When Muni University opened in 2012 in Arua District, there was a lot of excitement in West Nile that the institution would boost higher education in the sub-region.
However, the university academic registrar, Mr James Lam Lagor, said only five of the 72 students admitted to the university on direct government sponsorship are from the sub-region.
Four of the students are from Arua and one from Maracha District. Nebbi, Zombo, Yumbe, Moyo, Koboko and Adjumani districts have not posted a government sponsored student to the university.
During a press briefing last Thursday, Mr Lagor said they will admit 100 students in the 2015/2016 academic year and that 28 slots have been reserved for diploma holders and other special interest groups.
The university vice chancellor, Prof Christine Dranzoa, said: “The region not being well-represented on the government sponsorship scheme does not augur well with governments’ strategic objective of establishing the public university in the region.”
She added: “There is so little we can do as a university fundamentally, but parents must provide the correct environment for learners, they must prioritise the education of their children if we are to transform our society.”
A number of reasons were advanced to justify the establishment of a public university in West Nile and among them was the remote geographical location.
Others are natural barriers created by the River Nile, limited access to economic resources and high poverty indicators among the largely peasant population in the sub-region.
Daily Monitor
