New hospital, hospitality programme part of Texila’s US$25M investment to transform education

By Vishani Ragobeer

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The Texila American University is hoping to significantly expand operations over the next few years and about US $25 million will be spent on establishing a new hospital at Providence on the East Bank of Demerara (EBD), along with a suite of new programmes at the school.

The university’s Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Syam Kumar, who spoke to the News Room on Friday, explained that the university is seeking to expand its services in keeping with Guyana’s developmental thrust.

And as Guyana develops, and more specialised medical services are sought, the CEO noted that the university is hoping to construct a new multispecialty hospital.  This hospital will be constructed near the University’s Providence campus.

Though the university is still locked in engagements on the specific plans, Kumar highlighted that people can expect a wide variety of services. And importantly, this hospital will also help the university’s medical students learn.

“It is a natural progression from a medical school to a hospital and it also gives us the best chance to train our students in the best possible way,” the CEO said.

With the university seeking to align its focus with Guyana’s development, the CEO also noted that the university has been interested in offering programmes beyond medicine, focusing also on oil and gas, business and tourism.

Already, the university has introduced certificate programmes in petroleum studies and both Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in business studies.

But beyond this, Kumar revealed that the university is hoping to provide hospitality training services, possibly satisfying 100 per cent of the training needs for Guyana’s growing tourism sector.

To do this, he explained that programmes from an accredited United Kingdom (UK) body will be introduced later this year. Next year, the university is also hoping to introduce the curriculum from the American school system.

Altogether, the CEO said that a total of US $25 million (or about GY $5.2 billion) will be spent over the next few years to facilitate the university’s expansion plans.

The Texila American University, Guyana’s largest private educational facility, commenced operations in Guyana more than a decade ago. Since then, the university has expanded, now owning its own campus at Providence and offering several programmes.

Currently, there are more than 900 foreign and local students at the university. Kumar said that about 600 of those students are medical students, and about 50 per cent of those medical students are Guyanese.

And the university has plans to expand even further in the years to come, as Guyana establishes itself as a prominent education hub for foreign students.

“Guyana in the last few years has been slowly catching up but it has been low in that level in being known as a higher education destination.

“That is what we are trying to do,” the CEO posited.