“How can a full Vice Chancellor say that the matter of increasing tuition is not debatable. Who are the stakeholders of the university,do students or the parents who pay money have no say in the university as some administrators think? If this is a church founded University then why do charge the students so highly yet it was started on the small moneys that theses churches collect from the congregation,” Kakungulu Steve Ardone, a student at UCU main campus cried out.
There is a looming demonstration yet to take place at Uganda Christian University by the students tomorrow Wednesday 20th May 2015, reports reaching our desk indicate.
The university’s information minister, George Komunda in a phone interview this evening confirmed to Campus Bee the existance of a peaceful demonstration, previously rumored strike to happen on Wednesday.
“I can confirm that there will be a peaceful demonstration tomorrow at the main campus, Mukono,” Mr Komunda confirmed.
“Contrary to the purported strike rumours we hear in media, I wish to confirm it is a peaceful demonstration and we have followed all rules of procedure,” he added.
However, the university administration has come forth to decry the guild government’s approach to tackling pressing issues like those addressed in their letter to the Vice Chancellor by the guild president.
“University has done everything possible to ensure the students are comfortable and this is not in good faith of the guild president for the students he is supposed to guide,” Joseph Basoga the university Public Relation Officer revealed to Campus Bee.
He further noted that the guild president, Baliruno Arthur, and his subsequent guild cabinet didn’t follow the rules of procedure as stated by the 2009 policy signed by both the students and university administration.
“The guild president notified the police for permission yet his aware there is a policy his supposed to follow i.e. write to the vice chancellor through the DOSA(Dean of Students) then be indulged in a dialogue to solve a specific problem,” Basoga noted.
After the guild president’s letter to the vice chancellor, Basoga further reveals the guild president was called for a dialogue albeit he didn’t attend after the notice.
All efforts to get contact of the institution’s guild president were futile although his government through Komunda asserts that government aims for diplomacy and shouldn’t be associated to Makerere University or Kyambogo.
Asked if the university and the students will reach a consensus before the strike, Komunda exasperated that the university wouldn’t wish to hear either a peaceful demonstration or a strike around the university since through that, their weaknesses will be exposed.
The students main justifications for the strike are; unjustified increment of tuition, excessive penalties on tuition, dark and dangerous roads, dusty roads on campus, terrible unfair timetables, high taxes on private universities and delayed reopening of the small gates.
