Varsity students petition government over tuition fees increase in Uganda

By ISAAC KHISA
Published September 22, 2009

Makerere University was the first institution to increase fees by 40 percent, prompting other public and private universities to follow suit. Photo by Joshua Masinde

Student leaders from Uganda’s public universities have petitioned the government, parliament and university administrations to reconsider a decision which has seen tuition fees for privately sponsored increased by over 40 per cent. They fear that should the decision stand, many students are unlikely to enrol for or complete their degrees.

“Majority of us come from poor families and by increasing tuition fees, it means most of us are likely not to complete our studies,” said Juliet Nandutu, a first year student studying public administration at Makerere University.

Nandutu is disappointment at the government’s abrupt decision to increase fees without notifying parents and students in time. She is now appealing to the government to consider helping students from poor families by offering them soft loans.

Geoffrey Lukyamuzi, another first year bachelor of science with education student is also disturbed by the fee increment.

“Some of our parents have already sold pieces of land, herds of cattle and were prepared to pay a specific amount of money as tuition fees,” he said adding, “Now even pulling out and looking for a cheaper university is hard.”

The increase has directly affected the privately sponsored programmes in the five public universities in Uganda, which include Makerere, Kyambogo, Busitema, Gulu and Mbarara universities.

The tuition fees for a bachelor of mass communication at Makerere University for private students who are Uganda nationals, for instance, was raised from Ush600,000 (US$303) to Ush980,000 (US$495) per semester, bachelor of commerce increased from Ush800,000 (US$404) to Ush1.12m (US$565.7) per semester. Private students pursuing a bachelor of social sciences degree will now pay Ush700,000 (US$353.5) per semester, up from Ush450,000 (US$227.3), while those admitted to study education will part with Ush672,000 (US$339.4), Ushs630,000 (US$318.2) and Ushs830,000 (US$419.2) in Makerere, Gulu and Kyambogo universities respectively, up from a uniform of Ush450,000 (US$227.3) in all public universities. Bachelor of law will cost Ush1.26m (US$636.4) up from Ush950,000 (US$479.8) at Makerere University. Those pursuing pharmacy will now pay Ushs1.34m (US$678.8) both in Mbarara and Makerere universities.

On top of the tuition fee, private Ugandan students are charged Ush363,500 (US$183.6) every year as contribution towards research fund, registration, library, exams, and as development and technology fees. In addition, another Ush100,000 (US$50.5) is charged per semester for internship or field attachment and Ush330,00 (US$16.7) per academic year for an identity card, academic gown and rules and caution booklets.

The increment in the tuition fees has levelled the tuition fees paid in public universities (but on privately sponsored programmes) with those at private universities such as Uganda Christian University (UCU).

At UCU, a bachelor’s degree in mass communication goes for Ushs980,000 (US$495), bachelor of laws for Ushs1.038m (US$524), bachelor of industrial and fine art for Ushs803,000 (US$405.6) and bachelor of public administration and management for Ushs744,000 (US$375.8) per semester. In addition, students are required to pay Ushs560,000 (US$282.8) as accommodation and feeding fee.

At Makerere University for instance, accommodation in the hostels ranges from between Ushs500,000 (US$252.5) to Ushs1m (US$505) per semester, without meals, making a student to pay an average of Ushs5m (US$2,525.3) per year on private sponsorship.

While some people argue that the fee increment will help improve the wanting quality as a result of the overwhelming student numbers, others are concerned that this situation will increase the rate of immorality as a way of raising money among some university students.

“Already we have been having complaints of university students, especially girls involving in prostitution to get money for survival even before fees increment; how do you expect them now to survive when prices for food and accommodation are now very high?” a trader identified only as Wilberforce asked. “The only way for them is to get sugar daddies and boyfriends to give them money.”

He added that the number of international students especially Kenyans and Tanzanians will also reduce because Ugandan public universities have now joined the so called ‘most expensive universities’ in East Africa. The increment is also high for international students.

“The Kenyan students are likely to go back because Uganda’s university education has proved to be so expensive,” Wilberforce said.

The Executive Director of the Coalition of Uganda Private School Teacher Association, Mr. Patrick Kaboyo, said the increment was ill-timed as the university stakeholders were ignored.

“The tuition fees increment was not well done. The cost of living is increasing daily and therefore parents, universities and the students should have been involved in the decision of increasing fees.”

He particularly faulted the decision-making process: “The decision was made at the top with no clear representation from the stakeholders especially from students. Decisions should not always remain in Kampala. People from rural areas should take part.”

He said it is unfortunate for the government to increase tuition fees yet there’s no guarantee that after studies, they will get jobs.

However, Mr Mathew Rukikaire, who is the chairman of Makerere University Council, said he does not know whether the tuition fee increment will affect the students. “I don’t know if it will affect the students,” he said.

But when asked whether the increment will solve the financial crisis bedevilling public universities in Uganda, Mr Rukikaire, said the financial crisis cannot be solved in the short-run, despite the fees increment.

“At the moment, the 40 per cent increment cannot solve the crisis facing public universities,”  he said, noting that the financial crisis in public universities is likely to be solved in the coming years “by further increment.”

The government defended the fee increment, saying the former fees structure had been operation since 1991 yet the cost of living has been rising. Addressing public university student leaders, Mr Mwesigwa Rukutana, minister for higher education, said the 40 percent tuition fees increment is justifiable “for quality”. The decision, he said, was reached at after “a highly consultative meeting between the government, parents, university councils and the chief executives.”

In the last 10 years, the government’s contribution to public universities averaged 0.3 per cent of GDP compared to about one percent in Kenya and Tanzania.

Recently, Members of the Parliamentary Social Services committee together with some university administrators agreed to lobby for an end to direct government sponsorship to enable all students compete favourably in the regional and global job market rather than having a few paid for to emerge the best, while the majority poor students drop out because of lack of fees.

The government currently sponsors 4,000 students in all the five public universities. Three thousand are selected on direct entry, 1,000 on district quotas while the rest of the students are admitted on private sponsorship. Those who can’t make it even on the now expensive private programme at the public universities, opt for private universities.

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