Earlier yesterday, popular media houses ran a story saying that students of Makerere University have vowed to strike in protest of the tuition deadline that is by the 12th week of the semester and in particular January 16, 2017.
But in a telephone interview with Campus Bee, the university guild president Roy Ssembogga, who was actually quoted in the stories, says it is a misleading account of the events which should be disregarded with all the contempt it deserves.
“Honestly, we have lost a lot of time. You saw what we have gone through to have the university re-opened. A committee is in place trying to recommend a solution to end strikes at Makerere: why would I call and champion for a baseless strike?” Ssembogga wondered.
He says that he only asked for leniency from the management in regard to payment of dues.
“The vice chancellor seems to say that anyone that hasn’t paid by 16th won’t sit exams. That is very wrong and it isn’t inline with the tuition policy in place,” he added.
In the new fees policy that was drafted after endless strikes over tuition, a student who hasn’t completed tuition by the 12th week is given two ways out. He/she is required to pay a surchage of 5 per cent of his/her remaining balance if he is to pay beyond the required deadline of payment. Alternatively, the student can have special considerations after writing to the vice chancellor so as to enable him/her do exams.
Ssembogga therefore maintains that it is wrong for the vice chancellor to just plainly say the students won’t be able to sit the exams when they have a way out in the tuition policy provisions.
However, the medicine and surgery student said: “We just want students, management, government and everyone to respect the provisions of the tuition policy paper. And for management to be lenient and appreciate that students have incurred so much after the abrupt closure not to mention their maintenance for these two months.”
