Makerere Law students resume lectures

By Innocent Anguyo

Makerere University Law students have resumed lectures after their lecturers called off a strike over lack of allowances for evening lectures.

The students were Monday stranded after their lecturers resolved to suspend conducting evening lectures over failure by the University administration to give them allocate allowances.

In a gesture of solidarity, day students also shunned lectures threatening to strike if the lecturers did not resume teaching, paralyzing business at the school.
 
The University had scrapped all allowances including that for evening tutorials to bankroll a 70% top up incentive increment for all staff at Makerere. The deal to scrap the allowances was reached by Makerere staff and the University Council as a prerequisite set by the former to end a strike over poor remuneration.
 
Lecturers at the School of Law however, argued that the deal did not take into account the fact that they taught on both day and evening programmes unlike their colleagues in other units whose day ends at 5:00pm and had smaller classes.
 
From Monday, officials of the School of Law and the University administration were in negotiations aimed at reaching a middle-ground.
 
According to the School of Law Publicist, Harriet Musinguzi, the two parties have reached a common understanding- prompting the lecturers to end their strike and resume teaching.
The Makerere Vice Chancellor Prof John Ddumba Ssentamu said the grievances of the lecturers at the School of Law will be addressed by giving them some money from an initially ring-fenced sh5b.
 
The money was set aside to address authentic grievances that would arise in the aftermath of the scrapping of all other allowances at Makerere. Nonetheless, the money will be shared among the School of Law and other colleges that have been equally hurt by the scrapping of allowances.
 
The other colleges to benefit included College of Business and Management Sciences (COBAMS), College of Computing and Information Sciences (COCIS), College of Humanities and Social Sciences (CHUSS), College of Education and External Studies (CEES) among others.
 
“The peculiar requirements of the School of Law as well as other units shall be harmonized at the meeting with management to be held on Friday (Today) at 11:00am in the Council room,” said Prof Dduma in a letter to the School of Law.
 
In response, the school of law lecturers called off their strike. “Please be advised therefore that we should all carry on with normal lectures as scheduled,” said Damalie Naggita, the Dean of School of Law. ENDS
Innocent Anguyo