I can’t speak to the substance of Minister Nicollette Henry’s discussion, which was unfortunate. On the other hand Cathy Hughes, now Minister for Technology (the title might not be totally accurate) was vibrant, acknowledging some of what our young people are developing, discovering and needing investment for. Animation seems to be big. There is a Guyana Animation Network, which collaborates with Trinidad and Suriname. Ms Hughes noted that Animation could be done more cost effectively in Guyana than some of our neighbouring countries. I can’t verify this but think the opportunity worthwhile to bear in mind.&nbsp;<br />\r\n<br />\r\nAmbassadors from Mexico, China and India attended the conference and presented on their respective country’s success at engaging its respective diaspora. Again the policy issue crept up because countries like Jamaica and Haiti all have one – Jamaica particularly, we were told say the ‘diaspora is an extension of itself?’ All this to beg the seriousness of the Guyana government in making use of its diaspora. David Lammy, our MP for Tottenham flew in to give a keynote. He did so with the use of charm and some comedy but seriously noting that if the Guyana government was serious about development with its diaspora’s contribution it should consider why children born to Guyanese parents outside of the country aren’t automatically Guyanese too, as they would elsewhere be regarded citizens through heritage.&nbsp;<br />\r\n<br />\r\nIn fact, a bug bear of one of the delegates was our use of the term ‘diaspora.’ He was suggesting we switched to the term ‘Persons Of Guyanese Origin’ (POG) which might be less confusing to Guyanese generally and broadens identities linked to Guyana. ‘Come backee’ was also questioned as to its appropriateness, despite being culturally in circulation a while.&nbsp;</p>\r\n\r\n<h4>On the question of oil</h4>\r\n\r\n<p>I don’t remember when exactly the oil discussion took place – though one of the papers was on this – but someone asked about the contract. They wanted to know where we could find it. I confess I’m not in favour of the oil industry development. There have been too many instances in my life time where this has proven to be a nightmare and destructive force to small countries forced to give unfavourable terms to multi-national corporations that have more wealth than those resource rich countries they exploit. What undeniably happens, as I recently read in the case of the small African nation of Equatorial Guinea (though what kind of ‘small’ we mean is another discussion) is that sickening, corrupt contracts are made with the so-called leaders whom the corporations give whatever revenues are yielded to directly whilst the mass of the population starves, the country continues in underdevelopment. Why should Guyana be different? In the Equatorial Guinea example, this disgusting deal was made with Exxon Mobil who directly paid money into the President’s bank account. Why does our government have faith that Exxon Mobil would grow moral fibres just for Guyana? Okay, so it wasn’t this administration with whom the contract was made. We were told at the conference that the contract was made with Janet Jagon in 1999, during her brief term as President. When administration changed in May 2015, British lawyers advised the government that owing to our border dispute with Venezuela it should be cautious about what goes out to the public. This is shocking – that Guyanese actually don’t know what’s in the contract. Further, former President Bharrat Jagdeo in 1997 added a non-disclosure clause in the petroleum Act. And something I didn’t catch properly about the ‘licensee being the one to give permission for disclosure.’ Someone who was there can authenticate the correct note. None of it should sit well with us. Put simply, we can’t see this contract. In the first place if this was made with the highest person in the land who has absolute power, then we can only move our mouths like we’re circulating saliva but can’t do anything to change the course of action weighing on this impending industry, positively or not. An industry that some at the conference, I couldn’t help noticing seemed entirely assured would bring great wealth to the nation. It seemed too that this industry would be so economically transforming for Guyana that we might as well get rid of bauxite, sugar and rice. There is a despairing sense that this winding down of same has already begun. I can’t see when disclosure would come since the border issue with Venezuela has been long. It’s being put before the international community at the end of this year, in any case.&nbsp;<br />\r\n<br />\r\nWe were further told about the 50/50% division of profits from oil revenues with the stomach churning caveat that this would be after the cost of investment had been accounted for. In other words, it would really be (if I understood the thing properly) 75/25% initially. How long this would last I didn’t hear. I hope at heart many of us were concerned about Guyana\'s sovereignty and its development otherwise the blades of grass Venuezla claims will pale beside the probable ravages multinationals like Exxon Mobil are capable of imposing on \'small\' countries.</p>\r\n\r\n<h4>Where were the Young People?</h4>\r\n\r\n<p>Any major gripe I have with the conference is that there wasn’t a contingent of young people present. I didn’t see any from the University doing a presentation or from the wider community. I communicated with a young man, who was a Civil Engineer teacher at UG who had brought a few of his students to the conference. I would have liked to see a panel discussion, chaired by and comprised of young people. This issue was raised on the last day and hopefully the feedback was noted along with others for organising future conferences. Importantly, there was a suggestion to develop a diaspora conference for young people. Perhaps the cost was prohibitive, if students were encouraged to attend, at $US50.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>However, the Conference did offer an opportunity to engage with the community, including young people. This was the day to ‘give back,’ where delegates could take on a volunteering activity within the community. I went to a Youth Volunteering Day, held at Umana Yana. It was great to see young people engaged in development efforts aimed at supporting educational and social needs of other young people. There were groups pitching their ideas for development to a panel of judges. The winner was one that had developed an app called Maths Guru. I met some Youth Ambassadors. They were sponsored by the US Embassy to go to the United States for three weeks, take part in youth projects which they would return to Guyana and repackage in some form to offer to Guyanese youth. Most of the ambassadors were selected from Queens College. One, Visharnie, a previous QC student, bright and focused worked for the Guyana Chronicle and invited me to do an interview for the paper. This interview focused on culture, its lack, its potential in Guyana. She surprised me (pleasantly) and reinforced why I thought we needed the presence of our young people at the conference, by cutting to the chase and asking about the impact of cultural imperialism on the way we do or do not embed/institutionalise initiatives to promote, advance and centralise Guyanese cultural identity.</p>\r\n\r\n<h4>Cultural diversity?</h4>\r\n\r\n<p>At some point the fact that the majority of attendees were African Guyanese was made. It is a disgusting, shameful reality that events initiated to encourage wide participation when lead by an African Guyanese often results in a lack of involvement by Indian Guyanese. This has been my experience for years. I can’t speak to the ravages of the 1960s when the mud and blood were slinging both ways but in my lifetime I’ve observed efforts by African lead organisations to be inclusive of all the ethnicities. One of these is the Guyana UK Sports and Development Association, which organises a folk festival every year (for the last 20). This is for all Guyanese to take part in. But Indian Guyanese stay away. This has been the case no matter which administration is running the country or the ethnicity in the UK’s case of the High Commissioner. Of course, I can’t speak to events organised by Indian Guyanese or other groups where Africans are actively sought to attend? How would one know in a divisive society as ours? I know that I’d sooner see African Guyanese participating in the variety of festivals, donning clothes to reflect than I would the other way around. But that story is tired. A refresher to this came at an Emancipation event (I’ll blog separately on this) where Prime Minister Nagamootoo wore a dashiki, so too all his body guards.