Prof Barnabas Nawangwe’s honeymoon as the Makerere University Vice chancellor seems to be ending as students vow to strike if the University fails to sort students on evening programme.
A day into the semester, the Principal of the School of Law, Prof Christopher Mbazira abruptly suspended evening lectures until their demands as regards facilitation for the extra hours are met.
Three days after, Journalism department becomes the second to withdrawal their services on evening undergraduate programme after School of law for a similar cause.
According a written communication addressed to Prof Edward Kirumira, the Principal College of Humanities and Social Science – Chuss by Dr William Tayeebwa, the head of department journalism and communication, says that the University and Chuss have failed to honor the promise to remunerate staff teaching evening programme.
“As a department, we bring to the chuss a significant number of well-paying students on the evening programme. For that reason, the staff teaching on the program should be remunerated accordingly, in the interim, we henceforth request all evening students to join their daytime colleagues,” reads Tayeembwa’s letter.
Dr Willian Tayeebwa Head of Department Journalism and Communication, advised students on evening programme to join their colleagues on day time.
According to Ms Brenda Namata, a first year Journalism evening student who also doubles as the class leader for the same class, says that her classmates are going meet and make their stand to University because majority of them are working and this suspension seems a twist.
”It is so unfair to us the students on the programme despite the lecturers’ grievances which equally have to be addressed administratively [but] we [students] are affected than they are,” she said.
Ms Lizel Muwaya, a second year student on evening programme at the same department is equally affected by officials decision’s to withdraw their service on evening undergraduate programme as she is unable to join her colleagues on daytime.
”First of all I can’t attend day lectures that is out and it is so unfortunate that I have to pay tuition and then after [I] teach myself,” Lizel told Cyclone Times.
Muwaya added that she is waiting to get to campus and talk up with her classmates because many of them work.
This comes one week after Prof Barnabas Nawangwe, the Makerere University Vice Chancellor just commended Makerere students for embracing the transformation taking place at Uganda’s oldest institution.
Nawangwe said that the University Management continues to work closely with student leaders to improve relations between the two bodies in an effort to reduce strikes, hooliganism and also open channels of communication.
“Hooliganism has no place in Africa’s premier university and we must all fight it,” he said
“These future leaders [Makerere students] of Africa have truly shunned hooliganism and opted for dialogue as intellectuals should. Bravo Mak! Show the world that you are made of superior material,” the vice chancellor said.
Many students that Cyclone Times talked to vowed to speak the language that officials at the University understand (strike) if the institution fails to sort the mess.
