THE Guyana Telephone and Telegraph Company (GTT), in collaboration with the University of Guyana Student Society (UGSS), on Thursday, launched an initiative that provides students with access to all things UG.

This initiative called, ‘GTT’s UG Student Plan’ enables students with the power to engage with not only each other, but the wide UG experience.

Speaking at the launch, UGSS President, Shaquawn Gill expressed that this initiative is one of the many projects that the UGSS believes the students of the University of Guyana will benefit from for years to come.

He said that this was less about setting up a ‘data’ plan for students of the University of Guyana, and more about ensuring that when they would have left office, students would say that they have projects that last them beyond that period.

Gill noted that it was a difficult task to negotiate with senior officials at GTT; however, “Once that started in April or May, we held fast to the task. We wanted to make sure that everything we start, everything we promised, we deliver on.”

He said briefly that the UGSS, before being in office, committed to playing a role in bridging the digital divide at the University of Guyana. He said this was a problem faced by students of UG and larger geographical audience.

The UGSS President underscored the need for bridging the divide by saying, “We have students who live in the Hinterland, who may never, because of their programme, or their project, may never come to Turkeyen Campus unless they’re coming for graduation; and they have to ensure they are always in classes. And if we want to be serious about bridging a digital divide, if we want to be serious about improving, not only the quality of education, but the access to education, the UGSS felt like there was something we had to do.”

Additionally, the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Guyana, Professor Paloma Mohamed-Martin, in her remarks said that GTT was the first company to come forward during the rise of COVID-19, aiding in the delivery of online services to students of the University.

Professor Mohamed-Martin boasted of the increase in programmes being offered online, from around four or five to over 155 programmes. This is totalled up to over 2000 courses.

Moreover, GTT’s Public Relations Officer, Diangelly Singh, said this platform offers an affordable and comprehensive offering for students to continue their education.

This initiative offers 75 gigabytes of data, unlimited social messaging and browsing, unlimited GTT minutes, and a great deal more. This they said, is offered at a price of GY $3,750.

According to Singh, this can only be accessed through the UGSS, or from their social media pages (Facebook and Instagram), where a digital form can be filled. The form requires students to input their names, Unique Student Identifier or USI number, and provide proof of Identification and proof of either their academic profile or student ID card.

Students can also visit gtt.gy/UG50 for a direct link to the digital form.