By Isiret Tukei
The academic year 2020/2021 is going to be a huge blow for Kampala International University (KIU) and all the international universities in Uganda who largely depend on international students as a source of reliable revenue streams. I shall concentrate on KIU as she is the biggest importer of international students in Uganda.
The Covid19 pandemic has brought a stampede in everyone’s economy and I am afraid no one is going to survive this one.
Before COVID, the number of international students from the institute was already dropping due to various reasons.
With the President allowing resumption of lectures for final year students, what happens to the International students that had flown back to their countries- keeping in mind that borders and flights are still not open?
International students contribute a huge percentage to KIU’s dollar base and quite frankly, these students pay full tuition for the whole academic year.
Any significant drop in international enrollment will have painful consequences for the institution. This financial gap is only going to be projected to the local students.
KIU students need to brace themselves. The worst is yet to come. Late payment deadlines could be reduced to a week after the commencement of the semester or the surcharge itself will have to be adjusted.
