After the first mission in 2015, regional cooperation between the universities of ADEKUS, the University of Guyana and the University of French Guiana is continuing and being strengthened. A 25-strong delegation of teachers, lecturers, politicians and administrative staff travelled to the partner universities to meet their counterparts and revitalise the links between these institutions.
L' he University of Guyana has ambitions to shine on the South American continent. It is therefore very important for it to be actively involved in regional and international cooperation. Cross-border cooperation in education and research with these universities is not new. In fact, since 2015, numerous actions have been carried out between the University of Guyana (UG), ANTON DE KOM University (ADEKUS Suriname) and the University of Guyana. Despite coming to an abrupt halt as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020, there is a strong and growing interest in sharing knowledge and expertise. Now that the health situation is more favourable, it was important to revitalise the links between our universities and discuss future projects.
As part of a cross-border cooperation approach, the GUYUNIV2 project aimed to :
- Find out about the infrastructure and training provided at the University of Guyana, ADEKUS and the University of Guyana;
- Provide an update on these elements since the last official delegation visits;
- Expand the network of contacts to encourage the development of joint educational and scientific projects in response to specific calls for projects (PCIA, ERDF OP, ERASMUS+, etc.), international training courses and the organisation of sporting and cultural events.
Strengthening links with cross-border universities
The GUYUNIV2 project was initiated by the University of Guyana, with the support of the regional cooperation fund and the Collectivité Territoriale de Guyane. It is an exploratory mission aimed at inter-university meetings with higher education establishments in Suriname and Guyana. It follows on from the project carried out in 2015 when the UG was set up, which was similar in nature and objectives. The visit to the University of Guyana was more special because it was the first time that a delegation from the UG had visited that country. It was an opportunity to meet counterparts and share experiences of higher education.
The format chosen for each of the university meetings (ADEKUS and University of Guyana) was as follows:
- One session opening plenary(Words of welcome; brief presentations of the training and research maps)
- One session in a workshop(immersions/discussions within the respective faculties/departments)
- One session closing plenaryto summarise cooperation projects by faculty/department.
We would like to thank all our colleagues from the universities of Surinam (ADEKUS) and Guyana for their warm welcome and productive discussions.
