The President, Laurent LINGUET, accompanied by a delegation from the University of Guyana (UG), was in eastern Guyana from Wednesday 04 to Thursday 05 October 2023. The mission provided an opportunity to discuss the development of higher education in eastern Guyana with a number of stakeholders.
It was in Saint-Georges de l'Oyapock, the capital of eastern Guyana, that the delegation began its discussions on the prospects for the development of higher education in the east. Laurent LINGUET met Georges ELFORT, Mayor of Saint-Georges, in the presence of his deputies.
New ambitions and infrastructures for eastern Guyana. What role for the UG?
During this initial discussion, an assessment of the region's training needs was made. Frédéric Bondil, Vice-President of Training and University Life, highlighted the fact that higher education in the region has lost momentum over the years. However, this catchment area is booming, particularly with the construction of new infrastructures offering living and studying conditions that are suited to students and potential students. The construction of a new school complex at Saint-Georges, comprising a lycée and a collège, will give 680 secondary school students and 765 high school students access to higher education close to home.
With the construction of the University Vocational Training Department, the University of Guyana will be adding a new dimension to continuing education throughout French Guiana. This will offer additional options to the population, whether already working or looking for work, to access higher education, upgrade their skills or retrain. The aim is to reopen university courses such as the DAEU (Diplôme d'Accès aux Études Supérieures), the Pré DAEU and the DUAP (Diplôme Universitaire en Administration Publique), which have closed in recent years, and to offer a range of courses, co-constructed in close collaboration with the town council of Saint-Georges, tailored to the needs of eastern Guyana. This project is a step forward in meeting the University of French Guiana's ambition to offer high-quality, tailored training courses to the entire population of French Guiana, enabling them to contribute to the development of their region.
An ambition that knows no boundaries
The Université de Guyane delegation continued its journey by crossing the border to Oiapoque in Brazil. This new stage of the mission was marked by two highlights. The first was a meeting with the IFAP (Federal Institute of Amapa), followed by a meeting with the UNIFAP (Oiapoque binational university campus of the Federal University of Amapa). These exchanges provided an opportunity to launch presentations by each of the parties and to highlight the potential for collaboration.
The meeting with IFAP, a recognised institution on the Brazilian side, highlighted the similarities and differences between the education systems, as well as the potential for joint projects, particularly in the cultural field. With UNIFAP, the natural collaboration between the two institutions, due to their geographical proximity, was confirmed.
These meetings highlighted the strong interest in joint collaboration and the need to strengthen the links between the various players. The University of Guyana aims to forge strong links with its Brazilian counterparts, opening the door to a wide range of projects in both research and teaching.
By consolidating both local and international collaborations, the University of Guyana is positioning itself as a key player in higher education, open to its region and more widely to the Guiana Shield.
