Makerere University has ruled out removing the 15% tuition fees increment, saying it was agreed on by the students’ leadership.
Passed and effected in 2018, the policy provides for a 15% increment on newly admitted students on the tuition of the previous intake and pay the same amount until completion of their courses. The increment will span over 5 years from the intake of 2018/2019.
The aggrieved students say the policy is unfair and so they are fighting for the poor Ugandan parents who may not be able to educate their students at the University by 2023 when the yearly increment finally stops.
As such, they want the university to revoke the policy henceforth. They say their engagements with the university authorities on the issue have been fruitless.
But according to the acting Vice-Chancellor Umar Kakumba, the university has not in any way increased fees on its students, noting that the purported 15% fee increment is a five-year fee policy that was approved by the university council on the recommendation of the student guild cabinet.
He says in the meeting, students were only concerned about the time for registration which they said was not sufficient and so they asked the management not to slap surcharges on them for the delay.
They were also concerned about rehabilitation of some facilities including halls of residence and toilets as well as concerns on guidelines regarding electing student leaders which they said were forced on them by the University Council and as such. they wanted them revoked.
Kakumba says all those issues were immediately resolved including exempting students from surcharges for delaying to register this semester.
Meanwhile, the university administration is set to meet the students’ leadership for more dialogue.
