Disappointed at the lack of reporting on the President’s UWI project

Sincerely hope that you will forgive the writer being too precipitate in enquiring, before its second anniversary in November about President Ali’s announcement of having entered into an agreement with the Vice-Chancellor, UWI, Mona, Jamaica, regarding the provision of developmental programmes for some 20,000 Guyanese ‘over the next five years’. The starting date of the project was not disclosed at the time.

Amongst the apprehensive commentaries issued at the time was included one which deplored the “disrespect shown to our own University of Guyana, and the implication that it has been evaluated as an institution not only unworthy of any exploratory discussion on the subject, but more deprecatorily, not considered as partners with UWI in a project in which its evaluation of selectees would be required”. The remark was followed by this other: “One can only hope that all parties at UWI, Jamaica, who are reported to have blessed the Vice-Chancellor in this exercise, will remind him of the propriety of including the colleague institution of the University of Guyana in what should be a creative human and socio-economic project”.

At this stage we would appear to be somewhere between year one and year two; but not unlike the fabulous GOAL Project, one is disappointed in the patent lack of any reporting on the progress made in respect of this project, moreso with the usual fanfare of photographs of proud students and families, preferably accompanied by news relating to the promised creation of 50,000 jobs (excluding ‘contractors’) by 2025 (See SN of September 13, 2022). Why is it not appreciated that results are owed to those who have given much – as citizen taxpayers who voted?

Sincerely,

E.B. John