Guernsey Institute has no principal
A SHADOW board of governors has been appointed for the new Guernsey Institute, but there is still no executive principal to lead them, Education, Sport & Culture has admitted.
The leaders of the College of FE, the Institute of Health & Social Care Studies and the GTA University Centre combined to form the new institute, with members meeting for their first training session yesterday.
They took up their positions on Monday, but without a leader. The new executive principal was also supposed to be announced this week, but no one has taken the post yet.
Shadow board of governors chairman Julian Winser said the Guernsey Institute would provide an exciting opportunity for the island.
‘We have been discussing good governance today at our first meeting,’ he said.
‘We would be working with the States and Education and integrating both, working together with the committee in the interim time of 18 months to two years before the new education law is passed and the transition is made.’
He refused to say when the executive principal would be appointed.
‘Even though we have had quite a lot of people apply to become the interim change leader, we are still looking for the right person to take us through this change,’ he said.
The committee received 27 expressions of interest for membership of the shadow board and, after interviews, the three chairpeople of the institute, including Mr Winser, are David Leafe and Debbie Guillou.
Robin Fuller, Ken Gibbs, Louise Hall, Sandra James, David Oxburgh, Sue Ryde, Peter Sherbourne and Tim Walters were made board members.
Mr Fuller said their first meeting had been very constructive.
‘We talked about the roles and responsibilities of the board,’ he said.
‘We want this to become something the people of Guernsey will be proud of.’
Initially, the three existing organisations will retain their identities. The leaders of the College of FE, the Institute of Health and Social Care Studies and the GTA University Centre will each then report to the new executive principal, once appointed.
Once the new education law is in place, governance and leadership responsibilities will be fully devolved to the single board.
The ambition remains for the institute to obtain university college status in the future by entering a full partnership with a UK university.
Education, Sport & Culture committee president Matt Fallaize said the creation of the shadow board marked an important step in the reforms to further and higher education.
‘We are delighted that, in line with overall policies agreed by the States last year, we have been able to integrate the three providers less than 18 months after we were elected,’ he said.
On Friday, ESC will submit a policy letter to the States seeking capital funding to put into effect the new structure of secondary, further and higher education agreed by them last year.
This will include requesting funds to construct purpose-built facilities for the Guernsey Institute at Les Ozouets at a cost of up to £47.5m.
