By Alva Solomon

UNIVERSITY of Guyana (UG) students on Monday picketed the administration of the Turkeyen Campus on a number of issues affecting them, including the university’s silence regarding the alleged non-accounting for a sum of $148 million.Led by University of Guyana Students Society (UGSS) President Joshua Griffith, the students gathered in front of the Administrative Office at about 10:00hrs and protested the issues openly.

Griffith disclosed that the UGSS has invited President Granger to meet with it as a body at Turkeyen. He noted that since the May 2015 change of government, a number of promises made to improve the conditions at UG have not been fulfilled.

“We are committed to ensure there is continued disruption until justice is served to students,” he said.

Griffith said students from each faculty were demonstrating their lack of confidence in the administration of UG. The main issues of contention include the absence of grades, no laboratories for health science students, non-functioning air conditioning units, accreditation matters faced by medical students, and the absence of laboratory exercises for Chemistry students.

He said the Education Faculty students are currently experiencing a host of problems in regard to timetables, since many students are unable to obtain releases from their employers to attend classes during the day.

In addition, he noted, students from the School of Earth and Environmental Sciences (SEES) are in dire straits, as their classrooms have been transformed into offices.

Moreover, he said, there is the issue of the noise generated by the playing of dominoes on campus near to classrooms. He said this problem has occurred because the administration has converted recreational areas for such games into classrooms without consulting the students.

Griffith said one of the more important issues of the protest is the UG administration’s lack of accountability, and he noted that students are not satisfied that money which is also derived from fees is not being spent properly.

The UGSS has posted a table on social media in which it alleges that, for the academic year 2014-2015, UG’s finances were in the vicinity of $228 million. Of that sum the university has spent $80 million, and the student body wishes to know what has become of the additional $148 million. Students have expressed concern over the tertiary institution’s betrayal regarding fees. They say no consideration was given to a petition for refund of the fees, and there has been no consultation was the student body on the facilities’ fees.

Griffith disclosed that the UGSS has written to President Granger, Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo, Education Minister Dr Rupert Roopnaraine, and Finance Minister Winston Jordon as it seeks to initiate discussion on the issues facing students. To date, he said, only delayed responses or notices that the Government officials are unavailable have been received.

The students plan to take their protest outside the Office of the President on Wednesday at 11:00 hrs. “If they don’t come to us, we will go to them,” Griffith declared.