UG Students Society Worried About Termination of Lecturers' Contracts by Gov't Reps.

UG Students Society worried about likely termination of lecturers' contracts.
Written by Denis Scott Chabrol
Tuesday, 18 October 2011 22:41

The University of Guyana Students Society (UGSS) on Thursday backed calls by the University of Guyana Workers Union (UGWU) not to scrap the contracts of several lecturers.

“Pressured by this grave situation, the UGSS voices its disagreement with the attempt by the Government's representatives to forcefully terminate lecturers' contract under the pretext of procedural infractions or any other such considerations and without the least consideration of the negative impact it would have on the students who are the main stakeholders in this regard and who have the most to lose from a further depletion of lecturers at the University,” UGSS President, Duane Edwards said in a statement.

The workers union first raised the issue Monday when it threatened to take legal action if the government members of UG’s council succeed in terminating the contracts of the lecturers. Reacting to their instruction to Vice Chancellor, Professor Lawrence Carrington; the union noted that several classes would be severely disrupted at a time when the institution would be hard-pressed to find replacements nine weeks into thecurrent semester.

Adding its voice to the move, the UGSS noted that a number of students who are required to do four courses per semester have only started one because there are no lecturers for the three other courses. “This is by no means an isolated and infrequent occurrence, on the contrary, it occurs in various degrees both frequently and pervasively,” added the student body president.

Demerara Waves Online News ( www.demwaves.com ) has been told that the Vice Chancellor was instructed to rescind three contracts including one for Political Science lecturer, Freddie Kissoon.

Carrington has been told that he has no authority to hire and fire and so the lecturers should be let go.

The UGWU, however, argues that in the absence of the council, the Vice Chancellor acts on behalf of the university in the absence of council in situations like acquiring lecturers at the beginning of the academic year.