|
|
Uganda: Cabinet to Meet Over Makerere Staff Crisis
 |
 |
|||||||||
|
||||||||||
|
|
|||||||||
|
||||||||||
The Monitor (Kampala)
8 May 2008
Posted to the web 8 May 2008
Steven Kibuuka & Tabu Butagira
Kampala
Cabinet is due to convene an emergency session to discuss the deepening financial troubles afflicting Makerere University and save the public institution another embarrassing strike by lecturers over pay disputes.
The Ministry of Education Publicist, Mr Aggrey Kibenge said yesterday that top officials from the Ministry of Finance, Education, the Attorney General's chambers and Makerere University will meet soon to sort out the standoff between the academic staff and varsity administrators over salary enhancement.
" We are concerned about the financial/administrative situation at the university and want to see lasting solutions," said Mr Kibenge.
It was not clear what options the minister was mulling over to redeem the university but past government attempts to solve the institution's problems have not yielded returns.
The planned cabinet meeting comes days after university dons under Makerere University Academic Staff Association resolved to boycott teaching evening classes of private students effective next semester if their allowances amounting to over Shs10 billion are not paid.
Even when the lecturers said billions of shillings generated through the private sponsorship scheme could not be traced, deputy Vice Chancellor, Prof Lillian Tibatemwa said the funds were being channeled to development of physical infrastructure at the university.
"When sorting out Makerere's persistent financial problems and other requirements, "You should take into account the recommendations of Prof Gordon MacGregor's Visitation Committee on Public Universities," Prof Nsibambi's letter reads in part.
The Prof McGregor ad hoc committee that President Yoweri Museveni instituted to visit and analyse the situation at Uganda's five public universities recommended the termination of open-ended employment of lecturers on grounds that it was not yielding commensurate labour input.
|
Instead, the committee suggested all employees be recruited on 3-5 year contract basis, the financial management be streamlined to avoid unnecessary leaks and emphasised the need to undertake structural adjustments in overall administration of the university.
Makerere's top administrators have been invited to attend the cabinet meeting, crucial for the future of Makerere University.
Daily Monitor has learnt that the resolutions of this planned meeting will be submitted for consideration by yet another cabinet sitting to be chaired by President Yoweri Museveni on May 23.
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Copyright © 2008 The Monitor. All rights reserved. Distributed by AllAfrica Global Media (allAfrica.com). To contact the copyright holder directly for corrections -- or for permission to republish or make other authorized use of this material, click here. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Make allAfrica.com your home page | RSS Feed | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Top | Site Guide | Who We Are | Advertising | Search | Subscribe | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Questions or Comments? Contact us. Read our Privacy Statement. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
