Yesterday history was made and today we are making history once more. To be candid, Makerere University has become a scholar's market place and opportunity is now available for the financially sound.

To quote the acting vice chancellor, Prof. Venansius Barya, "....higher institutions of learning must be run like privately-owned companies..." meaning services shall be offered to the highest bidder with the objective of maximising profits.

Prof. Barya unveiled his plan for Makerere; technological advancement like automated service delivery will enable monitoring of status online. Not mentioned though is that the same technology will deny students access to certain services and in the process keep needy students away.

Unlike other faculties where students are allowed to sit Continuous Assessment Test (CAT) or course work before completion of 60 per cent tuition fee, in Faculty of Computing and Information Technology (FCIT) students must clear all functional fees and 60 per cent tuition fees to attempt first round of CATs and sit 2nd round of CATs with a nil balance.

This policy is ambitious till one hears Barya's belief - he represents a new breed of scholars, whose exposure and travel has opened their eyes to the reality of globalisation and capitalism. My understanding is, it has transformed him to an imperialists' tool for exploitation of the peasantry population. Is it that our Professor was born with a silver spoon in his mouth or maybe his memory is just too short?

What is the key objective of Makerere University? We build for the future. His position notwithstanding, the Professor needs to appreciate the student body as it comprises of tomorrow's businessmen, doctors, vice chancellors, law makers and probably lawbreakers too.

Already, the sharp rise in fees has crippled a large number of students. The university's ill informed step is a sign of malice and disrespect for the international community and we wonder for how long the international student body continue paying for the mismanagement and greed of a few officials? If Professor wants to appease the dons with a billion shillings, are students the sacrificial lambs (increased exchange rate for foreign students from $17.20 to $20.20)?

Professor, FCIT was your project; Makerere is a different ball game. Sir, it could make or break you. The university finds it convenient to manipulate the unsuspecting students and out of frustration, students suffer economically, socially in more ways than one for instance being lured into anti-social behaviours like gambling, theft cases, shoddy deals, gay practices and prostitution which has risen sharply.

Talks of university operationalising learning centres countrywide, if well implemented, would be embraced by many as being cost-effective. The objective would be and not limited to decongest the institution, improve international ratings and better service delivery by establishing the annex branches or affiliating with already existing institutions around the country in an attempt to cut costs.

It's the colonial touch that depicts Ivory Tower's image or the ambience. It's now clear the university needs hundreds of billions to refurbish and make it habitable for staff and some financially sound students. Professor, could you quantify the number of students you will be sending home in the coming year in your efforts to better standards of living around campus and are you the light at the end of the tunnel or is this the darkest hour at the Ivory Tower?

Mr Braizeniv is an old student of Makerere University