For a while now, many students at Makerere University Business School have relentlessly lamented about not being given internship money to facilitate them during the two months long training. However, little do they know that its their own leaders that they entrusted with the mandate to give them the sole reason as to why they never get a taste of ‘their money’.
For a while now,no one has had the right information to assure the stereotype and norm that has over the time deeply rooted into the students that believe the University management hordes this money from them.
“Whatever affects us now is as a result of the decisions we made in the past,” would be wise for one to point, after the cause of students not receiving internship money dates back to historical decisions made by the guild.
The Acak Pasquin (2013-14 Guild president) government strongly advocated for the Administration to change the manner in which they were handling the issue of Internship money. Through the then Guild Council,the student leaders filed a petition convincing the administration that its unrealistic to “pay for a fee that they will be paid”, which they termed as a financial burden to the parents and guardians.
With strong agitation from the then guild council,the administration succumbed to the requests of the student leaders and changed the procedure of the Internship money.
The students who were meant to pay shs600,000 for a year to facilitate their internship, were now made to pay shs225,000 which is now used to facilitate the Academic supervisors.
The idea behind paying shs600,000 according to the University,was that; when a student starts internship, shs225,000 is used to facilitate his or her academic supervisor while the rest goes back to the student to facilitate them.
While speaking to Campusbee, the Deputy Principle Dr Moses Muhwezi noted that the Guild Council advocated that parents be relieved of the financial constraint by reducing this money which we agreed to.
“This money was for their benefit but they agitated that the criteria be changed which the administration agreed to. That’s why MUBS students are not remunerated during their Internship like their counterparts at Kyambogo University and MAK”,adds Dr Moses.
However the University still holds it that; whenever the students want the decision reversed,through the council, they can appeal and the criteria is taken back to the old system. It now lies in the hands of the current Guild and those to come after to see if its a worthy deal to have the decision reversed.
