UWI administration, students meet over exam barring

Damion Mitchell, Editor - Radio & Online



The University of the West Indies and the Guild of Students are now meeting to strike a compromise with students whose tuition fees are in arrears.



The development follows a protest this morning, when several students marched into the exam centre forcing the cancellation of the morning session of the first set of tests today.



The students were demonstrating against a decision of the university to bar those in arrears from sitting their exams.



Minutes after this morning’s protest, the University of the West Indies administration met with the Guild of Students.



However, no agreement has yet been reached.



President elect of the UWI Guild of Students, Daniel Wilson, said about 1600 students have been affected by the university’s decision to block students with balances from sitting exams.



This morning the students began protesting at the entrance to the campus before moving to the exam centre.



After they stormed the exam centre, the police had to be called in.



READ: Protesting students mar UWI exams



Last week, the UWI administration issued an advisory, informing students that they will be required to take to each exam, a copy of their examination card issued by e-mail by the University Registrar.



It further said where the cards indicate that students have not registered for the courses or if they are in arrears of $30,000 or more, they will be barred from sitting the exams.



This means they will automatically get a failing grade for the course.



However, the Guild insists that students should at least be able to do the examinations for the courses that their payments have covered.



It also said where there are still arrears the students should not receive a failing grade on their records since effectively they would not have registered for the course.



The Guild said since the beginning of this Semester, students in arrears have not been allowed to access the online academic portal or the Library; to submit their assignments, or to vote in the Guild elections.



Recently, a group of students protested at the Mona campus of the UWI claiming that they were being unfairly treated because their fees were in arrears.



READ: UWI students protest exam barring



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