Some members of the 82nd Guild Representative Council (GRC) of Makerere University have vowed to boycott a fees Policy consultative meeting by the University Administration over what they term as double standards by the latter.
The seemingly bitter Student leaders intimated that how prior to the revocation of the 60% Fees Policy, they had demanded to meet the Vice Chancellor and avoid a possible strike but the Professor instead questioned their ‘legality’ as Student Leaders since they had not been sworn in.
Months have gone by now and they still haven’t been sworn in, but the University wants them to represent Students’ views in consultation for a Fees Policy that may see continuing students paying 30% fees in the 2nd week and a 100,000 UGX surcharge for every week that goes by without paying after the 2nd week.
“We were not elected to be used. We were elected to represent our Constituents and the University has adamantly failed to recognize us in the past months. Why now?
Double standards will not work with us”, one GRC intimated to our source.
They demand to first be sworn before they are consulted as GRCs.
The Makerere Students Guild has been in limbo due to absence of the Guild President and it has been expressly substituted by a Caretaker Government that consists of the Dean of Students and the Speaker of the 81st Guild among others as provided for by Art. 50 of the Students’ Guild Constitution (as amended).
If the boycott grows, the University will consult Makerere University Students in their ordinarity and not necessary as the University Guild.
This however, leaves grounds for a possible rejection of the policy once the Guild is properly constituted in case the policy is unpopular with students.
And amidst all this drama, some GRCs are calling for the meeting. They appreciate that the University cannot run without a Fees Policy and therefore have to be there as “concerned students.”
“The meeting will give us a stand as concerned students before the talks next Thursday. Those people are pursuing their interests but not the students concerns which is why we have to be there”, Musherura Daniel the Nkrumah Hall GRC stressed.
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