KAMPALA — Victoria University has slashed tuition fees to help ease financial pressures on students and their families sparked by the coronavirus pandemic.
The University has reduced its fees by 50 per cent for new entrants.
The University Vice-Chancellor, Dr. Lawrence Muganga, explained that the new entrant will pay UGX 938,000 for tuition per semester down from UGX 1.7 million and UGX 650,000 in functional fees from UGX. 860,000.
According to Dr. Muganga, the decision stems from a survey carried out between August and September last year involving 10,713 students, which showed that almost 50 percent couldn’t pay tuition resulting from the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Dr. Muganga noted that the new tuition structure is intended to help students achieve their dreams at a much lower cost, graduate and meet or exceed their expectations.
He also said Ruparelia Group, which owns the university has offered 1500 scholarships for learners who are unable to pay fees.
Higher education institutes across the country have come under fire for charging full tuition fees while classes have been moved online.
Some universities said they will not be refunding or reducing tuition fees.
For example, students of the Islamic University in Uganda-IUIU have petitioned their administrations over the University’s zero balance policy and the demand for payment of functional fees.
The petition led by two Law students explains that it is unfair for the University to insist on enforcing the zero balance policy, for a semester that they did not spend at campus following the closure of educational institutions in March, last year as one of the measures to forestall the spread of coronavirus disease.
At the time, the learners were in their second semester of the year.
According to the university, the learners were expected to pay a sum of UGX 990,000 as tuition fees, UGX 375,000 as payment for Hostel/accommodation and UGX. 40,000 as medical fees.
But Abdulswamad Ssebayigga, one of the petitioners said that when they returned for the examinations in January, the University asked the students to pay up to 100 per cent of the University dues.
He added that the implementation of the policy was based on the understanding that there was 100 per cent utilization of services.
