Dear Editor
ABOUT three weeks ago, the curtains closed on the 52nd Annual Convocation of the University of Guyana (UoG) – a joyous occasion for many parents and students.

In this humble letter to the public I am here to represent the tears of disappointment and broken trust shed by those on the other side of that curtain. This institution failed to exercise the care and concern for its students, letting down parents and others who invested so much time and in their future and paid fees on behalf of those students in good faith. Where one would expect that a noble academic institution would want everyone to succeed, even weak and failing students because the more that succeed and graduate, the more qualified citizen resources Guyana would get to help the nations as a whole to succeed. But my experience and that of others indicate this lofty sentiment is not shared by the administration of UG.

Both its lecturers and administration officials this past semester acted more with antagonism than affection for helping such students in their time of need. Mr. Editor, today my purpose is not to dwell on that, as I know your media house has more than enough resources to interview the current, past, and recent graduates of UG about such grave problems, as you may have done many times in the past. Today, I am humbly bringing a potential solution for a public discussion.

It is something that UG lacks at present: academic advisers. UG miserably lags behind many colleges and universities around the world, who make the services of academic advisers available to their students throughout their academic life, ensuring that students appreciate the need to meet regularly with these knowledgeable education specialists. When such advisers are assigned to students by their academic major, students can rely upon these advisers who will likely be well versed in specific departments’ policies and programmes; and be in a position to help them work through any issues that may arise, such as those that accounted for some of my colleagues being at the graduation in tears of disappointment in themselves and the institution.

Indeed, some lecturers attempted to fill this role as academic adviser, but only for their favourite few or, as is commonly known on UG campus, to students whom they exploited– a sad situation that continues unabated despite media attempts to highlight it in recent years. Even if the university disciplines or removes predatory lecturers, department heads or administration officials, what recompense or justice do victims get.

But apart from that, even among those who graduated, there can be no doubt that they could have been more successful in benefiting from their degree and working for a company/building one on their own that best matches their capabilities. If only students could have benefitted from an honest assessment of their academic and interpersonal strengths, weaknesses and interests and were given counsel accordingly by an academic adviser. UG seems to not care about such an opportunity to add value for its student body pre or post-graduation. Where students need help to raise their GPA to be qualify for graduation or to pass courses that their advisor knows would be essential to a best career path for them. Their adviser would be able to assist/advise them on the respective courses that they need to complete in each semester that will put them in a better position/advantage so that they strive to achieve their degrees in the most efficient manner.

Based on the actual heart-breaking cases about which I have heard, if the university were really interested in making Guyana, a more educated nation; it would have done more to help every student achieve graduation by making course grades available to academic advisers, who could then be assigned to those students to monitor their performance and suggest remedial actions (e.g. tutoring services or remedial courses to help correct any deficiencies in certain subjects) that could be taken before it was too late. Sadly, for a number of my student peers, it was too late.

Regards
Concerned Graduate – UG