UB takes action to fix registration crisis after single-mother’s plea sparks student outrage but registration schedule will remain unchanged

By Breaking Belize News Staff: The University of Belize has agreed to immediately expand selected online classes, create additional course sections and guarantee placement for qualifying final-year students following a meeting with the Belmopan Student Government over widespread complaints about the institution’s registration process.

The meeting was held on Monday, August 3, after students reported being locked out of required classes, finding courses already filled when their registration period opened, and facing the possibility of delayed graduation. A statement dated August 3 was circulated to students on the morning of Tuesday, August 4, outlining several measures agreed upon by the UB administration and Student Government.

Under the new measures, enrollment limits for selected online courses are being increased from 35 to 50 students. UB has also agreed to create additional sections for courses experiencing high demand and extend the add/drop period to August 18. Final-year students who require a specific course this semester or next semester to complete their programme are also being guaranteed admission, provided there are no financial or administrative blocks on their accounts. Those students are being advised to email their respective dean and department chair, while copying Concerns@ub.edu.bz, to request assistance.

Students who are not in their final year but remain unable to access required classes should continue checking the online registration portal and contact their academic adviser, lecturer or department chair.

UB President Dr. Vincent Palacio told Breaking Belize News that the changes are being implemented immediately. “Some of them are already opened and the others will be by the end of today,” Palacio said when asked when students would begin seeing the expanded classes and new sections. He explained that the increased class capacity would be reflected directly in the registration portal, but advised students experiencing difficulties to contact their advisers or faculty chairs. Palacio said UB is attempting to ensure that students can access the courses they need for the upcoming semester. “We will also add additional sections of classes that are required for students to complete their academic requirements with the university,” he said.

Belmopan Student Government President Ethan Dueck said the measures could make hundreds of additional spaces available to students. “Some classes will go from 35 students to 50 students, and they will add more courses for some departments,” Dueck said. He described the guarantee for final-year students as one of the most important outcomes of the meeting. “All students in their last year who need one class in order to continue their studies and graduate will be able to reach out to UB, and they will be placed into their class,” Dueck said.

However, UB will not change the staggered registration schedule that helped trigger the controversy.

Under the existing arrangement, students enrolled in fully online programmes are allowed to register first. Face-to-face bachelor’s students register a day later, while students in face-to-face associate-degree programmes register on the last day.

Palacio defended the policy, saying students enrolled in online programmes must receive priority because they depend entirely on virtual classes. He added that bachelor’s programmes often include working adults who also require online options, while many associate-degree students attend classes full-time and face-to-face.

Dueck acknowledged that the staggered schedule places students registering later at a disadvantage. He revealed that he was also unable to access two of his own classes and said one class had filled within approximately 10 to 15 minutes of registration opening. “I am a victim of this myself,” Dueck said. “I am left out of two classes that now I will no longer be able to register for.” He added that giving one category of students unrestricted access before others “greatly hampers all those that come after,” although he described the expansion of online course capacity as a significant step.

The action taken by UB follows the public plea of a single mother whose complaint, posted by Breaking Belize News, first brought the present registration crisis to national attention. The woman, who works full-time while raising two children, explained that she was nearing the end of her associate degree in Tourism Studies but was unable to register for several courses needed to complete the programme. Because her programme is formally designated as face-to-face, her registration period opened after students in fully online and bachelor’s programmes had already been allowed to select courses that overlapped with her degree requirements. By the time she was permitted to register, many of the online classes she depended upon because of her job and family responsibilities were already full.

Her appeal called on UB, the Ministry of Education and the Government of Belize to review the registration schedule and provide fairer access to online courses for working students and parents who cannot regularly attend classes on campus. That complaint was the catalyst that brought the issue into the public spotlight and set in motion the scrutiny, student mobilization and discussions that ultimately led to Monday’s meeting and the measures now being implemented.

The BBN report generated hundreds of reactions and was shared approximately 100 times, with students and parents describing similar experiences across numerous programmes. Several students said they remained awake until midnight to register, only to encounter a slow portal or find that required courses were already full within minutes. Others said they had been unable to contact advisers, received responses too late, or were told to seek special permission from lecturers and department chairs with no guarantee that they would be admitted. Parents reported that their children were being forced to delay graduation, travel to campuses in other districts or accept class times that conflicted with employment and family obligations. Some students said required courses were not offered during the semester in which they needed them, while part-time students complained that full-time students were allowed to register first, leaving them with daytime classes that clashed with their work schedules.

The Belmopan Student Government subsequently circulated a registration survey, saying students were experiencing blocked accounts, unsuitable class times, unavailable courses, delayed graduation and other recurring problems. The Student Government described the situation as a “registration crisis” and said it intended to gather evidence to take students’ grievances beyond the administration if necessary.

Following the August 3 meeting, it said it would continue monitoring the implementation of the measures and holding the UB administration accountable. Students who continue to encounter registration problems are also being encouraged to report their cases directly to Student Government representatives.

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