Speaker Rebecca Kadaga has commended the Uganda Christian University Guild leadership for its initiatives to support financially underprivileged students to progress in their academic ventures at the institution.
“I want to thank you for this noble cause of supporting colleagues who are less privileged to be able to complete their courses. Education in this country has become expensive and your idea will go a long way in helping students,” Kadaga said while meeting the Guild Cabinet of UCU Main and Kampala campuses, at her office on Monday, 27 January 2020.
The team led by UCU Main campus Guild President, Timothy Kadaga, presented to the Speaker a project dubbed the Annual UCU Run that aims at raising funds to among others, provide tuition support to needy students as well as set up security lights around hostels near the university.
“This money aims at raising enough funds to provide half of the tuition fees for five needy students annually, and to establish security lights to illuminate the paths which students take back to their hotels from evening lectures,” Timothy Kadaga said.
He added that the project was initiated owing to the fact that private institutions were taxed heavily, which in turn put the pressure on students through high tuition fees.
The Guild President of UCU Kampala Campus Mark Agaba, told the Speaker that they were organizing a leadership summit to promote growth and sustainability among students.
“The summit will address the construction of a students’ centre, enhance partnerships with over 100 companies in Uganda to provide internship opportunities for students and launch an app by a student that will support women and girls to curb sexual and domestic violence,” Agaba said.
Speaker Kadaga observed that much as the idea by the University Guild to set up security lights near the University hostels was good, the district local government had to take up the work.
“This should be a responsibility of Mukono Local Government, but if you are inclined to take it on then you need to do solar lights which are less expensive to maintain compared to lights powered by electricity,” she said.
She also acknowledged that many private academic institutions were facing high taxes on operations, and committed to engage President Museveni to write to Uganda Revenue Authority to identify institutions for exemption.
