A total of 35 students who applied for evening classes (August intake) at the Makerere Law School are currently counting losses following the university’s decision to scrap evening classes.
Some of the students who applied for the evening programme had already paid UGX 240,000 for pre-entry exams and application fees. They are likely to lose the money for good if they do not undertake the day programme.
A total of 200 students who applied for evening classes were told to reschedule to the day programme, and 165 succeeded. The disgruntled 35 argue that the day programme disrupts their work schedule and they can’t risk losing their jobs.
The students were further told to either take the day programme or wait for the new executive programme, which will start running in January 2020.
It should be recalled that the Makerere University Vice-Chancellor Prof Barnabas Nawangwe last year revealed that the university was planning to scrap off evening courses due to financial challenges faced by the university and lecturers cannot afford to teach throughout the day and later in the evening.
“During its meeting held 14th March 2018, the University council resolved that all new students (freshers) starting with the coming academic year 2018/2019, will be admitted to study various academic programs at Makerere University on either the day programme from 8:00am to 5:00pm or on the afternoon programme from 2:00pm to 6:00pm. Colleges are however allowed to run evening programmes after filling the minimum enrollment on day and afternoon programmes,” Nwangwe told journalists last year.
“I don’t want to call it scrapping per se but the students have been informed to choose from the available choices. We shall have a new programme we have called ‘Executive’ which will be run in a module form starting January next year. The students will graduate at the same time with those starting,” Dr Muhammad Kiggundu Musoke, the university’s head of communication and international relations said last evening.
One of the affected students who preferred to remain anonymous revealed that they were informed late, thus leaving him with limited options.
“They advertised this programme and we have reasons why we applied for it. We have nothing to do now that the semester is opening next week,” the disgruntled student said.
