University fees to go up
May 02, 2004
MAKERERE University Business School (MUBS) and Christian University Mukono are simply a growing addition to other universities in the United Kingdom and South Africa that have hiked tuition fees.
By John Eremu
MAKERERE University Business School (MUBS) and Christian University Mukono are simply a growing addition to other universities in the United Kingdom and South Africa that have hiked tuition fees.
The global trend is that universities are turning more to private sources of income following dwindling funding from the state.
The pronouncement by MUBS and Mukono was a bold step and it is a matter of time before other universities in Uganda follow suit.
Like at Mukono, students at Wits University in South Africa greeted the fees increment with protests.
The university had allocated 80m Rand for scholarships this year but the government provided only 36m Rand.
In the UK, an unpopular bill proposing to raise tuition sailed through the House of Commons early this year and is due for debate by the House of Lords.
It proposes varied fees structures, where UK universities could effective 2006, charge up to £3,000 (sh10.5m) a year from the current uniform £1,125 (sh3.9m).
The chief executives of the universities are in support of the bill saying the money from the public coffers could no longer support the kind of education needed today.
“We need increased income to sustain the quality of that education,†Prof. Eric Thomas, the Vice Chancellor of Bristol University told the BBC.
Andrew Oswald from Warwick University said even the £3,000 figure was low and it should be brought closer to £7,000 (sh24.5m), the average fees charged foreign students.
University education in Africa is grossly under-funded and universities in Uganda must either raise money or go out of business.
A recent study by the World Bank found out that the share of government budget devoted to higher education in Uganda had declined from 24% in 1990s to 9% today.
This means universities will have to heavily rely on private sources of funding, which already constitutes substantial proportion of their budgets. At Makerere, contribution from private students has grown from sh500m in 1994 to sh18bn today.
Sources said the recent intervention into the Makerere woes by President Yoweri Museveni saved the 82-year old institution from the brink of raising fees. The sources said the idea has simply been temporarily shelved awaiting Museveni’s promised ‘comfortable package’ in the next budget.
The Vice Chancellor, Prof. Epelu Opio,(left) was non-committal on the issue. He, however, said Makerere was mindful of the poor and any increment will be properly planned and communicated in advance.
“However, with government coming in to improve the salaries (of university staff), I don’t see Makerere increasing tuition fees in the near future,†he said.
MUBS Acting principal, Julius Kakuru, said the recent increment in their tuition was on the realisation that they could no longer provide quality education at the current rates.
University education in Uganda is still cheap by any standards. At MUBS, the most expensive course, Hotel Management and Catering, goes for sh1.7m a year while a similar course on average costs US $19,000 (sh36m) in the US, according to Internet figures.
International Business, which costs sh825,000 at MUBS costs as much as US $14,000 (sh26.8m) in universities in the West.
While we are in two worlds apart, Prof. Frederick Kayanja of National Council for Higher Education says we are in a global village and should produce students who can compete internationally.
This means heavy investment in facilities and money has to come from students.
MAKERERE University Business School (MUBS) and Christian University Mukono are simply a growing addition to other universities in the United Kingdom and South Africa that have hiked tuition fees.
The global trend is that universities are turning more to private sources of income following dwindling funding from the state.
The pronouncement by MUBS and Mukono was a bold step and it is a matter of time before other universities in Uganda follow suit.
Like at Mukono, students at Wits University in South Africa greeted the fees increment with protests.
The university had allocated 80m Rand for scholarships this year but the government provided only 36m Rand.
In the UK, an unpopular bill proposing to raise tuition sailed through the House of Commons early this year and is due for debate by the House of Lords.
It proposes varied fees structures, where UK universities could effective 2006, charge up to £3,000 (sh10.5m) a year from the current uniform £1,125 (sh3.9m).
The chief executives of the universities are in support of the bill saying the money from the public coffers could no longer support the kind of education needed today.
“We need increased income to sustain the quality of that education,†Prof. Eric Thomas, the Vice Chancellor of Bristol University told the BBC.
Andrew Oswald from Warwick University said even the £3,000 figure was low and it should be brought closer to £7,000 (sh24.5m), the average fees charged foreign students.
University education in Africa is grossly under-funded and universities in Uganda must either raise money or go out of business.
A recent study by the World Bank found out that the share of government budget devoted to higher education in Uganda had declined from 24% in 1990s to 9% today.
This means universities will have to heavily rely on private sources of funding, which already constitutes substantial proportion of their budgets. At Makerere, contribution from private students has grown from sh500m in 1994 to sh18bn today.
Sources said the recent intervention into the Makerere woes by President Yoweri Museveni saved the 82-year old institution from the brink of raising fees. The sources said the idea has simply been temporarily shelved awaiting Museveni’s promised ‘comfortable package’ in the next budget.
The Vice Chancellor, Prof. Epelu Opio,(left) was non-committal on the issue. He, however, said Makerere was mindful of the poor and any increment will be properly planned and communicated in advance.
“However, with government coming in to improve the salaries (of university staff), I don’t see Makerere increasing tuition fees in the near future,†he said.
MUBS Acting principal, Julius Kakuru, said the recent increment in their tuition was on the realisation that they could no longer provide quality education at the current rates.
University education in Uganda is still cheap by any standards. At MUBS, the most expensive course, Hotel Management and Catering, goes for sh1.7m a year while a similar course on average costs US $19,000 (sh36m) in the US, according to Internet figures.
International Business, which costs sh825,000 at MUBS costs as much as US $14,000 (sh26.8m) in universities in the West.
While we are in two worlds apart, Prof. Frederick Kayanja of National Council for Higher Education says we are in a global village and should produce students who can compete internationally.
This means heavy investment in facilities and money has to come from students.