Following the recent financial breakdown at Gulu University like we earlier on reported, the management has seen it prudent enough to seek for a helping hand from government. This came in handy after students had put a lot of pressure asking for services that they fully paid for. Students tried their level best on different platforms to call for attention about the current status quo in the University and at least this yielded some fruit.
Gulu University asked for an advance of sh.1b from the Finance Ministry with the cause of clearing the pending arrears by the University staff which laid down their tools protesting non-payment of their extra-load allowances totaling up to sh.700m. This staged a demonstration in December by the students that prompted closure of the University up to date. All activities in the University have been at stand still including the end of semester one examinations that is keeping students at tenterhooks of when they will be done now that the second semester should have already started.
“The Acholi Parliamentary Group as well as the education committee of parliament are helping me lobby for the money to see to it that normalcy returns to the University”, said Prof. Openjuru, the new University Vice chancellor. He made these remarks before the Acholi Parliamentary Group recently when they visited the University to find out why it has been closed for all this long as well as why students have not yet sat their end of semester one examinations. The group was led by Kilak South Member of Parliament Hon. Gilbert Olanya.
In the meeting, Openjuru said that the ministry had goven them some money but it was not enough. “We have already asked the education committee of Parliament to push for the University to get another advance so that we pay teaching and non-teaching staff”, he further said
