Did the pandemic create a first mover advantage or disadvantage at UG?

May 17, 2021 Letters

DEAR EDITOR,

I am of the opinion that the University of Guyana did not properly think through the cost of tuition for final year students. Unless this is the norm, which I highly doubt, final year students are persistently being surprised with new registration fees for certain courses.
UG has engaged simulation software to conduct some courses that are mandatory for final year students. These courses attract their individual tuition costs, all of which were already approved by UG, and paid for by the student. After commencement of the semester, and weeks into the class, we were then informed that registration for the simulation software attracts a cost that must be fully borne by the student. The cost is approximately US$40-45. Seriously? The tuition for the course was not reduced, and students have to stand the expense for a software that UG made a decision to use in delivery of their course. There are ways that UG can subsidise the cost, even partially. Discounts can be negotiated with the software providers and licenses can be bought by the University of Guyana. And, don’t let me get started on one payment method in particular: Deposit to a local commercial bank with no additional payee information, other than the bank account number. As usual, no response when students asked questions. Is this going to be the trend going forward? We paid for it now, will students pay for it next year, too? Or, are we just fortunate to have this dropped on us because of the pandemic and virtual teaching? Is the institution of the opinion that we are just going to conform because we ‘fed up and want graduate?’ Because I am…extremely ‘fed up and want graduate so I just paid it and done.’ That is the mindset of the final year students. Students lost their jobs and made life changing decisions to be able to continue their studies, and UG comes along with a decision like this, and one student is now expected to allocate approximately US$90 to tuition fees. And this does not include the time and cost to acquire an electronic payment method; registration for a VISA card costs US$60 at the local commercial bank. And on the other occasion, we now have to hit the bank again to pay US$40 to God knows who. We don’t.
This is the first batch of students who are being taught in a pandemic. We are getting used to online sessions and all of the other wonders of the technological evolution, but don’t continue like this. Some of us can easily afford the added costs, but there are others who can’t and this letter speaks for them.

UG Student

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Did the pandemic create a first mover advantage or disadvantage at UG?

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