Chairperson of Uganda Vice Chancellor’s Forum, Prof Venansius Baryamureeba
Government is challenged to strengthen the University and Tertiary Institutions’ Act and empower University Councils to run the affairs of Universities like any other statutory bodies which are independent. The proposal was made by the Chairperson of Uganda Vice Chancellor’s Forum, Prof Venansius Baryamureeba, while appearing before the Committee of Public Service and Local Government chaired by the woman MP for Zombo district, Grace Freedom Kwiyucwiny , responding to a petition by the Uganda non-academic Staff forum that petitioned parliament over poor pay.
Baryamureeba said that the amendment in the law will end Government’s intervention in the affair of the universities. He said the law is very weak and must be strengthened to allow public Universities to be independent like other institutions of Government which are governed by board of management when running affairs. He added that the university council should be independent and run universities without being compromised so that they can manage their own budget. Baryamureeba noted that on several occasions government has been at the fore front in addressing internal matters at public universities saying such anomalies can be put to rest if the University Council is strengthened.
Professor Venansius Baryamureeba went on to say that Ugandan universities are now exhibiting poor performance compared to others in the East Africa. He noted that according to research by the inter university council of East Africa, graduates from Uganda lack employability skills hence the cause of unemployment in the country.
He said that Ugandan universities train average people without imparting skills in them because of the little tuition fee that is paid by students that is not enough to facilitate and equip the universities. He suggested that government should come out and subsidise the education in all institutions like in South Africa and the student can pay 25% and the rest be funded by government.
The forum also recorded that as government is still working on the salary review commission, it should put in place an Inter university commission for public universities to carry out a job evaluation exercise. This will set salaries for the different job categories so as to guide and ensure equitable enhancement of all university academic and non-academic staff. Baryamureeba, when asked on sexual harassment in universities, said that there is a need to strengthen laws in universities though it cannot be done away with because it is a two way thing where lectures and students lure each other for money and sexual favors.