Vincentian students attending the University of the West Indies (UWI) Open Campus and other regional campuses are voicing their frustrations over being locked out of their online platforms due to nonpayment issues linked to the Service Commission Department.
One affected student told ANN, “I’ve been locked out, and even my child has been affected. I’ve tried contacting the person responsible, but no one answers. I’ve also sent several emails with no response from the department.”
This student’s experience is not unique. ANN reached out to multiple students, and approximately 85% confirmed that they had been locked out at some point due to nonpayment.
When contacted for a response, a representative from the Service Commission acknowledged the situation, stating, “We are aware that students are being locked out. However, the Open Campus typically doesn’t lock out students because they expect to receive payments eventually. What they do lock out for are compulsory payments required from the students.”
The representative further explained that stricter policies at other UWI campuses are due to delays in payments from the Treasury. “Other campuses in different countries would have locked out students because some payments have been held up at the Treasury, and there is nothing we can do if payments are delayed there,” the official stated.
The department also cited a lack of resources as a contributing factor to the ongoing issue.
When locked out of the platform,all access to course work ,assignments are not accessible to students.
The situation has left many students feeling helpless and concerned about the impact on their education. ANN will continue to follow and provide updates on this developing story.