Cuba-based students’ visit home in limbo

Aug 16, 2008 News

Some 200 Cuba-based Guyanese students registered with the San Dino University in Cuba will not be able to come back home for the August holidays. A city-based travel agency is said to have failed to live up to its mandate.
Some of the parents and relatives of those students yesterday held a meeting with the Guyana Cuba Friendship Association (GCFA) at Queen’s College, where the issue was discussed.
Kaieteur News understands that the students who have been studying in Cuba would usually come back to Guyana every year at the expense of their parents. However, over the past two years, none has been able to come home.
It was explained that most of the parents paid the local travel agency for their children to return home during this month, and they were assured that the agency would bring their children home.
One parent said that the agency offered the parents a group fare which they readily accepted.
However, according to the parents, they have since been informed by the agency that the agency would not be able to fly the students to Guyana.
This newspaper was informed that the travel agency would only be able to fly the students to Barbados, after which they would be left stranded there unless the parents find money to pay for the connecting leg to Guyana.
The parents were also informed that the travel agency will not be able to fly all the students together, and has since booked them on five different flights to travel to Barbados.
At the meeting yesterday, it was explained that the parents and guardians have already paid the travel agency for a direct flight to Guyana. The parents are now under the impression that they have been ripped off by the travel agency, since their efforts to contact officials at the agency proved futile.
The affected adults noted that since Carifesta X fever is in the air, it is very difficult to get another flight for the students from Barbados.
When LIAT was contacted by some of the parents for a flight to bring the children home from Barbados, that airline said that it was fully booked and that another flight would not be available until another five weeks.
Caribbean Airlines said that it would be two months before it could move the students.
According to the parents, the same issue occurred last year as the same travel agency was scheduled to fly the students back to Guyana.
The parents now want the relevant authorities to look into the matter, so that some action can be taken against the travel agency.
A meeting is slated to be held today at the Ministry of Public Service between the Minister, Dr Jennifer Westford, and the parents. (Fareeza Haniff).

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Cuba-based students’ visit home in limbo

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