Cheddi Jagan’s enduring legacy in education…

By Professor Emeritus Clement K. Sankat

AS we recently commemorated the birth anniversary of Dr. Cheddi B. Jagan—Guyanese patriot, former Premier and President, and our Champion for Independence from British colonial rule, I felt it necessary, not only as an educator but as a Guyanese son of the soil, to offer a reflection on one of his most enduring legacies: his unshakable commitment to education for all and the establishment of the University of Guyana (UG).

Dr. Jagan was not just a political leader. He was a visionary who understood that national liberation was incomplete without intellectual liberation. He believed that education was the cornerstone of building a free, progressive, and prosperous nation—and he proved that through action.
His passion for education went far beyond increasing access; it was about dignity, empowerment, and creating equal opportunity for every citizen. His work began as Premier of then colonial British Guiana (1953-64) and then continued on his return to power as President in 1992 until his passing in 1997.

I speak from personal experience. I was born in No. 64 Village, Corentyne, and received my early education at Leeds Government School (Number 51 Village, Corentyne) before moving on to Queen’s College in Georgetown (1962-69). It was Dr Jagan’s reforms in the 1950s and early 1960s that made it possible for students like me—rural, very humble in origin—to access elite institutions once reserved for the privileged few.

His expansion of scholarship opportunities with meritocracy at the centre, teacher training programmes (both pre-service and in-service), and primary and secondary schools’ rehabilitation and expansion marked a revolutionary time in Guyana’s educational history under Cheddi’s leadership— creating education for all.
Yet, his greatest educational gift to the nation remains the University of Guyana. Founded in 1963 amidst the terrible political turbulence of that time, UG began with just 179 students in borrowed classrooms at Queen’s College, on October 2, 1963.

Dismissed by some at the time as “Jagan’s night school,” the institution has since grown into Guyana’s national university, educating tens of thousands and serving as a pillar of social mobility and nation-building.
As one who has led major academic institutions in the Caribbean—most notably as Pro Vice-Chancellor and Principal of The University of the West Indies, St. Augustine Campus—I can attest to the boldness and determination of Dr. Jagan’s vision.
In establishing UG, he broke from the colonial model of dependence on the regional University of the West Indies, then The University College of the West Indies (UCWI). He dared at that time to imagine a national university—homegrown, accessible, affordable and rooted in the needs of Guyanese society.
Even more remarkable was the breadth of his vision. Though trained as a Dentist, Cheddi Jagan was a liberal thinker who also pursued studies in political science, economics, philosophy and sociology.

He knew education had to be more than just technical training—it had to nurture civic responsibility, critical thinking, and national consciousness. This belief guided every step of his work in transforming Guyana’s educational landscape and his thoughts with respect to the creation of the University of Guyana.
The liberal education that he experienced in the USA appealed to him much more than the rigid colonial education of the UK and imbibed by the UCWI. This educational philosophy of Cheddi Jagan ought to be seriously considered by our education planners of today.

The creation of the University of Guyana demonstrated a very determined characteristic of Cheddi Jagan when he held on to a particular vision.
In 1963, despite the successive interventions of Prime Minister Eric Williams of Trinidad and Tobago and Premier Errol Barrow of Barbados into Guyana so as to persuade Cheddi Jagan not to exit the regional UWI as a full, contributing member, Cheddi listened politely, but pursued his goal of creating UG with personal vigour. Interestingly, Cheddi and his PPP government were removed from power in 1964, one year after UG’s establishment.

Notwithstanding its ups and downs since then, UG to its credit has continued on its path of contributing to the human-resource development of Guyana. Cheddi, in 1963, created the first national university in the English-speaking West Indies with for example, The University of Trinidad & Tobago created in 2004, 41 years later!
Successive Presidents, Dr Bharrat Jagdeo and now Dr Irfaan Ali, have expanded UG’s mission. The opening of the Tain Berbice Campus in 2000 by Dr Jagdeo and recent plans announced by President Irfaan Ali to launch new programmes in engineering, medical sciences, and oil and gas, etc, at the Berbice Campus are all in keeping with the foundation laid by Dr Jagan— bringing education for all.

It brings me great joy to see this growth and to witness the continued commitment to “One Guyana”—a dream Cheddi held long before it became our current national slogan.
As I now lead the development of the Guyana Technical Training College in Port Mourant, Berbice, under the watch of President Irfaan Ali and with the commitment of ExxonMobil and their partners, I carry forward that same philosophy: that education is the most powerful tool for national transformation.
The GTTCI is opening up doors for Guyanese to enter the new oil and gas industry and interestingly, it is being built in Port Mourant, near Cheddi’s birthplace. I owe much of my career to the early doors Cheddi Jagan opened for me and so many others, though not a UG graduate but rather one from the UWI, St. Augustine, Trinidad in Engineering.

On this anniversary, let us not only remember Dr. Jagan but renew our commitment to the ideals of education which he championed. Let us ensure that the University of Guyana continues to be strengthened and supported, so that the dreams of rural children in particular, for secondary and tertiary education, are never out of reach.
Thank you, Cheddi, for building an education system and institution (UG) that changed lives—and changed a nation!
[Professor Emeritus Clement K. Sankat is the Director, Guyana Technical Training College Inc. (GTTCI) and former Pro Vice-Chancellor and Principal, UWI St. Augustine. This article was condensed from a speech made at the Cheddi Jagan Research Centre (CJRC) on March 21, 2025.]