Act on Gulu University problems now
Feb 26, 2008
EDITOR — The endless controversy over students’ allowances, land and lecturers’ welfare at Gulu University calls for urgent attention from the central government before it is too late.
EDITOR — The endless controversy over students’ allowances, land and lecturers’ welfare at Gulu University calls for urgent attention from the central government before it is too late.
The vision of Gulu University is “a leading academic institution for the promotion of rural transformation and industrialisation for sustainable development†with the mission to “expand access to higher education, conduct research and provide quality professional training for the delivery of appropriate services directed towards social transformation and conservation of biodiversityâ€.
But are the actions at the university and Government support consistent with this vision and mission?
Taking a close look at the faculties of Medicine, Agriculture, Environment, Education Science, Business and Development Science; we need radical changes to move the university to admirable ranking in Uganda and Africa, for Gulu University to realise its vision and mission.
The necessary learning materials, including for practical experiments, is not adequate and the lecturers work under unfair conditions.
While the situation seems to be normal, there is already latent pressure waiting to explode anytime.
One of the most significant benefits of establishing Gulu University is the visible spirit of national unity enjoyed at the campus. This is going a long way in redressing our historical problems created during colonialism, especially tribalism and regionalism.
This is why the Government ought to fight all the challenges geared towards undermining such institutions of higher learning.
What the university needs now is an experienced and mentally agile guild leadership that is able to effectively bridge the gaps between the university administration and the students’ community on the one hand, and between the students and government representatives on the other.
It is also prudent enough for the respective central government representatives to intervene now, other than wait for the President to get involved after an embarrassing experience.
The unfavourable learning environment at Gulu University that has lasted over a year, must come to an end.
Christopher Omara
Student of Bachelor of Public Administration
The vision of Gulu University is “a leading academic institution for the promotion of rural transformation and industrialisation for sustainable development†with the mission to “expand access to higher education, conduct research and provide quality professional training for the delivery of appropriate services directed towards social transformation and conservation of biodiversityâ€.
But are the actions at the university and Government support consistent with this vision and mission?
Taking a close look at the faculties of Medicine, Agriculture, Environment, Education Science, Business and Development Science; we need radical changes to move the university to admirable ranking in Uganda and Africa, for Gulu University to realise its vision and mission.
The necessary learning materials, including for practical experiments, is not adequate and the lecturers work under unfair conditions.
While the situation seems to be normal, there is already latent pressure waiting to explode anytime.
One of the most significant benefits of establishing Gulu University is the visible spirit of national unity enjoyed at the campus. This is going a long way in redressing our historical problems created during colonialism, especially tribalism and regionalism.
This is why the Government ought to fight all the challenges geared towards undermining such institutions of higher learning.
What the university needs now is an experienced and mentally agile guild leadership that is able to effectively bridge the gaps between the university administration and the students’ community on the one hand, and between the students and government representatives on the other.
It is also prudent enough for the respective central government representatives to intervene now, other than wait for the President to get involved after an embarrassing experience.
The unfavourable learning environment at Gulu University that has lasted over a year, must come to an end.
Christopher Omara
Student of Bachelor of Public Administration