Universities to hike tuition fees

By Conan Businge

A number of private universities have increased their tuition fees for the forthcoming academic year, according to a survey by New Vision.               

However, the five public universities of Makerere, Kyambogo, Mbarara, Gulu and Busitema have not increased their fees for the next academic year. But it is on record that some State universities have already submitted requests to increase their functional fees.

The last time public universities increased tuition was in 2009, several years after the previous increment in 1991. When public universities increased their fees by that time, it was 40%.              

Public universities’ councils are allowed to set new fees only when they get approval from the Government.

‘High costs’

The increase in fees is rooted in the hiked costs of running universities, due commodity price turbulences, while the hike in entry points is rooted in increased performance.

Uganda Christian University (UCU), which is one of the best private universities in the country, has also increased tuition for some of its courses by over 15%.              

The public relations officer for UCU, Vincent Mugaba, said due to the rising costs of living, it was inevitable for the university to increase tuition fees.

"But we make sure the increments are reasonable. We are also sure to give the best quality education with the right values in life.

"The university also offers five meals a day, and with massive power loadshedding  partly explains the tuition hike,” Mugaba explained.

A number of other private universities could not commit themselves on the tuition increment since their governing bodies had not yet passed the resolutions. But sources in most of the outstanding private universities revealed that the governing bodies are likely to hike tuition fees by about 15% to 20%.

But the International University of East of Africa, which is one of the private universities with highest tuition fees, has committed itself not to increase its tuition.

A student pursuing a Masters degree in petroleum engineering pays about $2,300 (sh5.6m) per semester.

 "Our fees and students are regarded international, including Ugandans here. But we offer practical and high standard courses, requiring expensive investments and our students are provided with some scholastic materials," explained the public relations officer, Sean Simwogerere Katende.

"We have no intention to increase our fees soon," he added.

Entry scores

All universities are also expected to increase their entry scores, on most of their courses. There are 65,417 candidates who have qualified for university admission this year, compared to 61,820 in 2010.

 This means those who qualified obtained two principle passes in the national examinations.

This is an increase of 3,894 candidates who are competing for university slots on government and private admission in both state and privately-owned universities.

There are suggestions that the general cost of living has increased the cost of educating a student at the university in the region.

Standard costs

The United Nations Development Programme estimates the cost of university education in Africa to be between $10,000-$15,000 (about sh30m) for four-year degree course i.e. $2500-3750 (about sh8m) per student, per year.

This is consistent with data from the World Bank and student surveys. The World Bank reports show the Government spends $2,000 per student per year.

The total annual cost of tertiary education spending in Africa each year is between $7.5b and $11b, of which $2b is borne by students and their families.

The New Vision survey shows that in most private universities, fees are hiked annually or after a couple of years.

Public universities' councils are allowed to set new fees provided they get approval from the government. The new fees in public universities apply to private students who will enroll this coming academic year.

Funding

Public universities, before the increment years ago, had been calling for increased government funding.

But the share of higher education in the education budget has been declining because of other budgetary demands, as well as a change of focus to universal primary and secondary education.

In the last ten years, the contribution by the government to public universities averaged 0.30% of GDP, according to the NCHE.

In comparison, Kenya contributed 0.9% and Tanzania 1% of GDP in the same period. The council also said the fees paid to all Ugandan tertiary institutions were lower than the cost of educating students.

"Data of known studies suggests that in most Ugandan universities, students pay about 30% to 40% of the unit cost of the programmes they are registered in," the director, A.B. Kasozi, wrote in a recent report.

As a result, Kasozi said, all universities were faced with huge debts.

Makerere had an accumulated deficit of about sh64b by 2007. Kyambogo and Gulu registered a deficit each of sh3.8b last year, while the new Busitema University had a gap of sh2.4b.

"The result of the financial crisis is the delivery of inferior education, mismanagement and brain drain. Without money, public universities can never recruit good academics," Kasozi observed.

But with the increase in the cost of living in the country, one wonders what the fate of university students will be in the future, since there are only five public universities.