By Salmah Namwanje
Makerere university council has received a report on the comparative tuition fees structure from different universities in the region from a seven-member committee of students’ leaders that went out for a benchmark tour around the region.
Council will be sitting soon to discuss the students’ recommendations regarding tuition and students welfare.
The question of fees paid at Uganda’s oldest institution of learning Makerere, has repeatedly led to strikes, causing the university council to assign a seven member committee on a tour of the region to get facts on the fees structure in the regional university
The team has now handed over their findings to the University council. From their finding, Makerere University’ s tuition fees remain the cheapest in the region.
Selected programs at the University of Nairobi indicate that the tuition is almost five times more than what is charged at Makerere University.
A Bachelor of medicine and surgery atMakerereUniversity goes for 2.6 million
Bachelor of dental surgery 2.6 million
Bachelor of Agriculture 2.6 million
Bachelor of veterinary medicine 1.6 million
Bachelor of industrial Art and design 800,000/-
Bachelor of laws 2.5 million
While at the university of Nairobi
Bachelor of medicine and surgery goes for 17.3 million
Bachelor of dental surgery 17.3 million
Bachelor of Agriculture 5.6 million
Bachelor of veterinary medicine 9.7 million
Bachelor of industrial Art and design 4.9 million
Bachelor of laws 6.3 million
Students handed the report to the University Council chairperson Dr. Charles Wana Ety’em with a number of recommendations to council.
Among the recommendations students want a tuition increment of 15% in the 2018/2019 academic year across all programs, from the 49% and 91% as earlier suggested by management. This should only apply to first year students and not continuing students.
Students also want the revenue accruing from the increment to be reflected in students services especially hygiene, laboratory facilities, teaching facilities, Wi-Fi, health services and customer care.
The university is optimistic that the students’ involvement will provide the lasting solution to the unending tuition strikes at Makerere.