Makerere University has suspended the enforcement of the contentious 2016 fees policy following negotiations between management and the students’ guild president Lubega Vincent Nsamba.
In his letter dated Tuesday, October 22, 2024, addressed to the guild president, the Ag deputy VC (Academic Affairs) Prof. Buyinza Mukadasi said the 2016 fees policy has been suspended for current semester one academic year 2024/25.
“University management is aware of the current hardships that students and their parents/guardians are experiencing, particularly post the Covid-19 pandemic. In consideration of this and other factors, management agreed to defer enforcement of the fees policy 2016 for the current semester one 2024/2025,” Prof. Mukadasi said.
However, Prof. Mukadasi says ,no student shall be allowed to sit examinations before clearing all tuition fees to zero balance’.
Last week, Nsamba wrote to the chairperson Makerere University council asking to have the enforcement of the 2016 fees policy suspended until there is ‘sufficient awareness about the policy and room for reviewing certain clauses in the policy to befit existing circumstances’.
He (Nsamba) argued that the policy is outdated because it was approved by the University Council in 2016 post covid 19 yet families are still struggling from the Covid-induced economic depression.
Contrary to the guild president, Prof. Mukadasi says it is not true that students are not aware of the existence of the fees policy because it has been routinely communicated to them.
The enforcement of the 2016 fees policy with resume next semester, according to the Ag DVC academic affairs.
