A parent who foots the full cost of her child’s tuition at The University of the West Indies (UWI), Mona, told the Jamaica Observer that her hopes of fee reductions for online instructions have been dashed as up to this point, fees remain as high as ever they were.

Further, the UWI, which posted higher fee assessments for the new year late – she asserted – has also charged late fees and added to their charges, miscellaneous fees which the parent states are not justified, as they are linked to presence on hall. Her child has been learning remotely since March 2020.

The UWI Registrar Donovan Stanberry is, meanwhile, denying the late posting of fees and further notes that late fees are avoidable.

The parent’s grouses were shared by others who spoke to the Business Observer, stating that the university should offer a discount for online education which they said they believe is less resource intensive than face-to-face tuition.

Further, students complain of poor customer service at the school, stating that it’s “almost impossible” to get information on a timely basis.

The parent, who does not wish to be named, said further that the school has responded to her protests with indifference. She urged, “The student affected has not seen a classroom from 2020 and yet you charged the full tuition PLUS miscellaneous fees.

“I find it quite atrocious, cold and uncaring and it’s all about money for you!!!” she stated in an e-mailed conversation shared with the Business Observer.

USD fee charges

The mother is shattered about the charging of fees in USD.

She told school officials in her note, “During the pandemic you are saving so much money with the students not physically present at school. Plus, with an already very high school fee in USD and the USD getting out of control, I can’t believe you people did not even consider offering a discount. Yet, you are adding more to the tuition instead of offering a discount?”

The fees in question equate to over one million JMD for her child’s programme for the year.

The mother quarreled, “Imagine we have been checking your delayed system for several weeks and no updates on the balance owing for Semester II so the tuition could be paid. When did you finally update your system?!!”

UWI strike

The mother charged, “Try and remember that you were very much on strike for the first few weeks of the year and even though we owed nothing on the first semester, we still could not access the grades which we already paid for in full! Where is the penalty for your delay?”

The woman was also furious about late fees charged which were one per cent of the tuition fee. She stated, “I’ve had the funds sitting on waiting for the final balance as I do not like to owe so I wanted to ensure I paid everything in full! So if anyone is to be charged a penalty it would be you and your tardiness.”

In response to the charges, Donovan Stanberry, the registrar at the UWI, Mona Campus, told the Business Observer that there can be no discounting as online classes are more expensive and require a more “robust IT infrastructure” than the old style classroom.

“Obviously, we are investing more in this area, ” he said.

Asked about the investment in IT upgrades and other support systems for the online offerings, he said that the information was not immediately available.

However, Stanberry said, “We have to retrain and train a number of our Faculty who were used to delivering face to face. It takes a different pedagogical technique to teach online.”

Further, he stated that online tutoring demands far more time than face-to-face classes. “There are also Zoom licences and other licensing we have to pay for,” the Registrar said. “It’s more expensive in terms of money and more time intensive.”

Responding to charges that new fees were posted late and that those affected were caught unawares, and hence affected by late fees, the registrar flatly denied that this could be possible.

“New fees are posted at the same time that students go to register. I don’t know about that.”

He added, “What I know is that many students have financial difficulties and have not taken advantage of payment plans. It’s only when time has expired that they realise they are in trouble.”

He insisted, “We sent out notices (about the payment plan) but they didn’t read them.” As to late fees, he said that there is no possibility that these can be waived, as “Late fees are there for a purpose. No student needs to incur if they register on time. It is not intended to make money. It is intended to promote on-time registration.”

Miscellaneous fees

Turning to the issue of miscellaneous fees, the registrar said that this charge usually ranges between $17,000 and $19,000 for the semester and includes more than hall charges.

“They have a number of elements. Some of the components relate to hall fees and activities on the hall. We have waived those components of miscellaneous fees. But, others are relevant.

“It is through the miscellaneous fee that students pay for health insurance. Every student registered at Mona gets a health card from Sagicor that they can use to access medical services all over the country. I know miscellaneous charges are reduced for sure.”

The mother who reported to the Business Observer remains furious. Noting that her daughter has been out of the classroom from 2020, she said, “ you charged the full tuition plus miscellaneous fees. Didn’t you guys save a huge amount on electricity bills (no light, A/C or fan being used by the students), no labs were opened; no software provided for the students, NWC bill drastically reduced – no toilets being flushed, no water to clean bathrooms being used, no washing of hands, and no cleaning items needed to clean classrooms and bathrooms?”

She demanded, “Please explain where did all these savings go when the students were not availing of any of the above and no discounts offered?”

The mother said that her child has been purchasing software as there is no access to the labs as before. She added that the child was also self-tutoring on 3D animation “as apparently your lecturer needs some upgrading and learning is not properly imparted.”

As to the late fee, she asked, “Please remove this penalty and refund me the miscellaneous fees that I had to pay for 2020.”

She counseled, “I’ve never owed you before and do not plan to owe you at all. You did not even check the record but you are very quick to add more to this already high school fee? How is this going to help the student?! Quite unconscionable!”

UWI response

The response shared with the Business Observer from the customer service arm, the Student Administrative Services (SAS) offered an apology for the delay in response and said it was due to the high volume of e-mails.

Unlike Stanberry, SAS admitted to the late posting of fees, but said the late charge could not be removed. It was stated, “While we understand your frustration we would not be able to remove the late fines charged. As per the University’s policy, a one per cent late fine charge will be calculated on any outstanding balance and charged to the account at the end of each month until the balance is cleared.

“We apologize for the late update to your child’s tuition charge for the semester. On the issue of the miscellaneous fee, we would not be able to refund the fees as the miscellaneous fee is compulsory. The miscellaneous fee contains but is not limited to Guild Fee, Hall Services/ Hall Attachment Fee, contributory Health Fee, etc. Kindly note that your ticket will be marked as close as your query has been resolved.”

Stanberry, the university registrar noted that since September 2021, 30 per cent of classes at the UWI have been face-to-face as they require hands-on and physical engagement such as laboratory classes for people in the faculty of science and technology, engineering, as well as students doing clinicals in medicine and students in Carimac.

“There is no way to engage in learning without hands-on experience in these fields,” he outlined.

However, the remaining 70 per cent of coursework and programmes have been online. The registrar said that the intention is to “gradually go back to face-to-face. We take our cue from the Government, which has been insisting on the return of 100 per cent face-to-face for primary and high schools.

“Depending on the prevailing conditions, we may go back to face fully in September,” he said.