Blank exam card

University of Technology (UTech) law student Duke St John-Paul Foote is considering going back to court to challenge the decision of the university to bar him from sitting examinations.

Foote told The Gleaner he was surprised when he turned up for his first exam yesterday and was presented with a blank exam card. According to him, this is an act of victimisation.

On November 19, the law student obtained a Supreme Court order which barred UTech from deregistering him and from preventing him from using the facilities to prepare for his examination. The university argued that he had not paid his 80 per cent of the tuition fee at the specified time.

Foote, who brought the claim in person, produced documents to show that although he had paid the total fees of $245,000 a day before the October 31 deadline for the fees, he was delisted on November 1 as a student in arrears.

The defendants were UTech Registrar Elaine Wallace; the institution's chancellor, Edward Seaga; and acting president, Burchell Whiteman.

Foote later discontinued the legal action on the grounds that UTech complied with the terms of the injunction.

Speaking with The Gleaner yesterday, Foote said subsequent to the court action, he received an email from the university which stated that he was fully registered, in good financial standing, and was cleared to obtain a student identification card and an exam card.

The law student said he was taken aback when he turned up to sit an exam yesterday and was blocked from entering the room.

Foote said the situation has left him uncertain about what will happen for the remainder of the exam period as he still has four other exams to sit.