Poor parents will not afford it!

Aug 02, 2006

SIR — Makerere University’s new policy of collecting tuition and other functional fees is not good for the students. The university council passed that all the dues be paid on the first day of the academic year.

SIR — Makerere University’s new policy of collecting tuition and other functional fees is not good for the students. The university council passed that all the dues be paid on the first day of the academic year.

I think is very unfair to poor parents. In case a student is not able to pay all the feeson the first day of the academic year, he or she must ensure that the fees are paid within six weeks of the semester in order for him to be registered and get access to university services and facilities.

I can see this policy backfiring because it automatically excludes those students who shall not have paid from getting access to reading materials like books and internet services for research. This is very unfair to students. The revised policy further states that no student shall be permitted to pay any fees and register after the first six weeks of the beginning of
the semester.

This will hurt mostly the poor students since their parents cannot beat this tight deadline. Parents are also supposed to meet other expenses like accommodation, feeding, and upkeep. It means that all these expenses have to be met in the first six weeks of the beginning of the academic year. This is impossible! Apart from it being a poor policy, it is untimely. The circular has been issued when most of the students are on holiday and as a result they don’t know what is happening. I am sure most of them will be surprised about such a sensitive change when they report for the first semester.

This means that they will have to go back home to inform their parents of the change so as to get the money (which may not be there) or resort to opposing the policy which might mean striking.
The guild president has already stated his position on this policy.

When the issue was brought up during the council meeting he vehemently rejected the policy but unfortunately was defeated by the large number of 27 members who supported it.

I don’t see the students taking the opposite side of the guild president to support the policy when most of them come from poor families. I find it intriguing that the university is being run by people
who think their policies are always the best.

Gerald Bareebe
Makerere University

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