Uganda national students’ association rejects students' loan scheme

UNSA leaders have rejected the students’ loan scheme in its current form and also demanding for a uniform grading system at all the universities in Uganda. Uganda national students’ association (UNSA) is one of the core advocates for the students’ loan scheme that was launched by President Museven in April this year.

Though the news of the loan scheme was received with great excitement, students’ leaders under their umbrella organisation, UNSA believe its unfair for the national scheme to only cater for science students.

They also think students are not involved in the planning and running of the scheme despite the fact that UNSA leaders had lagged behind in running such a scheme.

According to a press release that The Campus Times got, The leaders stress that allocating only 5 Billion shillings to this students’ loan scheme to cater for 1000 students studying science based courses is an insult to the students of Uganda.

“Its an insult to the legislators who made a well researched legal frame work to manage the scheme, an insult to the competent board charged with managing the scheme, and a mockery of the significance of affording a citizenry their right of access to higher education,” the part of the statement read.

This is in light with an array of questions of our current reality including; the fact that none of our neighboring countries is funding less than 20,000 students in such a scheme. For example Tanzania with double our population is financing over 51,064 students meaning as par the scheme it’s 51 times ahead of us instead.

This we argue in light of the fact that despite the fact that it did not have a clearly stipulated legal frame work to manage it, the state house scholarship which parliament by section 42 of the Higher education financing Act recommended that it be converted to the loan scheme had over 30 billion.

UNSA leaders argue that the most needy of our society, hardly excel in sciences not because they are not smart enough but because they are not well facilitated and therefore catering only for scientists shifts the vision of the scheme from “Access to higher education for all Ugandans” as it is right now to perhaps “Promotion of science and technology.”

The press statement released by UNSA continues to read as follows:

Though we realize the importance of sciences, we also note that decisions cannot be taken totally independent of the realities we have in our society.

OUR DEMANDS
PREMISED on the above, and
EMPOWERED by our constitution which in it’s preamble states;
“AWARE, that by virtue of the position we occupy in our society, we are the vanguard of the youth and have a duty, by our endowments of enlightenment, energy and selflessness, to play a leading and progressive role in the building of a free, peaceful and prosperous Uganda;

CONVINCED, that our interests as students and the interest of the people of Uganda are complementary and mutually advantageous and that nothing should divided us from the people since we are one and together we have a common destiny.

COMMITTED to the fight against oppression, injustice and exploitation of the Africans wherever they are and conscious of our moral obligation to give our solidarity and unflinching support to all those who are fighting for freedom wherever they may be in the world;”
We reject the students’ loan scheme in its current form, and ask government to stop joking with the scheme, and allocate it a reasonable amount.

Additionally, we refute the proposal that the scheme should initially cater only for science students, and move that owing to the need for promotion of sciences, but also the status quo of our students’ population especially in the category targeted by the scheme of the poor, we should instead create a ratio like say 3:1 in favor of sciences.
Only then, shall the overview on the ministry of education website about the scheme which says;
“The NRM government under the leadership of the President of Uganda seeks to ensure equal opportunities for all Ugandans to attain higher education through the introduction of a students’ loan scheme for higher education.” Make sense!!!

2. Non uniform grading system.

1. Non Uniform grading system.
It is on record that as per now, there is no uniform grading system for Universities in Uganda, and each of them is using one that it deems fit. This is despite numerous calls from student leaders to the National council for Higher education, and the ministry of education to harmonize this in order to give credibility to Ugandan awards, and to save students from unfair grading systems.

For example whereas a student at Islamic University in Uganda (IUIU) with a C.G.P.A(Cumulative Grade Point Average) of 3.9 has a second class lower degree, one at Makerere university with a C.G.P.A of 3.6 has a second class upper degree. This gives a student from IUIU an unfair disadvantage in the job market.

We therefore ask the ministry of education, and national council for higher education to sort themselves and harmonize the grading system within two weeks or else we shall mobilize the students in university to exercise their right of demonstration against the said bodies in a manner we shall deem fit.

What is UNSA
UNSA-Uganda National Students’ Association is the body that unites all students in Uganda and Ugandan students’ abroad. This includes national and foreign students. It was formed in 1988, and has numerous objectives among others promoting unity, awareness, peace and development in Uganda, Africa and the world at large, through building self reliant individuals as per the mission.

UNSA is a democratically elected National Students Council (NSC) formed under Section 30 of the Education Act.

UNSA as constituted is the voice and support of students in post primary academic institutions under the official Patronage of the President of the Republic of Uganda.

Drafted by: Matanda Abubaker, President National Executive Committee