&nbsp;<br />\r\n<br />\r\nAn article by a Guyanese of Indian heritage suggesting that those Indian Guyanese who attended the conference were there for cronyish benefit was stupid for too many obvious reasons. The writer was there – looking, she suggests for her mattie and when seeing few, thought she was in the wrong place. Her comments remind me of a forefinger straining forward, an action which forces the thumb to invert backwards. The lack of representation by Indian Guyanese has nothing to do with the University since it’s an institution for all Guyanese, neighbours and international community. Invitations were far reaching for this reason.&nbsp;<br />\r\n<br />\r\nIf that writer’s comments can be described as stupid, John Mair’s comments (in an article he wrote about the conference) were insensitive and equally foolish. Firstly, he bemoaned being a ‘token white’ – if that’s how he chose to self-identify that’s his shame. In truth, did he expect organisers to rally minority numbers of ‘white’ (European/English/Spanish/Portuguese) Guyanese to satisfy some quota? As for renaming the ‘diaspora’ – ‘dire-spora’ – this suggests he really is ‘token’ that he is not one of us – however way we want to identify our connectedness with Guyana. When he referred to the President’s attendance with his ‘gang’ I was reminded of his paper (he presented same time as I) on the so-called ‘Guyanese Mafia’ a term he wants to have on record as his. Baroness Amos beamed one morning of the conference from a pre-recorded video and said Prince Charles had coined the term. I can’t stand it. Worse than this, however, and snakey too was his comment that the conference was a ‘coronation for the Vice Chancellor.’ The Vice Chancellor was hands on, but he didn’t ‘chair’ everything as Mair reported. This was a disgusting exaggeration. The Vice Chancellor tried to attend as many of the panels as possible, moving from room to room as we, the delegates were. Mair got personal about the VCs bowties too, though I couldn’t work out whether it was an endearment or slight. He might reflect (?) on his own curious eccentricity of writing as a pseudonym as well as in his own name in the same article; in other words referring to himself in the third person. He might chew on the hating notes in his paper, which probably have more to do with punctured privilege and realisation that when he\'s in Guyana, he is a minority than anything else.&nbsp;<br />\r\n<br />\r\nThe cultural finale on the last night was disappointing. There was an attempt to be inclusive here too – something East Indian, Chinese, Indigenous and well – Dave Martins! We only live in some fickle hope that ‘inclusion’ might mean we don’t separate like this but revere and creatively demonstrate our coming together, attempting to ‘one people’ in a way I\'ve observed Surimamese handle the diversity issue. Keith Waithe, the University’s Artiste in Residence had promised us something special, that we’d get the chance to dance and do weself. He would give us, one supposed a bit of something we might connect with African Guyanese. That didn’t happen. Unfortunately, the group of musicians he’d organised (comprising Rukiza Okera, Larry Bartley, Chris, Buxton Fusion and Helen McDonald) didn’t pull it off or even together and appeared to be rehearsing. I think it was unnecessarily elaborate, in any case. What would have worked in my humblish view is an array of drums. This would have sounded a timely note for emancipation, which was three days after the conference ended. The might of the drums would also have been appropriate to follow Dave Martins house tearing down act which had overrun and preceded Keith Waithe et al. And yet here too there were some comments about a lack of diversity on this night. And on and on the racist bile prevails.</p>\r\n\r\n<h4><br />\r\nThe Investiture – of the Vice Chancellor Ivelaw Griffith</h4>\r\n\r\n<p>I thought I could have ducked this programming of the conference. I didn’t know how ‘formal’ the thing was, didn’t know what an \'investiture\' was. I went and it really was pomp, as I now realise these things are. Felt woefully underdressed in my newly purchased UG and DEC tee - merchandise I was glad to support. The President, Prime Minister, other Ministers, UG Chancellor, UG faculty members and Deputy Vice Chancellors (I was surprised that there were more than one); guests from different parts of the world and their respective universities all there to see the installation of the 10th Vice Chancellor to the University of Guyana. I can (outside and inside the event itself) see and hear the cries about it because it is change. What I can’t witness more directly are the sneers by those who think the diaspora (Professor Griffith representing) are taking over. I’d have to be resident proper to appreciate that aspect and the quarters whence it cometh. For whatever reason and however it was made possible, who can really envy the Vice Chancellor the role he accepted? Anyone who merely dreams, I suppose.</p>\r\n\r\n<h4>Building bridges</h4>\r\n\r\n<p>Finally, I had to acknowledge it was worth being present at the conference because it gave the occasion to get to know other Guyanese living outside. Whatever the reasons they attended the conference I got a sense that there was a serious commitment to helping Guyana to develop. We have between us earned extensive skills in all fields that can contribute to this process. And many have been trying for years to find ways to ‘give back.’ We could all lament the seemingly deliberate closed doors and bureaucratic instruments that have stopped our collective/individual efforts – be they to return and teach, set up sports clubs, contribute hospital supplies, rebuilding schools, supplying schools with computers/books, facilitating literacy initiatives, wide ranging business enterprises (using local produce/services), helping to alleviate mental health and other medical issues, domestic violence, particularly against women and so on. It was noted that many of us (I am one) who left Guyana didn’t do so by choice. The sense that when we come back we’re seen as ‘stepping on toes’ is something we learn to live with. At least I have. The conference organisers didn’t consciously enable those present to make connections with each other, by say making it part of a programme/morning or afternoon; that had to be organic. It would have been good to have a sense of who was in the room, but with our last minuteness (mine included) that might be a stretched expectation. The chance to get to know Guyana was programmed, I’ll write on this in another post. But this would have served as an opportunity to connect.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>We can measure the success of the conference in so many ways. I choose simply to refer to its inception. It had to be dreamed up, in the first place. Then believed possible. Who would dream only and not attempt the practical steps to realise their vision? So although the theme appeared philosophically fluffy to my ear and mouthing and laughter at times I fully appreciate what has been achieved by this initiative, which began with a dream or vision. One of the outcomes was the launch of the Centre for Caribbean Diaspora Engagement. Another was the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between the University of Guyana and University of the West Indies. The Investiture, too, set a new standard, like it or not. The conference brought together people who would otherwise never be seen together because of our respective interests. And we don’t have to like each other, nor share the same ideology. We need as a start to recognise that the University has attempted in this initiative to be a mobilising force, and its new Vice Chancellor seems serious about the business of running it with the necessary contribution of key players, just as elsewhere Universities are developed, maintained and become important instruments through which the moral, philosophical, political, social, economic and cultural values of a nation are progressed. Many of the delegates are the University of Guyana Alumni, perhaps attesting to their interest and genuine desires to give back. Success then is what we make of it – and my gratitude to the Vice Chancellor and team for organising this first Diaspora Conference is fully expressed here.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>Article adapted from:&nbsp;<u><a href=\"http://waywivewordzspiritualcreative.blogspot.com/2017/08/guyana-trip-july-2017-i-diaspora.html\">http://waywivewordzspiritualcreative.blogspot.com/2017/08/guyana-trip-july-2017-i-diaspora.html</a></u></p>\r\n', '', 'full_html');
