Mak Dev't and Technology Fee are Absurd

Just when you think the dust is about to settle at Makerere University, the administration comes up with the not so surprising, but sad news that all new private students should pay a mandatory Shs. 50,000 (US$30) for technology fees and Shs. 123,500 (US$74) for development fees.

The university argues that the development fees will provide funds to finance the expansion of the library while the technology fees will be used to increase the university’s Internet bandwidth. Whereas these developments are imperative or vital, one has to wonder if it is fair that the students should be the ones to shoulder the entire burden of footing these huge expenses.

The Makerere student community has always witnessed the implementation of draconian policies in their final stages, with the first reports being picked from the press. Such policies include the almost implemented tuition increment by Shs 400,000 per course per academic year. Now, it is the technology and development fees.

There surely needs a parliamentary review on the "extra fees” required by Makerere administration.

Lots of students and their parents toil as hard as possible to realise their dreams. Most parents sacrifice all their earnings and even sell their possessions to see their children to university. Only to find that some people are stretching their wallets so far to unjustifiable amounts.

Public universities, including Makerere are given money by government for development so the development fee being levied on the students is uncalled for. For instance, the government, for the 2008/2009 financial year, appropriated Shs. 37bn (US$ 22,262,334) for development. Further still, the university generates over Shs. 52bn (US$ 31,287,605) annually from tuition fees, functional fees, overhead charges, revenue from commercial services, among others. Where does all this money go? Isn’t someone being fooled here?

It would be foolhardy to believe that Makerere cannot find other ways to raise such funds rather than stretching too far the already stretched out pockets of parents and students.

In the education sector, it is only the rich people who benefit from the government sponsorships, leaving the poor and needy families with the burden of paying fees. Therefore, Makerere levying such exorbitant fees is pushing the much-needed higher education far from the majority of poor Ugandans who can’t afford.

I think at such moments, there is need for the government to intervene to meet its moral obligation to provide every student a world-class education, because it will take nothing less to compete in the global economy. I believe that every student needs a decent shot at university education, rather than being restricted to a few rich people who can afford.

Much as the Students’ Guild is supposed to advocate for the needs of students, the current structure of the students’ leadership that was formed in the 1950s is far from doing that.

A look at this shows that many students are not consulted on issues that affect them. For instance, this structure, which was formed when every student was resident-provides for the Guild Representative Council (GRC) that sits with the Guild President. The majority of these members stay in Halls of Residence. This implies that today, 85.7% of students, who are non-resident, are not consulted in the making policies that govern them and therefore do not participate in their own administration.

Makerere Bans Miniskirts, Tights! A Joke

Makerere University has taken the controversial step to regulate the dress code during lectures for both staff and students. (Makerere bans miniskirts, tights”, Daily Monitor, June 9).

It appears that the supporters of the sexual harassment policy believe that prescribing certain types of dressing would reduce the incidents of sexual harassment.

There is a problem, though, with the logic advanced in banning the miniskirt and tights, linking indecent dressing to sexual harassment. Sexual harassment occurs even in places where a conservative dress code is observed. Men at the workplace have often complained of sexual harassment from their “business suit clad” female bosses, and vice versa. To link sexual harassment to dress is fairly simplistic.

Under this new arrangement, which is likely to begin in August when the students report back from holidays, female students, would be required to adhere to a dress code that tallies with events for which they will be in attendance.

An offender could receive written warnings, be asked to apologise before the relevant committee or, in exceptional circumstances, even be suspended from the university.

Mr Robert Rutaro, the president of the Students' Guild, welcomed the policy, saying, "students should dress decently."

Mr John Ekudu Adoku, the dean of students, said the policy was intended to inspire behavioural change, especially on the part of female students.

"We think that rules don't change people but once you talk to them they can change,”Ekudu said.

Sexual harassment is beyond “dress code” like senior administrators at Makerere University suggest.

Sexual harassment is basically about the use of power. It depends on who has more power. A student can harass a lecturer, but what is more fundamental is how the lecturer responds.

It is about the unfair use of influence, power, or authority by one person over another or a lack of respect for another person.

