University students report for new semester

Aug 22, 2015

PUBLIC universities have started receiving students following the suspension of the industrial action by the non-teaching staff

By Innocent Anguyo

 

PUBLIC universities have started receiving students following the suspension of the industrial action by the non-teaching staff.

 

At Makerere and Kyambogo universities in Kampala, on Saturday, students could be sighted ferrying their luggage to their respective residences, including halls, hostels and rentals.

 

Some students reported on their own while others were accompanied by their parents. The two universities which have been deserted since the non-teaching staff strike started on August 03, on Saturday returned to full operations.

 

The other public universities-Mbarara, Gulu, Muni, MUBS and Busitema which had opened their doors to students a week ago amid the strike equally returned to full operations on Saturday.

 

Ritah Namisango, the spokesperson of Makerere which is Uganda’s most populous public university said: “the First Year students (freshers) are scheduled to report on Saturday 22nd August (yesterday). All continuing students are scheduled to report on Monday 24th August 2015.”

 

Kyambogo spokesman Lawrence Madette also confirmed that the institution opened for the new semester on Saturday.

 

For the 2015/2016 academic year, the number of students jointly admitted by public universities was 42, 000, representing 66.7% of scholars who qualified to join university this year. A total of 64,100 candidates who sat their final A’ level exams last year qualified for university admission.

 

The resumption of full operations of the institutions follows a decision by the non-academic tertiary institutions’ employees under their umbrella body, Public Universities Non-Teaching (PUNTSEF) to suspend their three week industrial action.

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PUNTSEF took the decision on Friday following enabling resolutions to suspend the industrial action reached by the general assemblies of the respective participating universities- Makerere, Kyambogo, Gulu, Busitema, Mbarara, Muni and MUBS. The general assemblies were held on Friday evening.

 

The industrial action which begun on August 03 was in protest of government’s decision to enhance the salaries of the 2,713 academics only in the current financial year.

 

According to Jackson Betihamah, the Chairperson of PUNTSEF, the strike will be in abeyance for a month, a period that will be used for negotiating with government. The non-teaching staff have agreed to report for duty immediately.

 

“PUNTSEF, in the benefit of public interest, students and parents at large, have unanimously resolved to suspend the ongoing strike by our members for the period of one month ending on September 20,” Betihamah said.

 

“We call upon all students in public universities, their parents and other stakeholders to continue with the normal preparation for the new academic year,” Betihama said.

 

Betihamah told New Vision that their decision to suspend the strike followed a meeting on Thursday night between PUNTSEF and the Inspector General of Police, Gen Kale Kayihura. The meeting reportedly discussed the implication of the strike on public order and management.

 

Subsequently, PUNTSEF resolved to suspend the strike in favour of negotiations with government.

 

“Members resolved in the same meeting to pursue negotiations with the government and other stakeholders to find a lasting solution without affecting the normal progress of public universities,” read a statement from PUNTSEF. “In case the negotiations fail to bear fruit, we shall resume the strike.”

 

PUNTSEF also reports that they have been invited for further talks with President Yoweri Museveni next week. PUNTSEF had earlier softened their demands to government over the salary enhancement.

 

A week ago, government agreed to raise the salaries of the 4,000 non-teaching staff in public universities to match that of the academics, whose pay rise took effect this financial year. The monthly salary of a professor, the highest paid academic rose from sh4m to sh6m.

 

Much as the salary rise worth about sh31b for the non-academic staff would take immediate effect, it would accumulate as arrears during the current financial year—payable in two equal installments between 2016 and 2018.

 

Having earlier rejected the government proposition, on Thursday, Betihamah during a press briefing at National Theater in Kampala said the improvement to the offer they sought was the payment of the arrears at once, in the 2016/17 financial year.

 

On Friday, he however made a U-turn, saying they would negotiate for a salary raise of either 50% this financial year or 100% in the next financial year.

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