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('news', 0, 378, 385, 'und', 0, '<p>Five persons on Friday were awarded scholarships from US based Zara Group of Companies as it launched its first scholarship programme. The grant covers tuition fees for four years at the University of Guyana (UG), Turkeyen and Tain campus.&nbsp;The awardees are Jamal Joseph Austin who will major in Geological Engineering, Jaya Devi Deonarine in Optometry, Javin Harris in Computer Science, Hester Hernandez in Chemistry and Denise Mona Saul who read for a Bachelor’s Degree in Education.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>The scholarship programme is a collaborative effort between Zara Group of Companies and Guyana Police Force (GPF). In brief remarks, at GPF Zara Computer Training Centre, Eve Leary, Senior Vice President, Zara Group of Companies Jay Sobhraj congratulated the awardees for making their families and country proud in attaining the scholarships. “We look forward to seeing you through the four years, provided that you maintain your academic standards,” Sobhraj noted.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>Information Technology (IT) Consultant Nardeo Singh explained that the creation of the scholarship programme is the company’s way of allowing the young people to make a difference in Guyana. In addition to its ongoing Information Technology training&nbsp;programme, he noted that the scholarship is also in keeping with the agency’s commitment to its corporate social responsibilities. “We are in New York, we cannot do it, and we are too far from doing it. You (young people) have to invest in yourself and you have to invest in your country we (Zara group of companies) are here to just help you along the path,” Singh said.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>It was highlighted that this scholarship programme between GPF and Zara Group of Companies is a five-year partnership that requires the students maintain a point average (GPA) of 3.0. U.G Deputy Vice Chancellor, Turkeyen Campus Michael Scott ,responsible for Academic Engagement, commended the founders for their contributions to the young people, noting that the opportunity provided to the awardees will benefit them greatly and they should consider themselves fortunate since they will assist in the country’s development.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>“On behalf of our university which will have the benefit of having access to these young minds to be part of that institution because that is the contribution you are making, we are having yet another field to reap from so therefore this is another opportunity for us to be able to access excellent students to our institution,” Scott noted. Hester Hernandez who is from Lethem, Region Nine told the Department of Public Information (DPI) that he is fortunate to have been granted the scholarship because he had applied to several tertiary institutions in an effort to improve himself academically.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>“I know I am meant to do well, as well to make the company proud … and I intend to use my education to assist my community because I was a teacher for two years so when I finish (the course) I will return to teach (St. Ignatius Secondary School),” Hernandez said. Denise Mona Saul is grateful for the opportunity to begin her studies, since the scholarship will remove the question of student loans while she continues to work.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>Additionally, 522 young people today, graduated from the Guyana Police Force Zara Computer Centre. There were participants from the Ministries of Public Security, Infrastructure, Finance, Education, Agriculture, and Health among others.&nbsp;In her overview of the ICT training, Information Technology Trainer, Corporal Andries Smith, revealed that of 21&nbsp;programmes that were successfully completed, included eight adult courses comprising of four foundation programmes, one advanced and Personal Computer (PC) repair and maintenance programme, six Caribbean Secondary Examination Certificate&nbsp;(CSEC) Electronic Data Preparation and Management (EDPM) and Information Technology (IT) programme, four Summer programmes – two of which are from the C-Division Community Policing Outreach programme and five Police programmes.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>Smith added that Electronic Data Preparation and Management (EDPM) received five distinctions, 15 Grade Ones, six Grade Twos and one Grade Three, while IT received seven Grade Twos and six Grade Threes. She noted that for the remaining of 2017, there will be continued emphasis on the training programme with a vision to surpass 2016 figures.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>“We intend to train two additional adult programmes, one young foundation programme, one advance and one PC repair and maintenance programme which will give us an estimated 107 participants taking our total to 629 persons for 2017,” Smith explained. Acting Police Force Training Officer, Assistant Commander Maxine Graham encouraged the graduates to strive to build on the foundation received during their training, noting that technology is important and integral part of society. “I urge you (graduates) to value the importance of the use of computer and the use of technology because computer literature make you marketable and an asset to any organization,” Graham noted.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>Over the past five years, Zara Group of Companies has trained over 10,388 young people since the launch of the IT training programmes. The company established some 35 years ago, by a Guyanese family was mainly involved in real estate business and managing apartment buildings. Today, the company has collaborated with several organisations including the Central Islamic Organization of Guyana (CIOG) and the Guyana Police Force, in all three counties.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>Article adapted from:&nbsp;<u><a href=\"http://gina.gov.gy/five-awarded-ug-scholarships-by-zara-group-of-companies/\">http://gina.gov.gy/five-awarded-ug-scholarships-by-zara-group-of-companies/</a></u></p>\r\n', '', 'filtered_html'),
('document', 0, 379, 386, 'und', 0, '<p>&nbsp;</p>\r\n\r\n<p>Please download our latest draft of the Faculty of Social Scienes Semester One 2017/2018 Timetable.</p>\r\n', '', 'filtered_html'),
('document', 0, 379, 389, 'und', 0, '<p>&nbsp;</p>\r\n\r\n<p>Please download our latest draft of the Faculty of Social Scienes Semester One 2017/2018 Timetable.</p>\r\n', '', 'filtered_html'),
('document', 0, 379, 390, 'und', 0, '<p>&nbsp;</p>\r\n\r\n<p>Please download our latest draft of the Faculty of Social Scienes Semester One 2017/2018 Timetable.</p>\r\n', '', 'filtered_html'),
('document', 0, 380, 387, 'und', 0, '<p>&nbsp;</p>\r\n\r\n<p>Download&nbsp;Transition Issue 44 2017 - Journal of The Institute of Development Studies below</p>\r\n', '', 'filtered_html'),
('carousel_entry', 0, 381, 388, 'und', 0, '<p>Transition Issue 44 2017 - Journal of The Institute of Development Studies</p>\r\n', '', 'filtered_html'),
