The Parliamentary Committee on Education and Sports, in a meeting at Parliament on 10th May, 2018, that was attended by all vice chancellors of public universities, resolved to abolish the practice by public universities to feed government students in their halls of residence.
The development comes after news had circulated that only Makerere University council had passed a resolution to that effect.
In a notice to the students from Architecture professor, Barnabas Nawangwe, the vice chancellor of Makerere University conceded to the existence of a directive to the Dean of Students to collect bank accounts of all government students so that they can effectively wire their food allowances.
Consequently therefore, starting the next academic year, all public universities shall desist from providing meals to government sponsored students and instead remit the said amount to them to cater for themselves.
In future, the Committee on Education and Sports pledged to lobby government to provide a standard amount that shall be remitted. They also directed the universities to avail service providers to the students in a bid to “not take the service far away from them”.
Makerere University, as a means of cutting the university expenses on food, carried out a survey in halls of residence and it is alleged that over 70% of the students that participated voted to have their money remitted back to them. It was from that background that the university council sat and resolved on the same.
The question that remains however is, shall the money be remitted before the semester starts, midway the semester or after?
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