Dear Editor,
When I think about the University of Guyana Student Society (UGSS), I think of a certain political party in our midst, which I believe has outlived its purpose. That party today has been struggling to survive and stand its ground, and so it is with the UGSS. This organization is supposed to be actively pursuing student welfare issues and other university matters, but sadly the UGSS has somehow disappeared, evaporated, and vanished from public view.
This organization demonstrates the poorest leadership available today. The leadership comes and interrupts our classes in Berbice to preach their election garbage and promises us the world; then they disappear and we never see or hear from these fellows again. This is a poor demonstration of behaviour from tertiary-educated people.
The Berbice UGSS was launched in March, but this organisation too I believe has become defunct, and an opportunity of bettering students’ lives on campus has gone to waste. I will have to have a serious discussion with Professor Samad about the way forward about that office.
But the UGSS does nothing for the student population of the University of Guyana. I am ashamed to have voted those individuals into office, wasting my time and energy listening to their empty speeches. They also remind me of a certain trade union in Guyana. The UGSS has no way to disseminate information about policies (do they have any?) or news, and no means of keeping in touch with members – and to think I pay student fees each semester.
Students have so many issues which need attention from university authorities and the student society has failed miserably to address same. I only received my Semester II grades for Year 2 last week. In fact, I did not receive them; I had to take time out from my busy schedule to visit the Berbice Campus to read it on the notice board. Now, on our online registration profiles, there is a space for academic profiles and grades. Why could not our grades be posted online so we could log into our accounts and check them in the convenience of our homes? This is how it is done overseas.
But in Guyana, we have the notion that Guyanese have a lot of time to waste and so we make them travel unnecessarily all over to transact business, and read UG grades on the notice board. I expect better from this university and for them to keep up their end of the bargain, since my annual tuition payments are always on time.
Also, it is nearing the start of the new UG year, and registration for Year 3 students has not been completed as yet.
The registration process is stuck at document verification. It might happen the night before UG reopens. This nonsense and lack of planning at UG has got to stop. It looks very bad for this university, but I believe the current leadership as well as the UGSS, is quite comfortable with how things are going.
Yours faithfully,
Leon Suseran
