Govt opens university college in Karamoja
What you need to know:
- Appeal. Leaders in Karamoja sub-region have been asked to mobilise students to enroll.
Karamoja.
Government has established a constituent college for Agriculture in Moroto District in the move to improve food security in Karamoja Sub-region.
The college under Gulu University is scheduled to start lectures soon.
According to Dr Sidonia Angom, the college task force chairperson for Moroto District, the college has been established as a directive from President Museveni and is aimed at enabling students from Karamoja to access to higher education at a lower cost.
This is the first constituent college in Karamoja.
“This is a government constituent college. It is not private and it was directed by President Museveni,” Dr Sidonia said. The Gulu University Vice Chancellor, Prof George Openjuru, during a task force meeting with Karamoja regional leaders on Thursday in Moroto, said the university will change the negative perceptions most people in Uganda have against the sub-region.
“There has been a lot of funny talk all over the country and across the continent about Karamoja, we believe this constituent college will polish all the negative talk since it will admit students from various parts of East Africa,” he said.
Prof Openjuru appealed to the leaders in the sub-region to support the college by mobilising students to enroll and help develop the region.
The Dodoth East Member of Parliament, Mr Samson Lokeris, who is also chairperson for Karamoja Parliamentary Group, asked the Finance ministry to expedite the process of releasing funds to enable the university to start its operation.
He, however, alleged that little funds were allocated to the university college.
“We shall protest because how can the Ministry of Finance allocate Shs6billion to Busoga University and another Shs6 billion to Mountains of the Moon University which are private universities and only gives Shs500 million to the Karamoja constituent college? That is an insult to the Karimojong,” he said.
But Mr Moses Kizige, the State minister for Karamoja Affairs, advised the MPs from the sub-region to stay calm and approach the Finance ministry technical team to address the issue.
