Course registration began last week Wednesday as the academic year officially opened on September 1st. Lectures have been ongoing since Monday this week.
However, these students on government scholarship, from freshers to final year students, relay that they remain uncleared for course registration on their student portals.
The UTG being a state/public university, one would expect that students under government scholarship will be the first priorities. But the paradox, as one struggles to put it, is that they "are always the last".
The Point covered the university students' protest on 9 December 2024, led by former president Nyaninka Manjang and late vice president Yunusa Mbye of the students' union. This issue featured as one of their demands, following previous discussions that largely yielded no results.
Manjang demanded: "We call for the prompt clearance of government-sponsored students who have been unable to register, collect their attestations or obtain their certificates due to administrative delays. Many students and alumni have been affected, and we demand that their clearance be processed to avoid any unnecessary disruptions in their academic progress.”
However, students say the status quo remains till today. Adama Njie, a final year student laments how they face this ordeal every semester.
"Why always us?" Adama asks. "Every time, we approach the accounts office. Today, I was there at Kanifing to submit my award letter, but the accounts officer told me they are not clearing MoHERST scholarship beneficiaries. At this point, I thought of the freshers and not myself, because for me, I can attend classes up to the last days of the deadline without registering and my courses will not be full due to my level. I am registering only 300 level [third year] and 400 level [fourth year] courses, which are usually not full to capacity.
"But for freshers, they are always at risk when the accounts office fails to clear them on time. Because of these frustrations, some will even go and pay for themselves just to register their desired courses on time. The university management and MoHERST should resolve this common problem permanently to avoid unnecessary delays of students learning and frustrations."
Muhammed, another student, highlights that the delay in clearing government scholarship beneficiaries is not a new phenomenon but "a recurring problem that puts students under unnecessary stress every academic year".
"Many of us depend entirely on the scholarship because we cannot afford to pay fees upfront,” he explains. “So, when clearance is delayed, we end up missing classes, risking late registration fines and living in uncertainty until the last minute. It is really disappointing that students who are supposed to be supported by government end up being the last to be cleared at a public university like UTG. This issue needs permanent attention, not just yearly interventions."
For one Amadou, a fresher and a new beneficiary of the scholarship, it is depressing. He relays that he handed over his award letter since last month. Lectures have resumed, but he still helplessly waits, even as courses get full at a public university where capacity remains a major issue due to limited lecturers and courses per semester.
"This is really disturbing to many people, especially the 100 level students, because many classes are full already," he laments.
He disclosed that he went to the accounts office on Monday. They were asked to leave and told they will be cleared. They still remain uncleared, he said.
Amadou urges the need to improve the system to "make things easier for everyone".
Meanwhile, the broader issue is the inability to pinpoint where the problem lies, whether it's at MoHERST (the government) or at the UTG administration. They want this perennial problem to be permanently addressed.
