UG Lecturers threatened with removal for recurring negative feedback

By Kurt Campbell

[www.inewsguyana.com] – Students of the University of Guyana (UG) have been put on notice that their feedback regarding lecturers and courses, which will become compulsory at the end of every semester, can engender the removal of lecturers and curriculum reform.

Speaking to iNews, UG’s Vice Chancellor Professor Jacob Opadeyi said the institution is moving in a direction where there will be a complete overhaul of the curriculum in all faculties and the establishment of a feedback mechanism that students will have to comply with before being provided with their results at the end of each semester.

Professor Opadeyi explained that these steps are being taken with the ultimate aim of improving the overall quality of education offered by the institution. He said it may be one thing to undergo curriculum review but opined that there must also be in place a Quality Assurance Unit to monitor the quality of work delivered by lecturers.

“We have come up with a new feedback mechanism that will be compulsory before students can receive their results, that’s the only way we can know and student feedback have intensified, we received 80% feedback at the end of last semester,” the Vice Chancellor explained.

He said the feedback will then be used by the administration to take corrective steps.

“Lecturers are being warned that if nasty things are being said for three consecutive semesters that action will have to be taken and they can be removed.”

Only last week the Government reiterated its commitment for the improvement of the University with the provision of a US$10M credit granted by the World Bank to conduct civil works on 14 labs and institute reform to the curriculum in the four science and technology faculties.

This is being done under the UG Science and Technology Support Project (UGSTSP) and is being executed by the Ministry of Education in close collaboration with UG.

The faculties to benefit are the Faculty of Agriculture and Forestry, Natural Sciences and Technology and the School of Earth and Environmental Sciences. The project focuses on improving the quality of science education through curriculum reform, support for research in low carbon development areas, improved physical infrastructure and capacity building.