Contretemps following the refusal of entry to Trinidad and Tobago of a University of Guyana (UG) law graduate after she failed to present documents to prove she was accepted into the Hugh Wooding Law School have led once again to calls for a local law school.
Stabroek News understands that the law graduate travelled to the island nation without any proof of her acceptance into Hugh Wooding. Contacted, student-at-law Sherod Duncan said he was advised that the young woman was going to attempt to register at the law school. However, the official list of the top 25 graduates guaranteed entry to Hugh Wooding had not yet been forwarded to the institution by UG. Duncan described the situation as a case of “impatience.” He noted that the woman had declared that she was on the island for school, which immigration found out
was not the case. He said she was therefore denied entry, in spite of an offer to retract her declaration.
Referring to the call for a local law school, Duncan said, “I think it is relevant.” He further mentioned that at a symposium held by Moot Court Guyana in June, 70 per cent of the audience were in approval of Guyana having a law school, to ease the uncertainty of legal education.
Earlier this year, the Council of Legal Education, which runs the three regional law schools had announced that UG graduates were unlikely to obtain places at Hugh Wooding as priority would be given to University of the West Indies graduates. After much to-ing and fro-ing and uncertainty, Caricom Chairman Prime Minister of St Vincent and the Grenadines Ralph Gonsalves intervened and the arrangement for the admittance of the top 25 students from UG was reinstated for this current year.
“We don’t need all of this,” said Duncan, referring to the uncertainty of legal education for UG law graduates. He said he plans to lobby for a law school here.
Meanwhile, another student-at-law told this newspaper that the long wait for grades from UG was frustrating. She opined that the student who attempted to enter T&T might have been frustrated. She said a week ago an email had been circulated with grades from the Council of Legal Education, informing students who wrote the entrance examination that they had been accepted into Hugh Wooding. Subsequently, however, a follow-up correspondence stated that erroneous information was communicated.
Students-at-law are also expressing fear that UG might release their grades after registration at Hugh Wooding has ended. Registration at the law school commences on September 11, they said.