So the reasoning fronted by top administrators that indecent dressing constitutes a form of sexual harassment is simply naïve and old fashioned.

Similarly who and how will indecent dressing be determined under this new arrangement? Perhaps the frontiers of the policy owe the students and the public an explanation of what constitutes indecent dressing.

In so doing, Makerere is being typically Ugandan and quite African. In times of crisis, when there is need for self-criticism and assessment, good and realistic thinking that bitterly faces the problem fairly and honestly, takes a back seat.

That Makerere has chosen to put its money on this tired old horse is not surprising but worrying. The university does not seem to be ready to take the responsibility and is bent on sweating the small stuff.

Makerere should instead invest in more facilities to curb the problems of overcrowding, which has resulted in excessive teaching loads, large classes and falling standards. It should also be bent on solving the rampant strikes the university is currently facing rather than concentrate on small matters on the way female students dress.

At the end of the day its mess will aggravate while they run around seemingly busy measuring the length of women's skirts. Like most solutions to Makerere’s policies, there will be a lot of motion but no progress. As Mahatma Gandhi said, "speed is irrelevant if you are going in the wrong direction."

Makerere should also invest more in educating their students about their environment and to protect them from its dangers than issue bans.

If all this is in place, the length of women's skirts will cease to bother Makerere. That is the challenge. The problem is deeper than that.

No regulation can change that. Like most Ugandan institutions, Makerere is addressing symptoms, not the disease.

Budo Tragedy, sheer negligence

Monday, April 14, 2008 will be stamped in our memories for a long time to come. It will be known as the tragic ‘Dark Monday’, when a cloud of doom and despair hang over Budo Junior School, taking with it the lives of some 20 young girl pupils.

The mysterious inferno at Budo Junior Primary School shows a lack of clear guidelines within the Ministry of Education. The school inspection policy has died out over the years.

Problems within the school inspection system could have largely contributed to the death of these 20 young girls who still had a lot to offer this nation.

In July 2001, government created the Education Standards Agency (ESA) as it restructured the Central Inspectorate Division at the ministry headquarters. The core function of ESA is to set standards for quality of education and monitor the achievement of such standards through inspection of schools for continual improvement in teaching and learning processes.

However, that ESA, which operates, as a semi-independent body with headquarters at Kyambogo exists largely in name and is thin on the ground. For instance, there is no direct functional linkage between ESA and District School Inspectors.

Owing to this institutional fracturing, ESA operates without giving or getting direct feedbacks to and from District School Inspectors.

It has no working relations with local political leaders, which observers say is bad for coordination

Subsequently, a combination of thin personnel and logistical constraints, hinder the school inspection activities of the agency. And so partly because of this, the awful living conditions at Budo went unobserved.

Mr. Francis Lubanga, the Permanent Secretary in the Education ministry however said it is unfair to criticise or fault his officials at the centre over any failings in school inspection because the responsibility of managing primary schools has since been devolved to districts. All the centre does, he said, is develop guidelines and circulate to respective officials for implementation.

“As far as government is concerned, all primary schools are supposed to be day schools,” the PS said adding, “It is the districts that determine which primary school operates as boarding schools based on available facilities”.

So who takes responsibility for the Budo inferno? It seems that everyone is shying away from the blame.

Likewise Education minister, Ms Namirembe Bitamazire has blatantly turned down calls from the public that she takes political responsibility and resigns.

“I have done my best and will continue to work,” she said.

Police detectives suspect the gruesome incident to be the handiwork of heartless arsonists although the school’s ten guards and Ms Damalie Basirika, the mother matron of the ill-fated dormitory have been arrested for probable culpability or criminal negligence as the weeklong investigations progress.

It is still unclear if the local health officials had permitted the pupils to be accommodated in a converted classroom. Again no clear policy exists on how many students should be housed in what type of dormitory facility, often resulting in overcrowding.

There is certainly negligence on the part of the Ministry of Education and the school management for this tragic incidence at Budo Junior School.

Maj. Gen. Kayihura said detectives were combing for evidence. “There is certainly criminal negligence,” he said. “It is a question of how far this chain will go: is there anyone who locked the doors? Where was the matron and who was responsible for all this? If there were problems at the school, why were the issues not raised at the PTA [Parents Teachers Association] meeting? The investigators will look into all these.”

