STATEMENT ABOUT MAKERERE ONLINE LEARNING/LECTURES.
13.10.2020
Article by; Nelson Mushabe
Let’s begin with a few statistics.
Makerere has colleges and each College shaping it’s own fees structure depending on the nature of the courses therein. According to Makerere University’s most recent tuition structure release of 20/21, let’s dive in to understand the average amount of money one needs to surrender to begin applying for a certain course in one of these respective college.
College of Engineering, average start up tuition is 2.6 million.
College of Business, average, start up tuition is 1.6 million.
College of Agriculture, average start up tuition is 1.6 million and a compulsory recess fee of 886,075/= making 2.6 million.
College of Health Sciences, average start up tuition is 2.1 million.
College of Natural Sciences having an average start up tuition of 1.3 million.
College of Computing whose average start up tuition is 1.8 million.
College of Veterinary Medicine, average start up tuition is 1.4 million.
College of Education’s average start up tuition is 970,000/=
College of Social Sciences and Humanities’ average start up tuition is 1.1 million.
Law’s average start up tuition is 1.9 million.
That understood, Let’s again back track to high school, where career formation starts. Enter one of those two candidate classes, Senior four and six and ask, “Who of you here wants to become a teacher?” I won’t negate if one replies, “No student put up their arm!” Ask again, “Who of you here wants to be a Social Scientist?” I will still not negate if one replies again “No one put up their arm!” I am yet to learn why reality dictates so for these two courses. Back to Makerere.
There ain’t no resources profiling Makerere University’s population! But from just association, I can assert that Education(Teachers) and Social Sciences(Social Scientists) are the two densely populated colleges out of the entire University’s colleges as stated above.
What is the link between the population, the pre-UNEB attitude by the candidates and the tuition?
Students and Candidates are later pushed to a wall because of tuition fees! A student finds themselves in either of the two courses whose average start up tuition is the least, as 1.1 million or 970,00/= for Social Sciences and Education respectively.
An averagely good working laptop or phone is about 500,000/= to facilitate online studies. This is close to half or even three quarters of most Students’ tuition. The big question is, Shall this student be able to just acquire this facility without looking into other necessities and disparities of data facilitation, unchanged tuition fees, band width, network coverage and the rest?
My friend Mutagubya Allan always tells me this, “Omutti guffa milandira” ate “Emitti Emitto gyejigumizza ekibira.” We the school going heads are the “Emitti” but our “milandira” is Education, please don’t kill it because you are killing us. But Mutagubya, who should address this plea?
For the love of my country.
Wounded Activist 