On June 20, a batch of 70 students received the accolade “Master of Business Administration” (MBA) from Nations University under a programme facilitated in collaboration with the Australian Institute of Business.
According to a press release from the Ministry of Education, the ceremony which took place at the Pegasus Hotel had the Minister of Education, Dr Rupert Roopnaraine presenting the feature address. During his speech to the third batch of MBA recipients, Roopnaraine urged them to “see beyond their obligations to their places of employment and commit to continue working towards building this country together.”
“Work with us,” he said to the group, “so this nation can grow and benefit you as well. Whether you’re in the public sector or private sector, you function within the same particular ecosystem.” Further Roopnaraine noted a World Bank Report which quoted Guyana as having the “highest rate of migration of tertiary or university graduates in the world.” Noteworthy, the Minister said is, “like other countries in the Caribbean, we are at the bottom of the hemispheric pile in terms of the number of citizens between the ages of 18 and 30 who are enrolled in higher education.”
Considering the global environment, Roopnaraine said, there needs to be a more systematic approach to the country’s education system, to the degree that “there must be a transition from ‘ad hoc programmes’ to a ‘policy environment’ that systematically links public sector initiative to private sector programmes and international accreditation.”
As it relates to the Ministry of Education’s role, Roopnaraine said, Policy decisions would have to be taken to facilitate the transformation of the education sector and improve the facilities for both teachers and students. More important, Roopnaraine said, “Our national development is underpinned by our education system. Our cohesiveness as a society is underpinned by our education system. Our ability to truly become ‘One People, One Nation, One Destiny’ is underpinned by our education system.”
Saturday’s graduates represented a wide cross- section of the community, the release said, which is inclusive of senior personnel from government ministries, GuySuCo, Barama Company Limited, the Guyana Elections Com-mission, Caricom and the Guyana Revenue Authority.
