8
UWI TODAY
– SUNDAY 4TH OCTOBER, 2015
At the end of August 2015
, the University of Guyana
(UG) launched its Institute for Gender Studies
after two years of collaboration. This involved York
University’s Kamala Kempadoo, coordinator of the
Inter-Guiana-Canada women’s and gender studies
exchange, academics at the University of Guyana,
activists from Guyana’s Women and Gender Equality
Commission, officials from the Ministry of Social
Protection, and The UWI Institute for Gender and
Development Studies.
Professor Verene Shepherd, Regional Director of
the IGDS, and Dr. Gabrielle Hosein, Lecturer at the St.
Augustine Unit, also delivered comments at the launch.
Professor Shepherd and UG Vice-Chancellor Jacob
It is widely accepted that the
West Indian institutions
of cricket and The UWI do for unification of the Anglo-
Caribbean what politics and economic agendas have failed
to do. It’s no surprise then to hear rhetoric of ‘reconnection’
with Guyana coming from the St. Augustine Campus
Principal. The conduit being, naturally, UWI programmes
and with the right environmental forces at work currently,
a.k.a. opportunity, a clear strategy in mind, a.k.a. as
preparedness, he may find success, a.k.a. luck.
In a recent interview on this theme of reconnection
with Guyana, Pro Vice-Chancellor and Campus Principal,
Professor Clement Sankat, acknowledged past efforts.
In particular, he acknowledged the connection efforts of
former UWI Chancellor, Sir Shridath Ramphal – both sons
of the Guyanese soil, inThe UWI’s offering of programmes
at the master’s level in Project Management, Construction
Management and International Relations inGuyana. Adding
the Lok Jack’s Business School offering of an International
MBA, and the recent signing of an MoU by UWI’s Institute
for Gender Studies at the University of Guyana (now headed
by the former UWI Vice-Chancellor, Professor Nigel
Harris), one can fairly say that the road has been smoothly
paved for now – ‘reconnection’ on a national level – as is the
essential vision and strategy of Professor Sankat.
While here for a ceremony forThe UWI St. Augustine’s
new South Campus in Penal-Debe, President of the
Cooperative Republic of Guyana, David Granger spoke of
an interest in the reintegration of Guyana into The UWI
system. Subsequently, there was an invitation from the
Minister of Education of Guyana, Dr Rupert Roopnaraine
for representatives of The UWI to visit Guyana to meet
with relevant technical experts and create a plan of action
for building a capacity in Guyana for graduates particularly
in the fields of Petroleum Engineering and Petroleum
Geoscience. A UWI team met with Prime Minister of
Guyana, Moses Nagamootoo on August 13, 2015.
Prime Minister Nagamootoo indicated his support
for quick movements given the current status of Guyana’s
investment in its energy sector. In Georgetown, the team
also met with the Minister of Education, Chief Education
Officer and representatives from the Ministry of Natural
Resources and the Environment. A proposal was put
forward by The UWI team, stating that The UWI offers
its master’s programmes in Petroleum Engineering on the
ground in Georgetown, from January 2016.
REGIONALISM
IGDS
at
UG
To Guyana via the
EDUCATION PATH
B Y R E B E C C A R O B I N S O N
The proposed duration of the programmes is two years
with 18 months of classes delivered both “face-to-face” and
using distance technology followed by a six-month capstone
internship where students would spend this time assigned at
an energy company in T&T. In addition to strengthening the
knowledge, understanding and awareness of the students,
the expansion would help build bridges between the
petroleum industries in T&T and Guyana. Discussions were
also held about the possibilities for conducting executive
education and short courses for technical skills development
along with a wider suite of graduate programmes that would
be delivered inGuyana to support the high level professional
development there.
Professor Sankat explained that while the conduit is
the UWI-structured programmes, his vision is for more
of an equal and simultaneously wider nation-to-nation
exchange. That is to say, while Guyanese capacity is being
developed on the mature expertise of TT petroleum
exploration, Trinbagonian capacities can be developed on
the experienced Guyanese know-how in the areas of natural
resource management, urban and rural development, the
legal and revenuemanagements aspects of exploring natural
resources (based on the many years GT has had in mineral
mining done by non-national companies) and in the area of
food and agricultural production. In this last area he added
that EuropeanUnion funded cooperative projects have long
existed, but new ones deepening those already established
paths should be pursued.
While here for a ceremony for The UWI St. Augustine’s new South Campus in Penal-Debe, President of the Cooperative Republic of Guyana,
David Granger spoke of an interest in the reintegration of Guyana into The UWI system.
At the launch of the Institute for Gender Studies at
the University of Guyana.
Opadeyi signed a Memorandum of Understanding,
on behalf of The UWI and the University of Guyana,
to strengthen collaboration.
The launch also offered an opportunity to bring
together The UWI and UG with the Institute for
Women, Gender and Development Studies at the
Anton de Kom University in Suriname. One such
example of possible collaboration may be an intake
of Guyanese and Surinamese students inThe UWI St.
Augustine’s Philosophy of Gender in the Caribbean
graduate course, which will be offered regionally
through online blended learning strategies from
January 2016.
The launch also offered an opportunity to bring together The UWI and UG with the Institute for Women,
Gender and Development Studies at the Anton de Kom University in Suriname.