('news', 0, 382, 391, 'und', 0, '<p><strong>THE University of Guyana</strong> is working on the establishment on a School of Energy and Mines aimed at bringing benefits not just to the oil-and-gas sector, but also the existing gold-mining sector, the ailing bauxite industry and other mineral-related sectors. Responding to a question posed at last Friday’s stakeholder engagement session with the University of Guyana alumni and the Guyanese diaspora at the Centennial College Event Centre, Scarborough, Toronto, Canada, Dr Barbara Reynolds, Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Planning and International Engagement, pointed out that “one of the things we need to figure out is how to export our mineral wealth in a more comprehensive manner, even as we figure out how to deal with the likely increase and demand for ancillary services in the oil-and-gas sector, recognising that it has a trajectory and staying ahead of that curve in terms of the kinds of specialised engineering that we want to develop.”</p>\r\n\r\n<p><br />\r\nDr Reynolds, who was accompanied by Registrar Dr Nigel Gravesande, pointed out that the University of Guyana is also working on retooling its geological engineering programme to offer an undergraduate degree in mining engineering and is looking for expertise in and out of Guyana in this area.&nbsp;Plans are also afoot to establish a Business Development Unit to go after contracts and grants and to also bring business to the campus, working in conjunction with the public and private sectors. Explaining that the university recently started merchandising on a small scale, Dr Reynolds said this will be further expanded, so visitors will have the opportunity to purchase items as gifts when on vacation or other business in Guyana.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>Dr Reynolds described the alumni engagement as “a good move,” but emphasised that partnerships need to be reciprocal. “We are not just going to beg. As a point of pride, we must have something to offer the other partner and one of the things we will do is to host students who come on exchange programmes. According to Dr Reynolds, the University of Guyana still has some archaic decision-making processes, one of them being that there must be two council members present for interviews and appointments, “so you could imagine what that means in getting people on board.”</p>\r\n\r\n<p>The deputy vice-chancellor also opined that Guyanese do not see university education as an investment, “so almost everyone wants to pay their tuition fees by cash, no one wants to take a loan, but it’s unsustainable. “It has become such a culture that we don’t even have a bookstore that sells text books, so that has to change and in order to change that we have to use e-books, we have to be able to buy books. We have to have the capacity to negotiate, we have to have the capacity to plan ahead, but we also have to change the culture where a student will be willing to borrow to finance his or her education and be able to pay back. That does not currently exist.” Dr Reynolds lamented the fact that the University of Guyana does not have an Information Technology (IT) Infrastructure that includes safety and security issues, pointing out that “we have several overburdened and outdated systems – electrical, sewage, water and drainage. These are fundamental things, but they cost money.”</p>\r\n\r\n<p>On a positive note, the deputy vice-chancellor disclosed that discussions are ongoing with government to acquire a loan through the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) for the construction of a new library, while the government has already provided a loan to build a new health sciences facility. “We are also in discussion with Movie Towne out of Trinidad and Tobago to develop a solar farm in order to supplement our energy.” Dr Reynolds boasted that the university recently launched the School of Entrepreneurship and Business Innovation and also hosted a conference of the Guyanese diaspora, which is critical “since we want to engage with the diaspora.”</p>\r\n\r\n<p>“We don’t necessarily want to say to people that you must come home. I am a proud ‘comebackie’ after spending 30 years outside of Guyana. It’s not necessary that everyone can come home, but we definitely need to engage with people of Guyanese origin or their off-spring who are doing wonderful things in North America and elsewhere to engage and share some of those resources with the University of Guyana. Dr Reynolds also pointed to start commencement of a series on Law and Society and “for the first time in many years, we were able to fill the Walter Rodney Chair.” Touching on the needs of the university, the vice-chancellor said, it needs people who will help in building the pension fund which is a mere $20 000 per month, upped from $3 000 by Vice-Chancellor Professor Ivelaw Griffith, people who are willing to invest [in] food services, people in IT, even those who are willing to come and do short courses. The evening’s programme was coordinated by the Guyana Consulate in Toronto with Consular General (acting) Candida Daniels giving the welcoming remarks, while the chairperson was Tameshwar Lilmohan.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>Article adapted from:&nbsp;<u><a href=\"http://guyanachronicle.com/2017/09/02/university-guyana-establish-school-energy-mines\">http://guyanachronicle.com/2017/09/02/university-guyana-establish-school-energy-mines</a></u></p>\r\n', '', 'full_html'),
('news', 0, 383, 392, 'und', 0, '<p><em>Address by Dr. Harold A. Drayton, on the occasion of the launch of his book, An Accidental Life, University of Guyana, August 24, 2017</em></p>\r\n\r\n<p><em>To the memory of Walter Rodney and Josh Ramsammy</em></p>\r\n\r\n<p>&nbsp;</p>\r\n\r\n<p>I thank our University, and especially Deputy Vice Chancellor, Dr. Barbara Reynolds, for their kind offer to host the launch of An Accidental Life on our very own TURKEYEN Campus; and for the invitation to deliver a formal lecture. I have chosen to talk with you today about the origins of this place that so many of us over the decades, have come to love; but also, about an important element of our national life to which UG might wish to make a substantial contribution:&nbsp;&nbsp;<em>the enhancement of democratic political practice</em>. It is my firm belief that our University’s contribution would be of inestimable value to our young nation, and to generations of Guyanese yet unborn. For if not UG, where else in this nation is there likely to be such a high concentration of talents and problem-solving abilities?</p>\r\n\r\n<p>After being away for thirteen years, I returned home on&nbsp;<em>Old Year’s Day 1962</em>, to assist in establishment of a national university, which had been approved by Cabinet; and recommended to the Minister of Education, by Working Parties fully representative of all professional groups and all potential stake holders. That said, it must be acknowledged, that as with virtually all other national issues at that time, the ‘body politic’ in BG was divided between endorsement of, and opposition to, the idea of a local University.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>Nor was that all:&nbsp; by the early 1960’s, the social context and atmosphere of our beloved country had become quite antagonistic to healthy argument and discussion on a wide variety of issues. In our capital City Georgetown, I knew of only one café<em>-Itabo</em>, in which such discussions were the rule rather than the exception; and beyond City limits, there was one home-that of Dr. Frank Williams of revered memory- that welcomed persons of all political persuasions, and of none, for a long afternoon/evening of well lubricated discussion, and plenty ‘ole talk’ nearly every Sunday. What was particularly galling in my early months back home was the extent to which the initial&nbsp;<em>political</em>&nbsp;cleavage had seeped through every aspect of our national life. How easy it was for example, to be considered ‘politically suspect/unreliable’, simply by ‘dropping in’ for a chat or a drink, at the home of a member of an ‘opposition Party’. Even buying a car from an opposition (‘enemy”) dealership could be considered an anti-Party act.