UG restricts access to campuses

The University of Guyana (UG) has moved to block all access to its two campuses – at Turkeyen and Tain – allowing only security and staff with top-level security clearance to be present at the institution.
In a statement, it was indicated that this complete restriction became effective from 18:00h last Monday for security reasons. This means students, faculty members, and auxiliary staff will not be allowed to enter the gates.
The institution said, “The administration of the University of Guyana wishes to advise members of our UG community (faculty, Staff and Students) that we must immediately move to a hard lockdown of all UG campuses due to security precautions, which must be taken at this time.”
This inflexible condition will continue until stakeholders are advised further by UG’s administration. Since the lockdown, staff members and other key personnel were reporting to working as usual.
The statement read, “No one other than security and staff with top-level security clearance will be allowed on any of our campuses. We sincerely regret that this action has become necessary. We will be observing conditions with a view to removing these restrictions at the earliest opportunity.”
It went on to say the University will continue to operate online in ‘safe mode’. The University community is reminded to keep checking official channels: UG website, HRMIS and SRMS for updates.
With the University closed since mid-March, it is unclear when classroom activity will resume. Over the past weeks, exams and other grading mechanisms were facilitated online.
Last month, UG had clarified that it would not be demanding tuition fees from student, amid signals that the institution has been requesting payment as per normal. The Transitional Management Committee (TMC) had noted that these fees would be relaxed during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“There is currently no enforced deadline for payment of fees and the University has not and is not demanding fees at this time and in these circumstances. It is hoped that this clarification brings relief to any student for whom the situation was not clear,” UG had said.
It went on to say that those who have the means to pay can do so while others experiencing difficulties can make use of the relaxed deadlines. In explaining a possible ‘mix-up’, the University stated that deadlines should not be read as a demand for payment of fees.
Professor Paloma Mohamed-Martin, who was recently appointed Vice Chancellor, underscored last week that they have carefully drafted a blueprint to trigger the transformation of the University. She explained that the institution will see major developments which include the strengthening of the institution’s financial systems, improvement in the Turkeyen campus’s sewage system, the training of staff and improvement of security for students, among other measures.