Makerere University students join their lecturers in a strike over pay. PHOTO | DAILY MONITOR
By RAYMOND TAMALE
The students joined the strike to add pressure to the University
administration to resolve a conflict with members of the teaching staff
over unpaid arrears.
The lecturers downed their tools two weeks ago. Student leaders
resolved on Monday they would join the strike unless the lecturers
resumed teaching immediately.
The strike comes a day after the university council failed to
agree with the lecturers under their umbrella Makerere University
Academic Staff Association (MUASA) on when their outstanding arrears
will be paid.
The lecturers are demanding $9 million in arrears for the last
eight months since February 2015 to June and another $5.5 million from
June to date which the university has failed to pay since 2015 when
government agreed to increase their allowances in the 2015/2016 national
budget.
Makerere has suffered recurrent strikes for years. They tend to
follow a pattern of non-teaching staff, teaching staff and students
causing significant disruptions to learning and teaching. Makerere in
main and oldest University in Uganda and has been ranked among the top
in Africa and the world, which ranking is threatened by the frequent
unrest.
The current strike by lecturers has disrupted learning and is likely to affect end of semester examinations.
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