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>The marvel was that despite that sterile social situation, the University Ordinance – was approved by both Chambers of the Legislature, after vigorous discussion and debate; and assented to by the Governor on&nbsp;18 April 1963. The first meeting of the Board of Governors was convened the very next day by our first Pro- Chancellor John Carter; and with the participation of our first Vice Chancellor and Principal, Professor Lancelot Hogben. Lancelot left shortly after for his Welsh valley, and the UG Action Plan continued to be rolled out in the midst of the 80-day strike.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>Of great concern were two major issues: the public response that could be expected to the advertisement for students of the Arts, Natural and Social Sciences; and our ability to assemble a teaching staff to match the demand of our first year of undergraduate teaching. At our Press Conference on&nbsp;30 August 1963, I was able to announce that we had interviewed 263 of the 680 applicants. Finally,&nbsp;179 students-149 men and 30 women&nbsp;were selected for admission to the University’s first year classes. I was also able to announce that 7 full-time and 4 part-time staff had been appointed.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>On&nbsp;Tuesday 1’st OCTOBER 1963, the Inaugural Meeting of the University of Guyana was held in the Auditorium of Queen’s College-&nbsp;<em>our University’s temporary ‘home’ for the first six years of its existence</em>. For me, as for so many colleagues, especially those in the Ministry of Education, who had worked so hard over the preceding nine months, to initiate development of a National University, it was an evening of great joy, despite the many difficulties we had already encountered, and even more in a future that we could but dimly imagine.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>By the time classes started in earnest the very next evening, we had long since achieved consensus on English and World Civilization as compulsory courses for Arts and Social Science majors, and a single course in Mathematics was stipulated for all Natural Science majors. But what Lancelot and I were most concerned about, was the increasing disunity, strife and violence that over the past seven years had replaced the initial unity that had initially been so much in evidence between the two largest ethnic groups: (descendants of African slaves) and (descendants of Indian indentured immigrants) in the Guyanese National Movement.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>Our initial approach was to introduce into UG’s curriculum two interdisciplinary courses –&nbsp;<u>Caribbean Studies</u>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<u>Social Biology</u>, as compulsory requirements for second year students of the Arts and Social Sciences. Although detailed planning of the former was almost complete, and included assured participation of Guyana’s own Professor Elsa Goveia, and other Caribbean and U.S. scholars, its implementation proved to be much more difficult. Nevertheless, its content might still be of some interest to today’s audience; and a detailed description of the Course is given in&nbsp;<em>Chapter 6 of An Accidental Life</em>.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>The SOCIAL BIOLOGY&nbsp;Course, which was solely my responsibility, was directly relevant to Lancelot’s “compulsory curriculum of civic studies”, initial planning of which was completed during our Foundation Year 1963-64. The first Course was delivered in 1964, and was repeated with essential updates&nbsp;annually through 1971, in 90 Lectures/Tutorials over each 30-week academic year. As with Caribbean Studies, a detailed description of the course content of Social Biology is given in CHAPTER 6.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>In&nbsp;1967&nbsp;the external examiner for the Course- the late&nbsp;Professor John Maynard Smith&nbsp;reported to the Inter-University Council that his discussions with students and with me,&nbsp;“left him in no doubt that the Social Biology Course is performing an extremely valuable educational function, in leading students to think critically about their society, about their racial prejudices, and about their religious and philosophical views”.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>Heartening though that assessment is, even in retrospect, one must appreciate that at least five decades have elapsed. We have no way of confirming that the critical thinking about all those important issues, which Smith observed in a sample of the student population, persisted as that group grew older. That problem to varying degrees underlines the inherent difficulty in using curricular design /emphasis to effect:&nbsp;Changes Of Behaviors Among&nbsp;<em>Individual</em>&nbsp;Members Of Human Populations.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>When I was asked in April 1969 to contribute an article to the Guiana Graphic supplement in support of the University’s Appeal Fund, I wrote:</p>\r\n\r\n<p>Our University of Guyana is really quite unique. It is the only higher educational institution in all the English-speaking territories of Africa, Asia and the Caribbean which was created by a Colonial people. It was not a transplant under metropolitan tutelage, but a truly indigenous effort, “grown from seed”, fertilized over the years by national sacrifice, imagination innovation and hard work.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>Indeed, it was the very prospect of the early attainment of Independence which compelled an assessment of our cultural inheritance. We were concerned about the pitifully small number of trained people available at professional and middle grade levels to perform a wide variety of skilled tasks; the high cost of post- secondary education overseas, which could be afforded by only a tiny minority of the large number of students attaining secondary school-leaving certificates. We were concerned above all by the ‘brain drain’. We were perplexed also, by the failure of tertiary education, even in the West Indian environment of UWI, to eradicate the old colonial values, and the conservative and highly individualistic attitudes, which would clearly be of rapidly decreasing utility in the urgent task of social and economic development which would be on the agenda after Independence. Lack of trained personnel and lack of research were recognized as two interacting factors, which exercise a serious constraint on development.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>And so, a national University was created in Guyana. Here and elsewhere I have described this act of creation as an act of faith. With no capital grants in sight for permanent buildings and equipment, with the prospect of slender and chancy recurrent annual subsidies, and the related foreseeable difficulties in staff recruitment, how else can one describe that exciting plunge of 1963. But it was an act of faith by a people.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>Every so often an original act of faith requires a pledge of rededication. To our critics we can smile, and say as would the French: It is the first step that really counts.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>And with the Barbadian poet Hilton Vaughan we can sing:</p>\r\n\r\n<p><em>BUT whatsoe’er of ours you keep,</em></p>\r\n\r\n<p><em>Whatever fades or disappears,</em></p>\r\n\r\n<p><em>Above all else we send you this,</em></p>\r\n\r\n<p><em>The flaming faith of these first years</em></p>\r\n\r\n<p>With the Bulgarian revolutionary poet Hristo Botev, we can be even more optimistic</p>\r\n\r\n<p><em>Posterity will judge</em></p>\r\n\r\n<p><em>Did we do good or did we evil</em></p>\r\n\r\n<p><em>But for now- hand in hand</em></p>\r\n\r\n<p><em>Let’s move forward with steps more sure</em></p>\r\n\r\n<p>Seldom does an individual have the good fortune to be “in at the beginning” of an institution, and sustain an active relationship with it for over fifty years. The excitement of 1963 will be with me always, and I continue to believe in the will and capacity of the people of Guyana to further the development of our University in the national interest.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>Article adapted from:&nbsp;<u><a href=\"https://www.stabroeknews.com/2017/features/in-the-diaspora/09/04/an-act-of-faith-part-one/\">https://www.stabroeknews.com/2017/features/in-the-diaspora/09/04/an-act-of-faith-part-one/</a></u></p>\r\n', '', 'full_html'),
