By: LaWanda McAllister
Scores of students who would have graduated from the University of Guyana (UG) last year are complaining of not yet receiving their academic certificates.
In one instance, a student expressed “after four years of UG, we don’t expect to be running behind UG for what we worked hard for.”
INews understands that after graduating in the 2019/2020 academic year, students received an email with the option to have their certificates mailed to them via registered mail. However, since then, many have not received their certifications.
When contacted, Vice Chancellor Dr Paloma Mohamed explained that the UG Registry can only send off certificates for those graduands who consented for the option of registered mail.
Additionally, she explained that those who are still indebted to the UG will not be receiving their certificates until they clear their debts.
The UG Vice Chancellor explained that said based on the Registry’s report, UG’s Berbice Campus (UGBC) graduated 216 students in the class of 2019.
However, only some 67 consented to have their certificates mailed to them. Of that 67, only 36 were fully cleared.
This trend continues at the Turkeyen campus in Greater Georgetown. Of the 1903 persons who graduated, only 173 have consented to their certificates being dispatched via registered mail.
This publication was told that “the actual number we will be able to send off is likely to decline when we filter for completed clearances.”
According to the Vice Chancellor, the University’s Registry has been repeatedly asking those who graduated to complete all the processes needed.
“All Universities in the world have the same process. All those who have completed all obligations usually get their certificates soon thereafter,” Dr Mohamed said.
She further explained that the decision to mail certificates, an option which was never done before, was taken and approved in late October 2020. She said they are now on track and ready to assist any student as best they can.
She said as it relates to students who are not indebted to the University, and do not wish to have their certificates mailed to them via registered mail, there is one other option.
“We are in safe mode dealing with the same serious issues of COVID-19 that the whole country is. We have to balance safety with service. We can email transcripts and letters of completion at this time until all our systems are sufficiently virus proof to entertain the public,” she explained.
