Mbarara University of science and Technology (MUST) has today morning been stormed by angry students who started a strike to demand for what they called their rights.
The students were from the faculty of Science claiming to have spent over a month without getting their school practice money.
School practice this year started in early February and MUST students were sent to different secondary schools around the country from as near as Mbarara to as far as Gulu.
The striking students initially started with locking up the main entrance of the building of the faculty of science denying access to all the students that had lectures in the building including others from faculties.
The students further denied access to the administrators who have offices within the building.Police later on came in to disperse the angry crowds but they could not listen to them saying that they always side with the university.
The dean of the faculty tried talking to the students but he couldn’t convince them to put tools down as he told them they can only receive their money in the last quota of the financial year that will be availed in April.
“We also can’t force the government to release the funds and the main blame for this is attached to the way we run the semesters this year because we have three semesters in a single year,” The dean explained.
Among the other reasons for the strike included poor state of wash rooms, lack of sockets in their lecture rooms, non-functioning computer labs, no lights among others.
Every student on school practice is entitled to an allowance that ranges between Shs.300,000 – Shs.450,000 according to the distance where the school is located and whether they’re government or private sponsored.
Some of the students are reportedly still stuck in Gulu as they have no transport to bring them back to Mbarara.
By press time the RDC, DPC and some of the students’ representatives had gone in for a meeting to discuss about the issues affecting the students and may be come to a consensus.
More updates coming in.
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