UG Final Year students may graduate in December
─University prioritising support for final year students
DPI, Guyana, Thursday, April 30, 2020
Graduation in December 2020 and/or January 2021 may still be possible for University of Guyana final year students in most disciplines.
This is according to Deputy Vice-Chancellor of the University of Guyana, Professor Paloma Mohamed during a virtual interview with DPI.
The administration she noted is addressing the concern expressed by final year students about completion of courses and matriculation.
Most students enrolled in degree programmes (4 years) are required to complete 36 courses to be eligible for matriculation out of the UG system. Therefore, Prof. Mohamed noted that it would be unfair to have their last four credits determine the outcome of their degree because of the unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic.
She explained that the University is prioritising final year students to provide them with resources and support to complete their programmes. The administration is working to ensure that no student is penalised for situations outside of their control.
“We do not envisage graduation in November,” Prof. Mohammed said, adding that graduation is a two-part process.
The first part entails required paperwork. The University will issue students a letter stating that they have satisfied all their academic requirements.
The second part which is the highly anticipated graduation ceremony where graduates ’walk across the stage’. “That part could be a little delayed,” Prof. Mohamed noted.
Administratively, UG expects to be finished the paperwork for prospective graduates by November or early December. All matters pertaining to these final year students are being prioritised to enable their graduation.
“UG is going to be able to meet its obligations to those students who were able to go online by November. Those who are not able to go online, once we are physically back [on May 30], they will do a makeup semester,” Professor Mohamed explained.
With consideration given to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the university has adopted strict measures to ensure the safety of staff and students since it transitioned to online delivery of education in early March.
According to Professor. Mohamed, UG has created a new schedule that runs until the end of February 2020 to accommodate students.
The University of Guyana has also implemented several measures to make this difficult time easier for students, including the relaxation of due dates for fees and dates for dropping courses.
A release from the tertiary institution states that while being initially unprepared for this pandemic, “and though the challenges are real and stubborn, UG has not stopped functioning for one single day. This is a testament of the goodness, resilience and innovative spirit of the men and women who make up this great national institution.”