Makerere suspends fees policy
KAMPALA.
Makerere University has again succumbed to pressure exerted by students protests and suspended its new fees policy that requires all students to pay 100 per cent of their tuition within the sixth week of the semester or miss exams.
On Wednesday evening, the university convened a crisis meeting at the campus which was also attended by the Inspector General of Police, Gen Kale Kayihura, students leaders and the administration and agreed on the postponement .
The meeting followed a demonstration by the students on Monday protesting the policy.
On Wednesday, students demonstrated for the second time, after the university council that met on Tuesday maintained its stance not to reverse the policy.
Sources said during the meeting, student leaders requested the police chief to release students that had been arrested while demonstrating.
Gen Kayihura accepted their request and by yesterday morning, the students had been freed.
In an interview with Daily Monitor yesterday, the Makerere University Vice Chancellor, Prof John Ddumba Ssentamu, confirmed the suspension of the policy, saying the university administration will meet in December and review the implementation of this same policy.
He said the deadline of paying tuition had been extended to the 12th week of the semester. He, however, noted the demonstration was influenced by external people, who are not even students of the university. He claimed that non-university students were among the people arrested by police during the strike.
“Negotiations will be ongoing and therefore all students are asked to use this extension and pay tuition. If a student has a problem, they should come to my office and explain to me because my door is ever open, instead of causing mayhem around the institution,” Prof Ssentamu said.
The university guild information minister, Mr Davidson Ndyabahika, said although the deadline for payment had been extended to the 12th week, it did not mean that students, who will not have cleared tuition then will be blocked from paying.
Mr Ndyabahika added that the university ought to be considerate and accept the students’ request.
By yesterday, normalcy had returned to the university campus after two days of commotion and lectures had resumed. However, police maintained a presence in strategic places at the university ready to quell any further protests or breach of security.
