The current Deputy Vice Chancellor of Finance and Administration and Vice Chancellor elect, Prof. Barnabas Nawangwe told Makerere University student leaders in a meeting held in the university main building on Monday 28th August, 2017 that the new internship policy can be reviewed by the institution’s governing body (The University Council) if the students’ guild goes ahead to refer it to them.
Before the start of this academic year 2017-2018, the university scrapped off internship fees citing among others complications in remitting it back to the students. The university sought to phase it out starting with the new intake of the current academic year (2017-2018).
The policy was such that students would pay shs.100,000 in form of functional fees every semester, but which money would be held in trust by the university and remitted back as the students head out for internship.
Overtime, complications arose from delays to remit the money to an extent of some students receiving the money at the end of internship yet the money’s purpose is to facilitate internship. The policy, therefore, is to affect students joining the university starting this academic year. However, students sought it unfair and presented it before the vice chancellor elect.
In the same meeting, the DVC promised to begin issuance of identity cards to new students and students without IDs within two weeks as soon as procurement of materials is done.
As regards to the university online system of marks which was closed down after the marks’ change scam where some hackers could change marks of students upon payment, Prof. Nawangwe said it would only get functional again after data protection and security has been fully intensified but ordered colleges to release the marks on noticeboards latest Wednesday 30th August, 2017 so that students can be able to avail them to their sponsors.
Similarly, online registration will be effective and running by 30th August, 2017.