Last week, we reported that the university management suspended over nine students and warned more than 20 due to their involvement in the protests which were sparked off by the university’s fees policy that introduced a 15% cumulative tuition increment.
Today, Makerere University Council members faced off with Parliamentary Committee on Education and Sports to answer a few questions about the recent unrest at Uganda’s oldest and biggest Public University.
It was during this meeting that Bugiri Member of Parliament Hon Asuman Basalirwa asked the Makerere University Vice Chancellor Barnabas Nawangwe to drop the habit of expelling and suspending students and employ what he referred to as an amicable conflict resolution mechanism.
“When it comes to handling students be parental, expulsions and suspensions can cause tension. I would think that suspending students should be the last option. You speak to these students, engage them, you will be able to diffuse the tension,” said Basalirwa.
Basalirwa also expressed his concern on the fact that the Vice Chancellor suspended debates at the university, saying that a university is a marketplace of ideas so students should meet regularly and exchange ideas among themselves or with members of the public.