These nine pledges have been made by Janet Museveni in the next financial year

As the Minister of Education Hon Janet Kataha Museveni defended the Sector Budget for FY 17/18, she caught our attention when she made the following salivating resolutions.

As staffing levels in public Universities stand below 50%, the ministry intends to increase funding and have the levels increased above 50%. This is because the staff ratios determine the quality of Student output.

The roadmap to having MUBS recognized as an independent institution has been drawn. A visitation committee from National Council of Higher Education will be appointed to justify and advise the ministry on whether or not MUBS qualifies to be a stand alone University.

The Mbarara University of Science and Technology Kihumuro campus that only has 27 students who are transported from the other campus daily is to be completed soon. After completion, residential facilities will also be put up to accommodate students and save the University the congestion and transportation burden. This project was funded by the World Bank to accommodate all engineering courses.

A loan is to be secured to rehabilitate halls of residence in public Universities especially MAK’s Lumumba hall. A section of the hall (Block C) was closed years ago after the dilapidated conditions hit the bliss point.

The MAK wall fence is to be taken into account to and blueprints laid to have it built as pledged by the president.

The Higher Education Students’ Loaning scheme that lacks funding is to be revised. Apparently, shs2 billion is available from the last cohort that graduated. The ministry will look into the Employability loophole where 12 months are given to students before they start paying back the loans.

Infrastructure in public Universities that include lecture rooms, halls of residence, furniture are to be given a facelift.

The ministry is to try and increase the money allocated to research. Most of the research in public Universities is funded by donors and foreign aid because if insufficient budgets.

The presidential pledges made to different public Universities are to be put into consideration most especially shs47 billion promised to Kabale University.

While addressing the parliamentary committee on education, the Minister of education stressed that the reason as to why the sector fails to meet its goals rotates around the unbalanced and insufficiently funded budget.