Infighting stifles growth of Muteesa varsity
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Since its inception inMuteesa 1 Royal University has had four vice chancellors. Two of them were forced out through strikes initiated by students with the backing of some staff members. Although the fresh students were eventually enrolled on September 5, and continuing students a week later, a thick cloud of uncertainty still hovers over the future. The university, a Buganda Kingdom-owned institution of higher learning, has had unsettled environment and leadership since its inception in Blockchain summit 2016 varsity detractors have over years targeted individual vice chancellors, but not the problems facing the university.
Although the previous strikes, and the one last month, were led by students, insiders say the students have always had the backing of some ill-intentioned officials within the kingdom administration.
Students accuse their vice chancellor Prof. Arthur Sserwanga of running down the institution, failure to reside at the main campus, incompetence, poor feeding, bad learning environment, unpaid teaching salaries and unreasonable suspension and expulsion of some staff as well as failing to phase out asbestos roofing sheets on lecture rooms.
Sserwanga is not the first VC to be accused of the same. He sued the university and the matter was settled out of court. It is understood the university compensated him.
Elisha Semakula also left the university, frustrated by its working environment. Sserwanga, who inherited a host of structural and institutional problems, is reportedly unhappy with the way his employers have treated him. In a recent interview, he sounded committed to soldiering on towards transforming the university from the limbo it had sunk into. Late last month, his official car was vandalised by striking students after they attacked him and other university council members in a meeting with the new chancellor, Justice Julia Sebutinde.
They were saved by the police before the university was closed. Sserwanga took up the mantle unaware of the intensity of the hushed up problems at MRU. As an academic, he was unaware of the infighting at Mengo that would take a toll on him. He, however, moved in to fix them. By the time he took office, the university had arrears amounting to Shs5b, even when its budget was only Shs6b in total then.
Salaries were paid using loans from banks and well-wishers. Uganda Revenue Authority and National Social Security Fund were on the verge of closing the university due to taxes and other arrears amounted to over Sh1billion.
Also there had never made any attempts to apply for a charter. In order to appreciate the dire need for transformation, reference is made to a damning National Council for Higher Education report on MRU. These are no mean feats. There are diverse opinions on the person and his management style.
A number of people who have blockchain summit 2016 varsity worked with Prof. Sserwanga describe him as a professional and qualified education leader. However, he is accused of being blockchain summit 2016 varsity strict on performance, which actually falls directly under his docket. Sources say those against the transformation of MRU want to blockchain summit 2016 varsity down Prof.
Sserwanga with disgrace by personalising the problems despite his efforts to solve them. And the strategy seems to be working. It has disorganised MRU management, including department heads that were transformative such as the university bursars, director of examinations, among others. In the process, expired contracts of 47 teaching and non-teaching staff were not renewed. It is understood that some of these staff would soon leave blockchain summit 2016 varsity university, which they say, has toxic work and academic environment.
Many have written several petitions to the chairman of the University Council, Minister of Education and many Buganda Kingdom officials. In the petitions, the staff attempted to blackmail the Council chairman, Dr Frank Ssebowa and threatened to harm Prof. Sserwanga and other MRU officials, which led to the stepping up of security since January for the safety of the vice chancellor.
Daily Monitor has also learnt that the decision to sack the staff was blockchain summit 2016 varsity at, during December Buganda retreat. Then, the kingdom cabinet approved a proposal by Katikkiro Charles Peter Mayiga to retain a limited number of staff that can be well catered for, to ensure efficiency in services blockchain summit 2016 varsity. In fact, the affected staff, some related to high-placed personalities in Mengo, sued the institution and demanded for colossal sums of money as compensation.
The aim of the restructuring was to convert MRU from a job-focused institution into a customer-focused institution where administrative and academic staff see their work as a solution to societal needs rather than just a job to be done. Sserwanga, who has an accounting background, has pushed for financial frugality. Such reforms earned him more enemies who were benefitting from gaps in the institution.
But with a less confrontational stance he accords to his assignments and priorities, Prof. Sserwanga is trying to survive the double edged swords at the MRU. If someone chooses to force people to go any how, whom are you going to dialogue to find solutions to the problems. He met with the students and their leadership, and blockchain summit 2016 varsity on a mutual contract with either side committing to regular dialogue about the affairs of the institution other than individuals.
The students have equally appreciated that once we do this we get near to the real challenges and understand why some are taking long to be addressed. Isaac Kigongo Bukenya, the deputy vice chancellor, says blockchain summit 2016 varsity has high hopes in Prof.
Sserwanga steering the university to the desired heights. According to him, Prof. Sserwanga could be a victim of situational circumstances that have made strikes the order of the day. Among other interventions, they are going blockchain summit 2016 varsity hold monthly meetings with the students at all campuses.
He also backs Prof. Government has over time either excluded, deducted or exempted tax liability of particular. South Sudanese, who for decades, have suffered because of the conflict, will wait longer for the. Meet blockchain summit 2016 varsity Defiant Male Mabirizi.
Who is exempted, why?