In what some describe as a brazen display of political manipulation, Minister of Education Priya Manickchand has orchestrated what some describe as a power grab aimed at increasing the government of Guyana’s control over the University of Guyana’s (UG) Council. The recent amendment, as outlined in the Official Gazette (Order No. 43 of 2024), reveals the Minister’s strategy to increase the number of voting members from 28 to 34, thereby securing a majority vote for government control.
The gazette clearly outlines these changes; “The composition of the Council shall now include additional members appointed by the Minister of Education,” and some view Minister’s Manichand’s move as a bid for power expansion of the Education Minister’s powers over the University’s Council. One observer who requested anonymity noted that, “The Minister, who often acts under the direct influence of Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo, has taken unprecedented steps to centralize control, undermining the very principles of academic independence and autonomy.”
Since 2020, the government has failed to appoint the members allowed under the previous Act. No government appointee has sat on the Council, leaving the university to operate without the necessary oversight and input from appointed government representatives. This neglect, the observer note, ” is not accidental but a calculated step to create a power vacuum, making the recent amendments appear as a solution to a sorun they themselves created.”
UG’s Councils have been dominated by government appointees for over two decades until the University Unions, recognizing the need for academic freedom, took a motion to Parliament to ensure more independence for the institution. The motion, aimed at reducing excessive government interference, was sent to a select committee headed by the current president, Irfaan Ali, who was then involved in ensuring that the Council’s composition would allow for a diverse and independent body.
The process at that time included extensive work of a committee chaired by Prof. Lawrence Carrington, a former interim Vice-Chancellor, on revising the Act. Their efforts, grounded in thorough consultation with stakeholders and engagement with Parliament, sought to safeguard the university’s independence. Another observer noted that, “The government’s recent actions blatantly disregard these efforts.”
This publications seeks answers to the questions of why the government refused to participate in its designated role under the Act, why the government has essentially underfunded the nation’s premier and oldest tertiary education institution and why did the government make such a massive financial investment in the Guyana Online Academy of Learning (GOAL) seemingly to divert students from UG. The Act which allows for independent thinkers to contribute to the Council, seems to run counter to the PPP strategy to control all influential institutions in Guyana.
Another observer noted that, Minister of Education, “Priya Manickchand, seems to have forgotten that their previous attempts at controlling UG led to massive resistance in 2015, contributing significantly to their government’s downfall. Clearly, they have learned nothing from history.”
This publication interviewed several students about the recent gazetted amendment and the prevailing response was that the government’s continued interference in UG’s governance is a direct threat to academic freedom and the integrity of higher education in Guyana. One student noted that, “Their actions reveal a blatant disregard for democratic principles and an insidious effort to centralize power at the expense of the nation’s educational future.”