By Jomo Paul
[www.inewsguyana.com] – Guyana is seeking to align itself with other Caribbean countries to protest the imposition of an “arbitrary” increase of tuition fees by the Hugh Wooding Law School (HWLS).
The Hugh Wooding Law School recently gave notice to law students that they would have to pay an increase in tuition for the 2015/2016 academic year. Though the increase is across the board, some students from countries that contribute to the school’s operations will pay less.
Also, the governments of some countries provide a scholarship programme for students so they will only pay a fraction of the costs to complete their law degrees.
“A common approach is being sought to Hugh Wooding Law School and the Board of the Council of Legal Education, asking that the increase be put on hold until a careful examination be done and students entering can be given due notice of it,” Harmon stated at a post cabinet press briefing on Wednesday, August 12.
He stated that already the Prime Minister of Dominica Roosevelt Skerrit has been consulted on about the issue and Guyana plans to lobby other Caribbean countries to garner their support against the increase of tuition.
The University of Guyana Law Students Society (UGLSS) had stated that it is considering lobbying the HWLS for Guyanese students that are not able to pay the increased tuition to be granted a payment plan.
President of the UGLSS, Chevy Devonish had told iNews that it is well within the rights of HWLS to increase tuition fees but consideration has to be made for those students who will not be able to pay the increase.
He pointed out that for the most part, students would have been accumulating funds to pay for the last fee hence the increase of $1.6M will put an additional strain on them.
