Friday, June 13, 2008
Friday, 13th June, 2008
New Vision (Kampala)
BY JOSHUA MASINDE AND FRANCIS KAGOLO
PRIVATE students at Makerere University have rejected the hike in tuition and accommodation fees.
“Many of us come from poor families and the university should recognise this. If Makerere is a public institution with a vision to serve Ugandans and not making profit, why should it raise fees unnecessarily?” asked the private students’ chairman, Nehemiah Katantazi.
He was speaking at the association’s general assembly at the Mulago School of Medicine on Thursday.
Makerere’s finance committee drew up a new fees structure last month, with a sh400,000 increase on all courses to be split between the two semesters.
It also proposed that private students who reside at the campus pay an extra sh150,000 in addition to the sh640,000 they pay per year.
The proposal, which authorities said was induced by soaring price of food prices and items, has to be passed by the University Council.
Currently, students pay between sh500,000 and sh1m for tuition. In addition, each student pays sh200,000 for registration and sh100,000as examination fees per year.
Abdul Kirembeka, a social sciences student, complained that lecturers spent more time pursuing their private business than teaching at the university.
