Dear Editor,
As a former Guyanese student of the Hugh Wooding Law School (HWLS), I must say that I have been fortunate to benefit from and witness my fellow Guyanese benefit from the generosity and thoughtfulness of members of the administration at Hugh Wooding.
These members of the administration realise the precarious financial difficulties experienced by many Guyanese students who venture to read for the Legal Education Certificate in Trinidad. They empathise with Guyanese and other foreign students who are saddled with the burden of paying the economic costs together with housing, food and transportation costs, among others things.
Over the years, students both from Year 1 and Year 2 have been the beneficiaries of bursaries from the school to assist with living expenses, a large percentage of whom were Guyanese.
Apart from the bursaries, students have also received assistance with rent, food and meals, among other things, all as a result of the generosity of members of the Hugh Wooding administration.
I am personally aware of instances where Guyanese students, past and present, have been granted extensions and concessions with respect to the payment of tuition, as a result of our inability to pay the total sums required before the commencement of the school year, as is required. There have been instances where some of the members of the HWLS faculty and staff have gone above and beyond to ensure that financial difficulties did not deny Guyanese students the opportunity to continue and complete their studies at the institution.
These members of the faculty and staff have even been a source of strength, support and encouragement to Guyanese students in spite of the circumstances and challenges. I truly can say that their care, contribution, support and encouragement made a difference to the lives of those who were personal beneficiaries of same. Words are not enough to express the gratitude of these students toward those members of faculty and staff.
There’s a popular saying that as humans we emphasise the negatives and forget the positives; we seem more inclined to complain and criticise than to praise.
It was therefore disconcerting over the past month to read and hear so many negatives about Guyanese students and their sojourn at the Hugh Wooding Law School.
It was with great discomfort and consternation that I read articles such as Guyanese Hugh Wooding Law students complain of discrimination, and ‘AG promises to address Hugh Wooding woes’ published in the press. It was also disheartening to hear the reports on the various nightly newscasts with regard to the hardships of Guyanese students at the HWLS, where some of the information provided was woefully skewed at best.
The journey at Hugh Wooding is not an easy one; the major hurdle faced by Guyanese students, and those from other territories whose governments are not contributing the economic cost to the Council of Legal Education, is the tuition.
I will be the first to admit that more can and needs to be done to address the financial difficulties of such students. However, the burden and responsibility of so doing lies in the hands of us as Guyanese ‒ our government; our financial institutions, businesses and the legal fraternity.
At present the families of those students bear the brunt of that financial burden with a little assistance here and there. We cannot reasonably expect the HWLS to bear this burden while tending to their operational and maintenance costs.
Every institution has its strengths, challenges, weaknesses and areas for improvement, and the Hugh Wooding Law School (HWLS) is by no means immune from this reality.
The HWLS is one of the three law schools governed under the Council of Legal Education established under an agreement in 1972 (referred to hereinafter as the ‘treaty’).
The revenue of the Council is derived from contributions from the governments of the participating territories, from grants and donations, and from fees payable by persons admitted to the law schools. The fees payable by students are calculated on the basis of the per capita economic cost which is reduced according to the contribution of the respective governments to that economic cost. The economic cost may vary from one budget year to the next, and the Council may from time to time increase the fees.
Each student is required to pay all fees in full at the beginning of the academic year. However, under special circumstances ‒ which circumstances must be proven by documentary evidence ‒ the Registrar may permit fees to be paid in two instalments, namely, at the end of the second week of the first and second terms respectively. Further, the Principal may extend the time for payment of fees in exceptional circumstances. It should however be noted that such contingencies and registration are at the discretion of the Registrar and Principal respectively and fall outside of the general regulations.
If a student is from a territory which at the time of admission is in arrears for a period of twelve months or more in its contributions to the Council, unless the Council permits payment to be deferred for a specific period, that student will have to pay the economic cost.
According to the Barnett Report Guyana was in arrears in its contribution to the Council in the amount of US$252,706 as at 31st July, 1997. Guyana has since ceased to contribute the economic cost to the Council as agreed under the treaty.
Consequently, Guyanese students are required to pay the economic cost along with the normal fees paid by those territories whose governments contribute to the economic cost or are in arrears of less than 12 months or have approval for deferred payments such as Trinidad and Tobago, Grenada and Barbados.
I would also like to highlight the fact that in the event a student of the law school feels that his/her interest is not being adequately addressed, he/she has recourse through the Student Association, namely the Student Representative Council (SRC). He/she may register such concern with the Council in person or through his/her Group Representative or Year Representative. The SRC then interfaces with the administration of the school to make representation on the student’s behalf.
Further, the school allows for students to evaluate the tutors and/or course directors at the end of each term in respect of the course content, manner of delivery, adequacy of materials and content of the manuals, effectiveness of the course and level of preparation for the course. Course directors and tutors are also available to meet with students on appointment, to discuss and clarify areas of uncertainty.
Further, in respect of assessments (assignments) and examinations, students are allowed to meet with the tutors or course directors on appointment, to review same; and are also allowed to apply for an official review of grades awarded.
In light of all that is said above, the question must be asked, where is the evidence of the discrimination alleged by the students? If the school’s administration is following the rules as set out in the regulations set by the Council and applicable to all the law schools in the Caribbean, can they rightly be accused of discrimination?
Yours faithfully,
Telisha Williams
Former Student and member of the
Student Representative Council
Hugh Wooding Law School