('news', 0, 384, 393, 'und', 0, '<p><strong>- President Granger and the constitution in wake of Guyana’s other executive Presidents</strong></p>\r\n\r\n<p>EVER since the introduction of the 1980 Constitution, the Republic of Guyana institutionalised an Executive Presidency which lawfully entrenched its incumbents as constitutional dictators. A constitutional dictator is an incumbent President who is lawfully empowered by the Constitution to invoke its entrenched dictatorial powers anytime he or she so chooses. The President is not only the head-of-state and commander-in-chief of the armed forces, but also the “supreme executive authority” of the country. Government Ministers are creatures of the Executive President and may only exercise the delegated authority of their office on the President’s behalf. The President has veto powers over executive commissions, including the Elections Commission. Guyana’s executive presidency has powers to appoint members of the Judiciary and to prorogue or dissolve the Parliament.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>Parliament is the only arm of government with the constitutional authority to remove the President “for violation of the Constitution or gross misconduct”. Yet, the powers of the executive presidency can negate or neutralize those of the Parliament by the issuance of presidential decrees that prorogue or dissolve that body. The Guyana Constitution makes a “strongman” out of its Executive President. The strongman in this context is a “constitutional dictator”. During and even after leaving office, the President cannot be tried by the courts, or held legally liable for any act he/she may have committed while occupying that office. The President is essentially above the law. Guyana’s Executive President, like Caesar, bestrides the country like a colossus!</p>\r\n\r\n<p>Guyana has had eight executive presidents. Only two of these, Forbes Burnham, October 6, 1980 to August 6, 1985; and Desmond Hoyte, August 6, 1985 to October 9, 1992 were from the People’s National Congress (PNC). Five of the country’s executive presidents came from the People’s Progressive Party (PPP): Cheddi Jagan ruled from October 9, 1992 to March 6, 1997; Samuel Hinds ruled from March 6, 1997 to December 19, 1997; Janet Jagan ruled from December 19, 1997 to August 11, 1999; Bharrat Jagdeo ruled from August 11, 1999 to December 3, 2011; Donald Ramotar ruled from December 3, 2011 to May 16, 2015. President David Granger from APNU/AFC has been serving from May 16, 2015 to the present. He is the only Executive President not derived exclusively from either the PPP or PNC.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>President Bharrat Jagdeo ruled Guyana for almost 12 years and was the longest-serving executive president. He will likely retain that title since the Constitution was amended to limit an incumbent to no more than two terms. President Desmond Hoyte ruled for seven years. All of Guyana’s other executive presidents occupied the office for less than five years, including President Burnham and President Jagan. President Samuel Hinds acceded to the presidency after the death of President Cheddi Jagan and served for only nine months. Hinds was Cheddi Jagan’s Prime Minister and constitutional successor. He belonged to the Civic arm of the PPP/C and merely warmed the seat of power until Janet Jagan, the logical successor to Cheddi Jagan, took over. Janet Jagan had served as the Prime Minister for President Hinds. Had he chosen to do so, President Samuel Hinds could have constitutionally defied the PPP/C and kept himself in power for much longer. For his loyalty to the PPP/C, Samuel Hinds was remarkably kept as Prime Minister of the country for just over 22 years under the other four PPP/C Presidents. His occupancy of loyalty resulted in Guyana having had eight executive presidents, but only five prime ministers.</p>\r\n\r\n<h4><strong>Street protests</strong></h4>\r\n\r\n<p>President Janet Jagan resigned after ruling for just under two years and died ten years later in 2009. Her presidency was plagued by tumultuous street protests by citizens who objected to her becoming President, because she was not born in Guyana. She was the only woman in the history of Guyana to be appointed both Prime Minister and Executive President. Both Forbes Burnham and Cheddi Jagan died in office without serving out a full term. It is almost as if the office of Executive President consumes the very lives of those who want to retain it the most.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>Forbes Burnham was the architect of Guyana’s 1980 Constitution and he designed it to keep himself in power for life and to bring about unchallenged socialist transformation in Guyana. Known as the “Constitution of the Cooperative Republic of Guyana,” it makes the President not only the supreme executive authority, but also the supreme legislative and judicial authority. Burnham’s handpicked successor, President Desmond Hoyte used the considerable and unchecked powers of the presidency to repudiate and transform the cooperative socialist development path his predecessor had charted. Hoyte almost single handedly used the presidential powers to change Guyana from a socialist to a market-oriented development path while touting the private sector as the engine of growth. Hoyte also ended his party’s rigging of national elections, restrictions on a free press and restored free and fair elections. These actions led to the democratic replacement of the PNC party in government by Cheddi Jagan’s PPP.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>It is important to note that both the PNC and the PPP endorsed and embraced the powers of the Presidency. For 23 years the PPP, while in government, did very little to reduce these dictatorial powers. Indeed, in the early 1980s, I interviewed Dr. Cheddi Jagan on the topic “Ministerial Government in Guyana” for over an hour at the PPP headquarters, Freedom House. I was ushered to his office by Ms. Gail Teixeira who was at the time serving as his administrative assistant. Janet Jagan, then editor of her party’s newspaper the “Mirror”, occupied the office next to her husband. She was in her office and did not attend the meeting. I specifically asked Dr. Jagan if he was in agreement with the 1980 Constitution and all the powers it accorded the President. He categorically told me that he had “no problems with the Constitution”.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>He said that his only objection was operational but not constitutional. He lamented that “Burnham appointed too many Vice Presidents and Government Ministers” and that when he becomes President he will have far fewer ministers and only one or at most, two Vice Presidents. Burnham at that time may have had five Vice Presidents. It was a sobering moment for me in recognizing that the charismatic leadership of Guyana’s two mass parties had more in common than the nation realized. Cheddi Jagan himself was by his own admission a “strongman” and an authoritarian leader that would also have taken Guyana down a socialist path if availed the opportunity.