12 November 2009
editorial
Students of Gulu University on Monday stormed the office of their Vice Chancellor Dr Jack Pen'Mogi and forced him out of office to address them over a sudden increase in late registration fees.
Standing before the rowdy students, Dr Pen'Mogi cast a pitiable sight. Students have raised concerns over time on sudden increment or introduction of new dues and these cut across both private and public institutions.
While this newspaper in principle appreciates the need for especially public universities to raise enough money to run their operations and supported a recent general increase in tuition fees, we express exception to sudden introduction of new charges.
At Makerere University Business School (Mubs), Kyambogo University and Makerere University (main campus), students are being told to pay exorbitant penalties in late registration.
This is something the institutions themselves and the regulator ministry need to look into urgently.
It should be appreciated that the primary cause of delayed school fees payment that leads to a delay in registration is oftentimes caused by lack of enough money as parents and many self-paying students scrap around to attain that all important degree or diploma certificate.
A policy needs to be developed on how students can be helped pay their dues and register without necessarily failing the institutions from raising the much needed funds to operate but also one that does not force students to miss out of exams because they have failed to raise the extra penalty dues.
The institutions have an interest in averting situations of strikes like it happened at Gulu University and have been all too common and frequent in other universities. What does the university need extra charges on late registration for; is it that they have to hire special labour for the exercise?
Can the universities consider allowing the students to register once they have paid a certain percentage of the fees and the full amount of registration normally charged separately?
An amicable solution is needed to avert unnecessary strikes.
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