Government-sponsored students at Makerere University want the university to take care of them better because the semester has been extended.
This extension is because of the National Population and Housing Census 2024. The census will happen from May 10 to May 19, 2024, for 10 days. Because of this change, exams will now happen from May 21 to June 11, 2024. This makes the semester almost six months long instead of the usual four.
Isaac Ndyabahika, the President of Makerere University Government Students Association (MUGOSA), wrote a letter to the Vice Chancellor, Professor Barnabas Nawangwe, on April 5, 2024. In the letter, he said that government-sponsored students are worried because their allowances are running out. These students depend on these allowances for food and other needs.
Some learners say the allowances were already not enough, and with the longer semester, it’s even harder.
Government-sponsored students who live off-campus get 760,000 Shillings per semester for food and rent. Students in university halls get 530,000 Shillings per semester for food, with science students getting priority for housing. But rents and hostel fees around Makerere can be high, ranging from 150,000 to 2 million Shillings.