</p>\r\n\r\n<h4><strong>Charismatic leader</strong></h4>\r\n\r\n<p>The Guyanese people have had decades-long love affair with the “strongman”. Both Burnham and Jagan were charismatic leaders and their supporters loved them and endorsed whatever they ordained. These founding-fathers of the Guyanese nation were strongmen in their own right before becoming the heads of their governments. They were the lifelong and unchallenged leaders of Guyana’s two mass-based parties. The ability to control mass parties as well as the government is at the very foundation of this type of “strongman” leader. Acceding to the office of Executive President made them supremely and widely powerful as well. The other six presidents became “strong” mainly as a consequence of their incumbency as executive president. The problem with strongman rule is that it is essentially authoritarian and undermines the democratic processes in a society. The PPP and PNC political parties led by these strongmen were themselves undemocratic institutions. Further, strongman rule is inherently disposed to diminish transparency and accountability with resultant regimes characterized by widespread corruption and authoritarianism.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>Why then are the Guyanese people attracted to strongman rule? The strongman leader is able to widely dispense political patronage. They appoint loyal followers to prime positions and create jobs even when no work exists. They blur the lines between government assets and resources and personal property. They dispense favours to family, friends and supporters. Importantly, they create the illusion that without them being in power all will be lost. Strongman rule has created a culture of dependency among the Guyanese people on their government and above all its ultimate ruler. Government bureaucracies are made to serve the leader or his party’s demands instead of the country as a whole. The consequence of this culture of dependency on such authoritarian leadership is that followers are inoculated from self-reliant development. Those opposed to the ruler and his mass supporters are marginalised and alienated with concomitant negative consequences for the development of the country as a whole. Mass migration from Guyana over the past three or four decades is an enduring index and direct consequence of the Guyanese people estrangement from their rulers, be they from one mass party or the other.<br />\r\nNot a ‘strongman’</p>\r\n\r\n<p>This brings us to the current ruling APNU/AFC coalition administration. Though the Presidency retains its paramount power, President David Granger is the head of a broad based coalition government that imposes serious restraints on his exercise of such strongman powers. He therefore does not have the freedom space to readily dole out patronage benefits, even if he wanted to, and to adumbrate policies and programs with which the other coalition party members collectively disagree. The populace cannot turn to him to readily meet their needs. Getting things done for the country as a whole and his own supporters in particular is often the result of transactional arrangements with other coalition partners. The President is not unresponsive. He is instead accountable.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>Government ministers may be constrained to go rogue in order to provide preferential treatment to supporters of their own party in the coalition. The watchdog media in the country are ever inclined to expose any contrary actions by the President, his government ministers and other state officials. The Opposition PPP Party is also ever ready to rightly or wrongly call out any action by President Granger that smacks of patronage, corruption or that is contrary to the laws of the land. The demands for the new government to be transparent and accountable are deafening and are seemingly bearing fruits of good governance, if not also sometimes paralysis. The end result is that although he is also the leader of the PNC, President Granger is not a strongman.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>Though liked personally by many, David Granger is not a “strongman” ruler. From all appearances, is seemingly wary about projecting that he wants to be one. He was democratically elected to be leader of the PNC, a mass party that has been working to shed it authoritarian image and which coalesced with other political parties to contest the 2015 General Elections and form the Government. While ethnic rivalry has defined political participation in Guyana for decades, the demographic transition resulting from migration has made it almost impossible for future governments not to be organised as coalitions of some kind or the other.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>Is this then the end of the era of the strongman? The Guyanese people have become accustomed to the failures of their past governments to be transparent, accountable and democratic, and, above all to develop the country. People came to realise that whether they support the leader from one party or another, the fate of the country in the past has been less than salubrious. They have got to demand and become accustomed to a changed political culture and process that eschew the authoritarianism, personalism and corrupt practices of their past rulers.</p>\r\n\r\n<h4><strong>Reform of constitution</strong></h4>\r\n\r\n<p>Central to the electoral platform of the APNU/AFC Coalition Party was the demand to reform the Constitution of Guyana to, among other things, considerably reduce the powers of the Presidency. There seems to be generalized support for constitutional reform from the opposition PPP, civic groups and the country as a whole. Yet, the APNU/AFC Coalition has not acted with due haste to get this done. Is it the allure of the absolute power of the Executive Presidency that may have begun to intoxicate those who ran to change it? While there is no evidence of this, it is imperative that the Government act now to get constitutional reform done.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>Doing so will be the greatest democratic advancement for Guyana since it attained its independence in May 1966. It will also be the single biggest achievement of the APNU/AFC Coalition Government in its very first term. It will enshrine the foundations for enduring democracy and development in the country. By accomplishing sensible and fundamental constitutional reform, President David Granger can be permanently etched in Guyana’s history as a truly great President who reduced the powers of his own Executive Presidency in order to advance democracy and development of the country he so dutifully serves and loves.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>Article adapted from:&nbsp;<u><a href=\"http://guyanachronicle.com/2017/08/29/end-era-strongman\">http://guyanachronicle.com/2017/08/29/end-era-strongman</a></u></p>\r\n', '', 'full_html'),
('news', 0, 385, 394, 'und', 0, '<p>Georgetown, Guyana – (September 6, 2017)&nbsp;President David Granger was, today, paid a courtesy call by Sir George Alleyne, former Chancellor of the University of the West Indies (UWI). Sir Alleyne is in Guyana to participate in the University of Guyana’s Vice-Chancellor Renaissance Lecture Series, which is scheduled for&nbsp;tomorrow&nbsp;evening.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>He was accompanied to State House by Minister of Public Health, Ms. Volda Lawrence, Pan-American Health Organisation/World Health Organisation (PAHO/WHO) Representative for Guyana, Dr. William Adu-Krow and UG’s Deputy Vice-Chancellor for Planning and International Engagement,&nbsp;Dr. Barbara Reynolds.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>Sir Alleyne’s lecture will focus on how fear and lack of trust hinders integration and cooperation in the Caribbean, a topic which, he said was inspired by President Granger.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>Article adapted from:&nbsp;<u><a href=\"http://gina.gov.gy/former-uwi-chancellor-calls-on-president/\">http://gina.gov.gy/former-uwi-chancellor-calls-on-president/</a></u></p>\r\n', '', 'filtered_html'),
('news', 0, 386, 395, 'und', 0, '<h3>COMING SOON!</h3>\r\n\r\n<p>Find attached below the&nbsp;colour drawings for the proposed Students\' Complex.</p>\r\n', '', 'filtered_html'),