I thought it’s the work of the Ministry of Education to ensure that all Ugandans get the best quality education, in a quality environment. Now how comes the Ministry is denying it’s responsibilities in times of tragedy.

For all its rich history, Budo Junior School mirrors the state of our primary and secondary schools in Uganda; very wretched! Children living in the most neglected of conditions, crowded in small rooms and using quadruple and triple-decker beds due to space constraints.

It is very apparent that there is something amiss in the education sector, one whose standards continue to dip year in year out.

The emphasis in our schools today is not so much about the study environment, but how well one passes, a factor that has led parents to disregard the kind of environment their children are groomed.

Despite of what happened, I strongly believe the forensic experts from the police and other agencies should be given a chance to do a thorough and dispassionate investigation, unfettered by emotional supposition. The findings of the investigation should provide the authorities with a basis for a national reform of the entire education system in this country.

Unfortunately, accidents will happen and claim young lives. There has been a series of them in the last years. And there will be more as long as we pursue the policy of business-as-usual after every tragedy. It needn’t be this way.

How many lives must we lose for us to act? The Ministry of Education must make policies about school buildings and administration and strictly enforce them to make sure our children are safe wherever they are. Shs 500,000 or any other amount cannot make a difference to a parent who could send his or her child to Budo.

In the past, investigations have been launched on the occurrence of school fires. However, no reports have been made to our country and more importantly, no preventive measures have been taken to ensure that such tragedies do not occur.

Now is the time for the minister to wake up and treat this matter with the urgency it deserves. Let the Budo fire be the last! Otherwise, we shall continue to lose lives on things that could easily be addressed.

(Associated Press Picture)

Obama changes outlook of African Americans

More than a political campaign, Barack Obama's presidential bid has become a popular phenomenon, a sometimes emotional outpouring the likes of America and the world has not seen in decades.

Change, Obama says, "doesn't happen from the top down, it happens from the bottom up".

And Obama's campaign is changing the face of US and world politics as the senator from Illinois moves closer to capturing the Democratic Party nomination.

Senator Obama’s presidential bid has become an international sensation and if the current momentum can come to pass, America is at the threshold of making history.

His string of recent victories over the formidable Senator Hilary Clinton from New York and former first lady has left the world wondering in disbelief.

The way he speaks with such passion, the way he speaks about hope and change is intriguing and leaves everyone yearning for more. Obama's life story fascinates the world and leaves the people still struggling, trying to get the American Dream.

At rallies like the one in Ohio and all across America, Obama has regularly drawn crowds numbering in the tens of thousands. Almost everyone particularly in Africa is following events in the US election with much interest due to his African heritage.

People are following US elections in local and international press.

Many of us have expressed feelings of personal connection to Obama because of his heritage much as our support won’t have an impact on the outcome of the American election. It's almost as if he's one of us, talking to us, that's the reason why people in Africa have shown so much interest in the election.

The wave of exuberance upon which Obama is riding is unbelievable and many people are asking-Is America the world’s most powerful and influential nation ready for a black president?A Black man atop the world’s powerhouse is what the world is now starting to see in Barack Obama.

If Obama wins the Democratic Party nomination this year, he will face Senator John McCain who has clinched the Republican Party nomination.So we must ask the all important question: Why and how is Obama doing so well?

Perhaps the youthful vigour he exudes and whole near hysteria that accompanies him wherever he goes could explain this.Obama has used all his power of rhetoric and persuasion to win over the American people more so the support of the youth and the middle-working class who see him as the ideal candidate to offer the fundamental change.

There is sense that Obama does project what Martin Luther King Jr. and many other black leaders before him, that he offers a dream for blacks- a dream of deliverance and change. And now is the time for change.

His slogans of “Yes we can” and “Change we can believe in” have become household names.Whatever the outcome of the American election, Obama has greatly changed the outlook of African Americans within such a small spell to the disbelief of a majority of people.

He has become, for many African Americans, the mirror in which they see themselves and their country as they want it to be- a powerful force in American politics, which is now on the move.