Bitter aftermath of MUK strike
Jan 17, 2007
SIR — It is good news for the students, parents, guardians and all wellwishers of Makerere University that the institution has re-opened for the completion of the first semester of the 2006/ 7 Academic year.
SIR — It is good news for the students, parents, guardians and all wellwishers of Makerere University that the institution has re-opened for the completion of the first semester of the 2006/ 7 Academic year.
It has become the order of the day in Uganda for people to resort to strikes, riots and demonstrations as a way of public outcry against the government in power.
This has come as a result of the weakening institutions in our country as almost every person wants the president to solve their problems.
This has done more harm than good. It was after the Kyambogo University lecturers went on strike that their counterparts at Makerere decided to do the same.
Though their decision to do this was justifiable since President Museveni had promised to increase their wages way back in 2004 it was not the right time when exams were around the corner.
Perhaps they would have gone on strike in the holidays before students reported back to campus. Parents and guardians would not have wasted their time and resources.
It was after this that the Police ordered resident students to vacate their halls of residences within five hours.
This is where confusion started. the police was harassing the students and the beautiful campus resembled a barracks as police would not let anyone in or out.
This was the worst moment for every student as their property was just thrown out as if the landlord was evicting his own tenants who had failed to pay rent.
This was unfair as there was no time for preparations to pack and go home. How will the people who closed the institution compensate the students?
Some upcountry students had nowhere to go within the deadline while some never had money for transport to gone home.
Will the government compensate the private students who had paid their full tuition, as promised?
Now that serious business has resumed, the consequences of the strike still hound the students.
Most of the students have neither paid fees nor registered although the examinations are close at hand.
Even after one has paid, one has to undergo a long process of getting thousands of documents to get registered.
The most sickening part is getting the identity cards. This is the most bureaucratic section at Makerere.
How does makerere expect two computers to produce identity cards for about 30,000 students in so short a time?
I understand without an identity card there is no access to the examination room! Instead of one reading books, all the time one is wasting time chasing for these documents.
This is the kind of situation we are in right now. The consequence of this is going to be an unusually big number of retakes being carried into the next semester!
Alfred Byenkya
Makerere University
It has become the order of the day in Uganda for people to resort to strikes, riots and demonstrations as a way of public outcry against the government in power.
This has come as a result of the weakening institutions in our country as almost every person wants the president to solve their problems.
This has done more harm than good. It was after the Kyambogo University lecturers went on strike that their counterparts at Makerere decided to do the same.
Though their decision to do this was justifiable since President Museveni had promised to increase their wages way back in 2004 it was not the right time when exams were around the corner.
Perhaps they would have gone on strike in the holidays before students reported back to campus. Parents and guardians would not have wasted their time and resources.
It was after this that the Police ordered resident students to vacate their halls of residences within five hours.
This is where confusion started. the police was harassing the students and the beautiful campus resembled a barracks as police would not let anyone in or out.
This was the worst moment for every student as their property was just thrown out as if the landlord was evicting his own tenants who had failed to pay rent.
This was unfair as there was no time for preparations to pack and go home. How will the people who closed the institution compensate the students?
Some upcountry students had nowhere to go within the deadline while some never had money for transport to gone home.
Will the government compensate the private students who had paid their full tuition, as promised?
Now that serious business has resumed, the consequences of the strike still hound the students.
Most of the students have neither paid fees nor registered although the examinations are close at hand.
Even after one has paid, one has to undergo a long process of getting thousands of documents to get registered.
The most sickening part is getting the identity cards. This is the most bureaucratic section at Makerere.
How does makerere expect two computers to produce identity cards for about 30,000 students in so short a time?
I understand without an identity card there is no access to the examination room! Instead of one reading books, all the time one is wasting time chasing for these documents.
This is the kind of situation we are in right now. The consequence of this is going to be an unusually big number of retakes being carried into the next semester!
Alfred Byenkya
Makerere University