The minister of Education, Ms Janet Museveni in a statement released earlier today has blamed corruption for all the mishap that has been taking place at Makerere University over the past few days.
Comparing Makerere University and Uganda Christian University (UCU) tuition structures, the minister said corruption has much to do with the protest.
“Corruption has so much to do with what is happening at our Universities – not just Makerere University but several others. First of all, it is important to understand that Makerere University Management took the trouble to ensure that students were fully involved and consulted in the process of establishing an acceptable tuition fee structure for the Institution, through a series of consultations with the student leadership, and the outcomes were agreed upon by both three parties, as well as bench marking with other similar universities. How then do students turn around, afterwards, and accuse the University management of imposing “high costs” on the students?” she asked.
The Minister further questioned the motive behind Makerere University students’ protest against tuition increment and said most of the students at the forefront are “privileged ones” who are on scholarships.
“Many of these students are sponsored by Government, Master Card Foundation, State House while others are beneficiaries of the Higher Education Students Loan Scheme,” Ms Museveni said in the statement.
The minister also said she had learnt that some of the protesters are not students from Makerere or any other university in Uganda.
“I have learned with dismay that some of the people involved in this “demonstration” are not students from Makerere University or any other university for that matter. They are people who have made it their way of life to be paid to join any riot wherever it is happening. Apparently, the political opposition in this country – who are well funded “somehow” by some “unknown sources” – find it useful to pay unemployed young people to riot wherever and whenever they believe they see a viable opportunity,” she said.
This comes after a bloody strike by students over the 15% tuition increment that made the University Management rethink their decision and halt the increase in tuition leaving many students behind bars and others suspended.