The university council on the 6th day of October sat in its 136th sitting in the council room at the main building to discuss the issues raised and brought to their notice as being grievances by students.
The student leadership led by guild president Bala David Bwiruka engaged in a lengthy discourse that culminated in a resolution reached by the university council, the highest administrative body of the university; to extend the fees deadline by 25 days. On Monday morning, Uganda police engaged in a cat and mouse chase game with striking students who branded the Muk fees policy as ‘not only draconian, but also wholly unfair.’
The protested policy stipulates that, students must have cleared 100% of the tuition and functional fees within the first six weeks of each academic semester. Bala David, addressing the assembled students decried the financial unfairness of the policy and promised to find a final solution. ‘I want us to find a final solution not a lasting solution to these woes, I want us to turn our university into a university we will be proud of.’ From an official dossier received by Campusbee, the university council categorically states that, the 100% fees by week 6 fees policy stands. The status quo therefore remains unscathed.
The letter reads,’ owing to technical inadequacies in the Automated Fees system,’a 1 month extension be accorded to the students to clear their balance to zero. The extension of the deadline runs from 5th October to 30th October, 25 days to be exact. No mention is made of the Monday strike. It is to be noted that last year, a 10% fees increase was vehemently resisted by the students. Students talked to by this reporter expressed reluctance to agree to the resolution passed. ‘
The university council is simply buying time, in bid to blindfold us. Extending the deadline is of no consequence. The unfairness of the policy is what should be appreciated. ‘ in the words of Mutagwa Wycliffe : a 3rd year journalism student. On whether he’d join the strike band, he expressed his willingness to fight an unfair cause to the grave. When asked to clarify grave, he retorted. ‘If it means my grave so be it,’ but added ‘ fighting the policy to its death.’ On social media platforms some students welcomed the idea of extending the the deadline as ‘ most timely and necessary, with the turbulent financial times.’ Others were not pleases by the standing policy but agreed that the extension was relieving enough.
‘Some parents have up to three students in university, raising such gross sums in lump sum over a period of a month and two weeks is akin to asking my parents to indulge in fraud.’ cried, Kobusinge Judith, a first year, student. If the letter signed by the council chairperson Eng. Dr. Charles Wana-Etyen is to go by, then the university ought to brace itself for near future strikes.
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