A section of Ndejje University students from the main campus of Luwero has expressed bitterness over the students’ nonresidential policy that makes it mandatory for all the students to reside in university halls.
This came at a time when the office of the dean of students has just released names for a handful of students who have been ‘officially allowed to become nonresidents.’
According to the policy, all first year students at main campus MUST reside in the university hostel and also pay room and board fee of Shs. 800,000 as well as eat university food from the dining hall since no cooking is allowed in the hostels.
This policy has of late dawned mixed reactions as hundreds of students said the university hostels are crowded and students sleep four people in a single room. Some said whereas you have to apply to become a nonresident, it is like passing a bull through the eye of a needle to be given nonresidential status by the university.
“We have a problem at Ndejje, we pay over 800,000 shillings but we are piled four students per room and they only allow a handful of students to become nonresidents,” One student Anderson Byamukama told us.
Another student, Tusiime Agartha says she applied to become nonresident but was not considered because she did not have ‘strong reasons’.
“When we were applying in first year, they tell us in our second year we are free to leave their hostels but it is a different story. I have problem with paying tuition but these people cannot allow me to move out freely since hostels outside campus are cheaper,” the angry Tusiime said.
However, a survey carried out by Campus Bee showed that over 150 students applied to become nonresidents last semester but only a handful of 97 students were allowed to become nonresidents. Campus Bee also learnt that on top of sleeping four in their mandatory hostels, students have no privacy in the rooms and are forced to eat university food.
This has left many students unhappy with a number of others who cannot afford paying full hostel fees of Shs. 800,000 on top of the tuition having no option but to apply for dead years or even drop out of campus.