('news', 0, 387, 396, 'und', 0, '<p>THE University of Guyana (UG)’s Turkeyen Campus will this year observe its annual convocation ceremony in two parts, Vice-Chancellor Dr. Ivelaw Griffith has said. The graduation exercise will be held on November 11, and will have two sessions. According to Dr Griffith, the move is an attempt to reduce the lengthy hours spent at the graduation ceremony. “One of the things we are doing differently is, we are going to have two graduation ceremonies rather than one. There are four to five hours, and by the time you get to technology, half the people gone,” the VC said on Tuesday.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>“Why not create two shorter ceremonies and excite people who are graduates to come back,” he added. The two ceremonies will have two former graduates as guest speakers. The first session, which will be held early in the day, will hear from Guyana’s Ambassador to the United Nations (UN) and former UG student, Mr Michael Tenpow. The name of the second speaker is yet to be announced, he said.&nbsp;The following week, on November 18, the Tain Campus will hold its graduation ceremony, and will have as its guest speaker Lawyer and graduate, Ms Patricia Bacchus. The vice-chancellor said he hopes to begin a culture of inviting graduates to speak at convocations going forward, “so that students can see what they can become in the future.”</p>\r\n\r\n<p>Meanwhile, the university has announced that it has added some 16 new programmes/ courses to the 2017/2018 Academic year. These courses include eight from the newly established School of Education and Business Innovation (SEBI), and include the Bachelors of Science in Accounting, Entrepreneurship, Finance, Management, Marketing, Supply Chain Management, Tourism Management and Special Education Needs. The other programmes are an Associate of Science Degree in Mining Engineering; and a Bachelor of Science in either Environmental Science, Forestry, Industrial Engineering, Medicine or Surgery.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>There are also the Master of Social Work, Master of Science in Agro-Technology and Business, and Master of Medicine in Diagnostic Radiology.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>Article adapted:&nbsp;<u><a href=\"http://guyanachronicle.com/2017/09/14/ug-turkeyen-two-convocations\">http://guyanachronicle.com/2017/09/14/ug-turkeyen-two-convocations</a></u></p>\r\n', '', 'filtered_html'),
('event', 0, 388, 397, 'und', 0, '<p>The University of Guyana - PACE will be hosting Turkeyen and Tain Talks 9 under the theme:\"Constitutional Reform – To Court Brave Change or To Leave Well Enough Alone ?” . The event is sponsored by Conservation International - Guyana, UNICEF and Pegasus Hotel.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>This will be a fireworks session, with the panel including Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo, former Attorney General Anil Nandalall, GECOM member Vincent Alexander, and attorney and former Speaker of the National Assembly Ralph Ramkarran. It will be moderated by former Acting Chancellor, Justice Carl Singh,&nbsp;our Inaugural Jurist-in-Residence.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>&nbsp;</p>\r\n', '', 'filtered_html'),
('news', 0, 389, 398, 'und', 0, '<p>THE University of Guyana (UG) in its attempt to stand out as a world-class tertiary institution must be able to attract considerable amounts of support and investment. By this, all stakeholders, including government, must be willing to invest not only financial resources, but every available reserve that could push it in this direction. UG Vice-Chancellor (VC) Dr Ivelaw Griffith said the changes being sought for the country’s premier tertiary institution can in no way come about if stakeholders do not invest and has even called on his critics to see the “bigger picture” in what he, and to a wider extent the university’s administration, is trying to achieve.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>During an exclusive interview with the Guyana Chronicle on Tuesday, the vice- chancellor, who has been serving in the capacity for just over a year, said the university has been receiving much criticism, especially by persons who have a “myopic view of reality” and who are stuck in the past. Most of the criticisms, he said, are not based on facts. “This university is not a university of the 1970s. Over the years, the institution grew in student numbers but not in support system, not in full-time lecturers or administration. If you are going to make improvements at the university, you will have to spend,” Dr Griffith told this newspaper.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>The professor had received some criticisms following a multimillion-dollar proposal to the university’s Council earlier this year for the renting of a Camp Street, Georgetown facility, which would have been regarded as a “downtown campus.” That proposal was shut down by the Council; however, it did approve the establishment of a School of Entrepreneurship and Innovation. “The idea of that new campus was to do some innovation and expansion. It was not only to spend money, but to make money. To establish a business development unit,” he said.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>‘<strong>THE CHEAP’</strong><br />\r\nThe professor said there are still sections of society that are accustomed to “the cheap.” “The cheap does not earn you respect and investment,” he said, continuing that whether it is the proposed “downtown campus” or any other, “this university has to go beyond Tain and Turkeyen.” He said the university’s population has grown to some 8,000 students and with that magnitude, the institution continues to endure complications, including sewerage and parking space.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>“We are not going to get a changed university until we are willing to invest. We need to be willing to invest. Ask graduates to invest, ask government to invest, businesses and also we have to be innovative,” he maintained. He made reference to a 2012 Hamilton Associates Report, which addressed the university’s need to pay better salaries, having at least four deputy vice-chancellors and a better support system. A task force established by Chancellor Dr. Nigel Harris also pointed out similar deficits. While steps are being taken to make the necessary changes, the efforts have been stymied. “The university must be the enabler of better educational and economical livelihoods. The university must be an agent for change and innovation. It must also be the place that has a developmental role linking Guyana to the rest of the communities including the Caribbean, other parts of South America.”</p>\r\n\r\n<p><strong>NEGLECTED AND UNDER-RESOURCED</strong><br />\r\nProfessor Griffith said the university is at a point where it has been neglected and under-resourced, noting that there is need for a massive infusion of funding. That funding, he pointed out, is not expected only from government. “It has to go beyond government. It has to ask how we can connect with graduates, with Guyanese in the business world and non-Guyanese who have a passion for education who want to give back to the university. We are not going to be able to do those things if we only tinker with what we know, if we are averse to change and innovation.” According to him, while steps are being taken to upgrade the level of faculties and teaching staff, he said lecturers are not going to come to the university with the salaries it pays. He said a university is not only a teaching institution, but also a business. “Think of being a lecturer, a researcher, where every day your power goes out, not only at the university, but at home.”</p>\r\n\r\n<p>He said there are conditions that will have to be improved in the university and society to be able to attract lecturers. “So part of my strategy was to look to see who in the diaspora would want to come back as I did for less pay, come back and endure circumstances of insufficient labs, power shortages, etc. It’s not about getting new lecturers, it’s about creating the conditions for the qualified lecturers to come, not as a way station to stay for a few months.”</p>\r\n\r\n<p>Article adapted from:&nbsp;<u><a href=\"http://guyanachronicle.com/2017/09/14/change-will-come-investment-ug-vice-chancellor\">http://guyanachronicle.com/2017/09/14/change-will-come-investment-ug-vice-chancellor</a></u></p>\r\n', '', 'filtered_html');
