Mark: Did Minister block appointment?

OPPOSITION Senator Wade Mark has questioned whether the Education Minister Anthony Garcia blocked the appointment of an applicant for the University of the West Indies (UWI) St Augustine campus registrar.

He posed the question during the Senate sitting yesterday. He had posed the initial question to the minister why Government had not accepted the person recommended by UWI for the position of campus registrar.

Garcia responded appointments to senior management positions at UWI were approved at its annual business session meeting and the council consisted of the chancellor, vice chancellor, chairs of the campus council, pro vice chancellors, campus principals, members of the academic board, representatives of the guild of graduates, one student from each campus and one member appointed by the government of each of the contributing countries with the education minister being the TT representative.

“Recognising that the person being recommended was a member of the teaching profession and an employee of the Ministry of Education, it was felt that as matter of courtesy, the ministry should have at least been consulted regarding the recommendation. Members of the council agreed that because it was an appointment to a senior management position at a landed campus, the Government of the host campus should have been consulted, as obtains in other spheres of work and business. In light of other deliberations which ensured at the meeting, the university council, not the Government of TT, agreed not to approve the person recommended to it for the position of the campus registrar at the St Augustine campus.”

Mark asked if the post had been re-advertised but Garcia said he was not aware but that was the directive given to the principal.