UG to introduce graduation fee - Immediate sanctions for late grade submission - Improved remuneration for workers

UG to introduce graduation fee – Immediate sanctions for late grade submission – Improved remuneration for workers

Jul 15, 2016 News

The University of Guyana (UG) will this year introduce a graduation fee to help offset an ever-increasing convocation expenditure.
This is according to a statement issued by the University yesterday which stated all eligible graduating students attending the ceremony will be required to pay a graduation fee of $10,000. While students not in attendance will be required to pay $7,000.
This decision is among several others deemed to be major, that were taken at a recent statutory meeting to improve the financial condition and services offered to students at the tertiary institution.
The meeting of the Finance and General Purposes Committee (F&GPC) of the University on Monday, July 11, 2016, decided that several measures be implemented to improve the university’s financial condition and services to students.
The F&GPC meeting, at which representatives of the University of Guyana Students’ Society, the University Council, and the University of Guyana Workers’ Union were present, approved a proposal by Vice-Chancellor Ivelaw Griffith to implement an annual graduation fee from November 2016.
The new fee, according to reports out of the Ministry, will cover the provision of gowns to the relevant students; rental of chairs and public address system for the ceremony; the Chancellor’s reception for students; the provision of diplomas; and the publication of graduation programmes and convocation booklets, among other things.
Moreover, for the first time, graduating students will be provided with diploma covers to safely store their certificates.
Based on the observation of the VC’s proposal it was outlined that UG has over time been financing the graduation exercises from its scarce resources. But since tuition fees can be used only for instruction costs, expenses incurred for graduation had to be funded from elsewhere, and the expenditure associated with the ceremonies has been increasing over the years. According to the UG Bursar’s Office, for example, convocation-related expenditure for 2013 was $3,036,052; for 2014, it rose to $5,158,510; and in 2015, it grew to $8,340,766.
According to UG Registrar, Dr. Nigel Gravesande, “A recent survey of institutions of learning locally, regionally and internationally, revealed that a Graduation Fee is mandatory.” Graduation fees are paid at all levels in Guyana, from nursery to secondary, and they range from $3,000 at nursery schools to $5,000 at secondary schools.
A survey of the Caribbean showed that fees range from US$55.32 for non-Degree Awards, Certificates, Diplomas and Associate Degrees to US$86.92 for a Bachelor’s Degree and US$94.83 for a Master’s Degree and US$213.36 for a Doctorate Degree. As such, the new fee is part of the VC’s effort to generate revenue to offset expenses at the nation’s sole national university.
SANCTIONS FOR LATE GRADE SUBMISSION
A second major decision of the F&GPC relates to the perennial problem of the non-submission of grades by some lecturers. The failure of some lecturers to meet the official timeline for the submission of mark sheets has been an issue for several decades now, and it has resulted in the Examination Division being unable to post grades on time.
This has had several negative impacts on students, including the delay in finalising prospective graduates’ profile; students being unable to matriculate from one programme to the next; unnecessary delays in processing official transcripts for students; delays in student course registrations and delays in the sitting of supplemental/resit examinations.
To this end, the meeting also agreed on a regime of sanctions for non-compliance by lecturers. These include, but are not limited to, non-renewal of contracts, disqualification from receiving salary increments, and the inclusion of the timely submission of grades as an integral part of performance appraisal.
According to the University’s statement, letters will also be sent to all defaulting faculty members urging them to submit all outstanding grades by today (July 15, 2016).
The Vice-Chancellor voiced his commitment to ending this disservice to and disrespect for students, and he pledged to implement fully the decision of the F&GPC. Sanctions will take immediate effect, according to the University.
BETTER SALARIES FOR WORKERS
The F&GPC has also endorsed a recommendation from the Administration to settle an outstanding labour-management dispute over salaries and benefits. The decision entails paying the relevant staff members as follows: a 23 per cent increase to nine employees over whom there was a dispute related to their already being paid at “market rate”.
Also it was recommended that travelling allowance be increased for UA category workers to $17,000 per month for all those workers who have been receiving less than $17,000 per month. An augmented amount of travelling allowance by 90 per cent was recommended for UB category employees and an increase of uniform allowance to $10,000 per year for all female UG employees to assist with the preparation of uniforms.
According to UG, all payments will be retroactive to January 1, 2016, and will be made during this month. The VC also indicated his strong support for improving the salaries and benefits of academic and non-academic employees at the university, but he also shared his expectation of respectful and efficient service to the students and the other constituencies of the university.
As part of the pursuit of greater transparency at UG, the major decisions of the F&GPC now will be published at the end of each meeting. And Vice Chancellor Griffith has recommended the same course of action to the University Council, the governing body of the University.

One thought on “UG to introduce graduation fee – Immediate sanctions for late grade submission – Improved remuneration for workers”

Gtloyal July 15, 2016 at 1:46 pm

It is understood that all graduations means money, but an alternative (opportunity) to paying must be given, for Art.27 of our constitution states that “Every citizen has the right to free education from nursery to university as well as at non-formal places where opportunities are provided for education and training”. Free means free and a right is a right. Is there any other institution where guyanese can receive totally free university education? If the answer is no, then citizens are being deprived of the right stated in art.27. This article is being violated in various instances throughout our school years, as are so many other rights during our lives.

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