Yasiin Mugerwa
2 October 2008
Members of Parliament are now pushing for a policy reversal that will see direct government sponsorship to Makerere and other public universities scrapped.
The MPs on the Parliamentary Committee on Social Services yesterday told Education Minister Geraldine Namirembe Bitamazire that the current arrangement was benefiting students from well-to-do families at the expense of those from poor families.
"The current government sponsorship scheme is losing meaning. It's the rich who are benefiting and the poor are just suffering with exorbitant fees," said Kawempe South (DP) MP, Ssebuliba Mutumba.
The government currently sponsors 4,000 students in five public universities of Makerere, Kyambogo, Mbarara, Gulu and Busitema. 3,000 are selected on direct entry while 1,000 are through the district quotas.
Under the current arrangement, Makerere takes 2,000; Kyambogo admits 900, Mbarara 400, Gulu 500 and Busitema 200 students.
Under what the MPs are proposing, all the students admitted to public universities will benefit from a cost sharing arrangement similar to what was proposed in government hospitals in the 1990s where all native students will benefit from a blanket waiver through either a loan scheme or any other related credit facility.
The Ministry of Education has already contracted a private consultant - Dr Daniel Kyanda, to study how to establish a higher education student's loan scheme.
Dr Kyanda, conducted a two-year study and submitted a report to the ministry in February, also recommending that direct sponsorship to public universities be abolished, and loans provided for all students.
He also recommended that the government prepares the legislative framework, the source of funds and handles how eligibility to the loan scheme would be reached.
"It will mean higher education for the disadvantaged. A stumbling block to social integration and cohesion will have been removed," Dr Kyanda states in his report.
Ms Bitamazire said yesterday she was happy the MPs want direct sponsorship to public universities reviewed for cost sharing.
"I like the idea of cost sharing because it worked for hospitals," she said.
"I request that the Committee studies the new idea and come up with recommendations regarding this new policy on government sponsorship."
Makerere Vice Chancellor Livingstone Luboobi, who was also appearing before the Committee to explain the exorbitant fees at the university, instead recommended for a blanket students loan scheme that will put all students at the same level.
"I wouldn't have become a professor if the loan scheme was not there during my time," Prof Luboobi said. "We better revisit the education system for the country to enable our people access education regardless of their financial background."
The Committee Chairperson, Ms Rose Sseninde (NRM, Wakiso Woman) however, defended the proposal insisting that students from rich families were dominating first-class secondary schools in the country, thus making it easy for them to qualify for government sponsorship scheme.
"We need to help the poor and the government should stop helping the rich to exploit the poor students who come from modest families," she said.
The MPs also instructed Prof Luboobi and Ms Bitamazire to work on strategies of decongesting Makerere. This was after Mr Steven Birahwa Mukitale (NRM, Buliisa) complained that the quality of education at Makerere was fading due to congestion. "At Makerere students study while standing and the situation is getting worse," Mr Mukitale said.
"We are losing relevance in the job market and the government should do something urgently to decongest this university."
The committee is handling a petition from Makerere private students in which they complained about the increased cost of education.
MPs have also criticised the university payment regulation in which a privately-sponsored student who fails to pay the registration fee, examination fees, research fees, library fees and tuition fees at the end of the sixth week from the beginning of an academic year forfeits his or her place in the university.
Prof. Luboobi was ordered to re-appear before the committee next week.
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