UG: Government orders Makerere to close
Jonny
SIMON KASYATE, EVELYN LIRRI & STEVEN KIBUUKA
KAMPALA
THE government has directed Makerere University to close shop today, a
week after lecturers went on strike demanding a pay raise.
The directive comes on the heels of a presidential plea to the
lecturers to abandon the strike, which was roundly rejected. The
lecturers met yesterday and unanimously agreed not to return to the
classroom until the government meets their demand. They have also
demanded the unconditional release of the over 40 students who were
arrested on Wednesday. The students were remanded to Luzira prison for
participating in an illegal riot.
The students will reappear in court today to apply for bail.
"Tomorrow (today) at 8 o'clock, we are having a University Council
meeting to effect this government directive," the Vice Chancellor
Livingstone Lubobi said by telephone yesterday.
Prof. Luboobi confirmed he had received a directive to close the
university today.
"According to the Act, it is the University Council that makes the
decision. We can be directed by the government, but the council
formalises it," he said.
Luboobi had earlier anticipated the government action in an interview
with Daily Monitor. He said in the event the lecturers voted to
continue the strike until the semester ends, a closure was inevitable.
"Waiting until the semester ends without lectures is unacceptable," he
said.
Education and Sports minister Geraldine Namirembe Bitamazire was said,
"We did not anticipate any plan B or C, since the President appealed to
them to go back and teach, we assumed they would not defy him. However,
we (ministry officials) shall meet when we get the formal communication
from Muasa and pass on our resolutions to the presidency," Bitamazire
said.
By yesterday evening, Makerere University campus and the general
surrounding were still under police siege. Deputy Inspector General of
Police for Operation Francis Rwego was by press time still camped at
the university. "Makerere is calm, we are still containing the
situation as we await the outcome of all the negotiations currently
going on," he said.
Over 200 lecturers yesterday met at Mulago Medical School a day after
Museveni pleaded with them to call off the strike, which enters its
seventh day today.
At yesterday's meeting, the lectures vowed to fight until government
fulfils their demands. "There is no point in fighting for a cause and
giving up before achieving your objective. Even the NRA government
fought in the bush for five years until they took over government,''
one lecturer said.
"There is no way we are going to achieve anything by backtracking. We
are ready to teach if we are given the money we are demanding for. But
if there is no money from the government, we should remain where we are
because we shall look foolish if we call off the strike without
achieving anything," he added.
Museveni said he could not afford to see an idle university on the
outskirts of Kampala. Thirty thousand students on the streets of
Kampala, he said were a security threat. He urged lecturers to return
to classes.
At the Wednesday meeting at Hotel Africana, the President was hesitant
to clarify whether he meant gross or a basic salary when he endorsed
the Shs 2.8 million pay raise for a professor. "Continuing to enhance
your salary is not a problem. I beg you to go back to teach," Museveni
said.
Plea to students
The chairperson Muasa, Dr. Augustus Nuwagaba appealed to the students,
parents and the general public to bear with them. He said their
struggle is aimed at improving the quality of education by keeping the
best brains at the university through appropriate remuneration.
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http://www.monitor.co.ug
Jonny
Thursday, 9th November, 2006 E-mail article Print article
NO LAUGHING MATTER: Makerere lecturers meeting yesterday
By Fortunate Ahimbisibwe
and Herbert Ssempogo
MAKERERE University academics yesterday snubbed President Yoweri
Museveni's request to call off their strike.
They said they would maintain the strike until the Government pays a
professor sh2.8m basic salary.
Some lecturers wanted the university closed as the strike enters the
seventh day today but the majority rejected this.
In an emergency general assembly at the Medical School, Mulago, about
300 lecturers said they had waited for the pay rise for too long.
"We have passed a resolution to maintain the strike and continue
struggling for our demands until the Government commits itself to meet
these demands. Our requests were not fulfilled by the President.
Instead, he continued making promises which have not been honoured in
the past," the Makerere University Academic Staff Association (MUASA)
vice-chairperson, Dr. Baker Nyakaana, said as his colleagues shouted in
agreement.
He said, "They are deliberately refusing to understand our
position." Museveni on Wednesday requested the staff to resume work
as a committee considers their demands.
MUASA executive were expected to communicate yesterday's resolutions
to Museveni and Prime Minister Prof. Apolo Nsibambi after the meeting
which ended at about 5:00pm.
Prof. John Barya of the law faculty, who was co-opted on the team,
said, "The struggle continues. That is the consensus. When you go on
strike and get nothing from it, how do you go back to teach? What would
you tell the students? We will look like fools. We will not go back
unless our demands are considered. We taught these people, they cannot
outsmart us."
Barya said the lecturers were willing to resume teaching if sh10.6b was
given to Makerere to enhance the staff salaries and cover arrears since
July 2006.
By last evening, military Police had been deployed at the campus which
was deserted.
MUASA also passed a resolution that all the 45 students remanded in
Luzira prison be unconditionally released.
"Whereas we condemn the hooliganism of a section of students, those
remanded should unconditionally be released," said, Dr. Bwana Simba
of the Social Sciences faculty.
Even those at the campus should not be put under house arrest, he
added.
"Even the lecturers and their families who reside at the campus
should not be held hostage," said one elderly academic.
MUASA chairman Dr. Augustus Nuwagaba said the staff condemns
hooliganism by students. "We asked the students to remain calm but
they refused and went on rampage. We do not support this kind of
hooliganism," he said.
On Wednesday, Museveni told the lecturers that the Government was only
willing to pay sh2.8m as gross salary including both government and
university council contribution.
They want a sh1.1m salary enhancement from the council maintained.
But the staff yesterday opposed this, saying it was a breach of trust
by the Government. Nyakaana read a letter written by Nsibambi, saying
the Government would pay professors sh2.8m.
An associate professor would earn sh2.48m, a senior lecturer, sh2.07, a
lecturer, sh1.53, an assistant lecturer, sh1.2m and a teaching
assistant, sh1.19m.
The head of gender and women studies, Dr. Grace Bantebya, said, "The
University Council made a mistake and reflected its contribution on our
pay slips. Other public universities did not do this and they got the
sh2.8m. Why is it only Makerere subsidising the Government to pay
academic staff?"
Computing and Information Technology dean Dr. Venansius Baryamureeba
said, "In 2004, we wanted sh1.1m from the University Council for a
professor and sh2.8m from the Government to make it sh3.9m. If the
Government says all this is its money, let them pay sh3.9m. We don't
mind where it comes from."
In a letter, the students reiterated their support for the strike.
Kampala Extra Police chief Grace Turyagumanawe met the student guild
leaders.
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http://www.newvision.co.ug
Mkakati
saw a post that reported that China had given UG $10 Million for trash
collection in Kampala.
Somebody must have asked for it and so that make me ask, did anyone
consider the University before trash?! Why can't that money be used to
help the University instead?
How committed in M7's government ot education if they are willing to
abuse students & staff and close Makerere University because they are
demanding what was promised to them years ago?
Mariam
perhaps they should beg for more money from China:-) kidding
there....they need to work out the issue at Makerere but would be
totally exuberant to substitute trash for education for both are good
catalysts to an economic stagnation of any country....Illiteracy,
Poverty, Diseases (trash make it here...as elaborated on the post you
have just made about cholera in DAR/ZNZ:-))
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