UG working to resolve issue of delayed law programme grades

The Administration of the University of Guyana has noted a letter published on Monday 14th June in sections of the media purportedly written by a first year Law student whose name was not published. The University shares the frustration of its students who have historically been made to endure several long months of waiting while their law scripts are second marked externally. Pursuant to a long-standing agreement between the Council of Legal Education, University of the West Indies, and University of Guyana, examination papers are marked in accordance with the terms of the agreement. Thus, examination papers are first marked by the University of Guyana, then second marked by the University of the West Indies, after they have addressed those of their own students.

This legal requirement with which UG must comply has been a licensing condition set by the Council of Legal Education (CLE) since the inception of UG’s law programme over 20 years ago. It is one of 6 agenda items currently being renegotiated by UG’s administration and both past and present Attorneys General with the CLE. The particular proposal is designed to remove several bottlenecks in the UG system from external administrative delays while still preserving the current high quality of legal instruction being offered by The University of Guyana’s Department of Law. It is a matter of public record that UG trained legal practitioners have continuously graduated at the top of the Hugh

Wooding law school and outperformed other students in other international academic programmes and performance competitions. Notwithstanding, the Vice Chancellor Prof. Paloma Mohamed, DVC Academic’s Dr. Emanuel Cummings, Registrar Dr. Nigel Gravesande and new Head of the Department of Law Kim KyteThomas on Monday, June 14, 2021, met with first-year Law students for a comprehensive brief on the process of the negotiations and steps being taken by the GOG and UG administration to bring permanent relief to the issue of delayed Law programme grades.

Sincerely,

Krest Cummings University of Guyana Public Relations Unit