The University of Guyana – the country’s premier tertiary institution – failed to mark its name as one of the top universities in Latin America and the Caribbean after it was unable to make the Times Higher Education University Rankings.
The list was compiled by the prestigious United Kingdom-based publication which is a leading provider of higher education data for the world’s research-led institutions.
The Times Higher compiled its lists using rich and robust institutional data, examining aspects of the universities’ teaching; research; citations/research influence; international outlook; and knowledge transfer.
Cementing its place as the region’s most outstanding tertiary institution was The University of the West Indies (UWI). The UWI is a regional institution with campuses in Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica and Barbados. It was ranked 37th.
A total of 129 institutions of higher learning in Latin America and the Caribbean were assessed and ranked, with The UWI outperforming all other universities in the Caribbean.
There are more than 100 registered universities in the Caribbean, including the UG. Others include the University of Trinidad and Tobago (UTT), Grenada-based St. Georges University, and the University of Technology (UTECH) in Jamaica.
Over the years one of the major concerns of Guyanese students has been accreditation of programmes offered by the UG.
It was only last year that UG’s School of Medicine regained its accreditation after it was revoked two years prior. The accreditation body had revealed that revocation came after there were no progress reports forthcoming from the tertiary institution for the years 2014 and 2015.
In an effort to expand its services, the institution launched its School of Entrepreneurship and Business Innovation (SEBI) in July of last year.
Vice Chancellor, Professor Ivelaw Griffith had said that SEBI was geared towards providing the nation with the entrepreneurial and business requirements it needs to develop, equip and certify persons in both the public and private sectors.
