–using social media to engage management on the subject

SEVERAL University of Guyana students on Saturday took to social media demanding from the tertiary institution’s management an explanation for an email sent them on Friday which seemed to suggest that they had a certain deadline by which to pay their tuition fees.

In light of the unusual nature of the correspondence, on the part of both parties, the Guyana Chronicle reached out on Saturday to Deputy Vice-Chancellor and Chair of the University’s Transitional Management Committee, Professor Paloma Mohamed for a comment, and her response was that the administration of the University has not issued any due date for any payments.

What she said, in essence, was that the email was just to give clarity to those students enquiring about making payments for certain resources, such as transcripts, and replacement certificates.

“What was sent last night seems not to have been a request for payment, and the note which I now have, and which would not ordinarily be copied to me, simply indicated what steps can be taken for any payment in the safe mode which we are operating in now. People need to pay for many things, including transcripts, replacement certificates as well as various fees and dues. It is explained by the Registry that due to various queries over the last few days, the blanket note was sent, explaining what Online procedures were put in place,” Dr. Mohamed said.

“We have set no deadline for fees, and we have not and are not at this time and in these circumstance demanding fees from our students. We are in safe mode; that means we are working to support students through this period in several ways. We hope that this clarification brings some relief to any student to whom the situation was not clear,” she told the Guyana Chronicle.

She went on to explain that the administration is currently hosting discussions on a way forward, as it relates to payment, stating that there’s still a lot to discuss before making any final decision on the matter.

She also said that the University is cognisant that hundreds of students and their guardians may have lost their only means of income due to COVID-19 , and that it would be extremely difficult for many of the students to make this semester’s payments. The administration is also aware, Dr Mohamed said, that students no longer have access to the University, its resources and lecturers on a face-to-face level, and is taking into consideration all those factors in determining a way forward as it relates to potential payment requirements.

The University of Guyana recently reminded students and members of staff that no definite date for a return to face-to-face mode of classes has been announced; that a full-scale return to campus before the end of June was not envisaged at this time.
The University had stated that, like many other tertiary institutions the world over, it is a challenge for them to keep working and keeping the nations brightest educated, while providing solutions to Guyana’s problems.

Since the pandemic, the University has moved to offering Online classes, but was the first to acknowledge that it wsa well aware that about 25 per cent of its students will not be able to immediately respond well to such an environment, as such changes usually take some getting used to.

It also said that despite being totally unprepared for the pandemic, and though the challenges are real and stubborn in some cases, they are not insurmountable.