MakAt100: Here’s the Tuition Paid by the First Makerere Students in 1922

Makerere University is poised to commemorate a century of existence next year in July and Campus Bee is committed to highlighting on several talking points that have impacted the great hill.

In this week’s episode, we shine a light on the very first fares charged by the institution compared to today’s.

When Makerere opened in January 1922, it was a Technical College with only 14 students and heavily depended on colonial masters’ financial support under Sir Robert Coryndon, the Ugandan Governor at the time.

However, nothing at the time would easily from a colonial master to an African at zero-cost, given the capitalistic background of the Europeans hence a charge on the students enrolling into the college.

According to Makerere University archives shared with this website; “When we opened doors for the first 14 students in January 1922, fees was 60 shillings, a British currency of the time, for day scholars. This is equivalent to about 84 pounds in today’s British currency and about 400,000 Uganda shilling.”

Comparatively, the amount stated above has changed progressively and currently, the average tuition (UGX 2M) paid for most courses at Makerere University is five times more than the initial pay of 1922. The increment is often attached to inevitable structural and institutional developments that come of age, as argued by administrators, who face manageable students’ resentment.

The most recent controversial tuition saga was in July 2018 when Makerere University Students’ Guild Special Committee presented a report; accepting a uniform and moderate 15% tuition increment for new students across all programs effective Academic Year 2018/2019 – resulting into the ”fees must fall” strike by students that disorganized the ivory tower.

In the latest tuition arrangement, there is a uniform and moderate 15% increase in tuition fees across all programmes effective 2018/19 for a span of 5 years. This however means that a student who joined the University at a given fees structure that had a 15% factored in, continues to pay similar fees until he/she completes the Course duration. The increment of 15% only applied to first year students (effective 2018/2019) going forward and not continuing students.