EAC: varsities given ultimatum to fix equal fees

Nov 18, 2014

Uganda’s six public universities and two degree awarding public institutions have until the end of this month to develop a plan showing how and when they intend harmonize the fees structure for students from the East African Community.

By Innocent Anguyo

Uganda’s six public universities and two degree awarding public institutions have until the end of this month to develop a plan showing how and when they intend harmonize the fees structure for students from the East African Community.


The public academic institutions include; Makerere, Kyambogo, Gulu, Muni, Busitema, Mbarara, Uganda Management Institute (UMI) and Makerere University Business School (MUBS).

 Apart from Makerere, the other seven public academic institutions are yet to start charging equal fees for students from the region.

The seven treat students from the other East African countries of Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda and Burundi as “foreigners”, charging them fees twice as much as that for locals.

The eight public institutions admitted slightly over 40,000 students, including those from the other East African states for the 2014/2015 academic year.

The decision to harmonize fees structures for all students hailing from the region was made in a recent Head of State summit held in Kigali that brought together presidents of the East African countries.

Speaking to the New Vision at Speke Resort Munyonyo on Monday, education minister, Jessica Alupo, however, ordered the seven institutions to develop a road map to implement the Heads of State directive and submit it to her before she goes for the next meeting of the economic block slated for next month.

“When I go for the next Heads of State meeting, I want to be prepared on Uganda’s progress as regards the implementation of the directive (implementation of uniform fees structure). I want you to submit to me the road map as soon as possible,” Alupo told the representatives of the universities.

She was speaking at the technical launch of the Higher Education Science and Technology (HEST) project; an imitative meant to improve the capacity of public higher education institutions in Uganda using $115m.

Alupo said the implementation of the directive of the Heads of State summit was long overdue in Uganda.

 “Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania and Burundi were already charging same fees for all students from the region. Uganda wants to do the same in the spirit of comradeship. East Africans are the same people and there is no reason why they should pay different fees,” said Alupo.

Representative of the universities said they would comply with the minister’s directive.

Makerere University Vice Chancellor Prof John Ddumba Ssentamu however said the implementation of the directive had led to a revenue loss of about sh1b at the institution.

To cover the gaping revenue fissure created by the move, Ddumba said Makerere was considering asking government to increase funding to the institution since the extra fees charged for foreigners had already been captured as income.

Alupo recently said government was revising financing to public universities; a move she noted would help in closing the resource gap created by harmonization of fees structures because universities have been earning a lot by charging higher fees for students from other East African states.





 

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