Computer savvy and the UG registration process

Sep 01, 2010 News

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The car park just in front of the Centre for Communication Studies was lined with vehicles of all makes and sizes while the catwalk, recently devoid of activity was teeming with freshmen (first year students), some with puzzled expressions some with what appeared to be an air of confidence. Occasionally, one of them would stop to ask for directions or advice, most times unable to access the information. This is all a part of the orientation process to campus life and the unmistakable reminder that classes at the University of Guyana have recommenced.
Most of the students are fresh out of high school after they would have written the Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) or the Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examination (CAPE) and are anxious to acquire tertiary level education to further their chances of better jobs and by extension, a firmer position in the mainstream.
Obviously, they would have attended the orientation sessions earlier organized by the administration of the university and would now be ready to address their studies with gusto. Unfortunately, that is not how it works. Most of the students are still to complete the registration process while others are at a total loss regarding registration via the online process.
Registrar of the UG, Vincent Alexander, is, as is customary at this time of year, extremely busy in his office, situated on the upper floor of the admissions department, attending to various queries from the students pertaining to the completion of the process.
If one ventures to the bottom floor, at the doorway of the admissions department, he/she is greeted by a long line of students still to complete the registration process even as classes are scheduled to get underway. Many are heard questioning the functions of the online registration system while others have bluntly labeled it as useless.
One student, attending the UG for the first time, said that she is frustrated after joining several lines for differing reasons. She said that she was assured that the online system of registration would have seen the elimination of the lines and a smoother, student-friendly system. She bluntly labeled the online registration process a waste of time.
The Registrar does not agree with this view. He pointed out that the registration process, even though undergoing teething problems, is serving its initial intended purpose of minimizing the time students take to complete the registration process. Notwithstanding this, he admitted that the system would not totally eliminate the lines at its initial stage.
“Do you see those
students there?” he said while indicating a long line of about fifty students waiting to enter the admissions department. “They are there to facilitate a document check,” he explained. The Registrar further explained that this particular aspect of the registration process could not have been facilitated through online registration.
The ‘document check’ is the process where new entrants to the tertiary institution are required to submit their relevant qualifications to the admissions department. “These students have only collected their examination results earlier this month and therefore they could not have conformed to this process before. There are now hustling to do so, thus the build up,” explained Mr. Alexander.
Furthermore, the registrar is adamant some of the students are not computer literate and this might have contributed in part to the problem.
“We have discovered that one of the fundamental problems is that many students are not computer savvy and are unable to conform to the online registration process,” declared Mr. Alexander. He further pointed out that even though the world is undergoing technological changes, persons still have a personal responsibility of enhancing their reading skills.
The Registrar is confident that in the long run, after the initial teething issues, the process would prove to be viable.
“At least the computerized process has eliminated some of the lines in keeping with its initial expectation,” said Mr. Alexander. He was comparing the criteria before the inauguration of the online registration when students were required to join several lines to complete the process.
The journey back then started at the respective faculties and then a long trek to the registry. Students were next required to visit the Bursary to facilitate other registration matters before returning to the registry. Thereafter, they would return to the bursary to make final payment (for those making cash payments). There were also other tedious waits at the office of the loan agency for those that were accessing loans to complete their studies.
While the online process has not totally eliminated the long lines, Mr. Alexander is of the view that it has minimized the tediousness of the process.
Meanwhile, a continuing student who requested anonymity said that while the online registration process has eased the headache of registration considerably, much is still required. The student said that she had sent in her application on August 9, the first official day of the registration process and received an answer approximately three weeks later.
She labeled this as unacceptable and said that she is anxiously anticipating the efficient functioning of the online process.
A source close to the University of Guyana Students’ Society has urged the students to exercise some patience. He said that the UG administrators are simultaneously testing and working the online system. The source also intimated that an audit of the system is scheduled for month end to ascertain the problems that compromise its efficient functioning and how these problems can be rectified.

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