Makerere University students protest at the Main Building over missing of lectures last year. FILE PHOTO
I was greatly impressed by Mr Davies Rwaba’s article titled, “We cannot afford to keep ignoring hooliganism at Makerere” which appeared in Saturday Monitor of April 18. He teaches communication skills at Makerere University.
I have always been disgusted by the increasing hooliganism at Makerere University which is becoming infectious to other universities. I wish to give the following causes of hooliganism and possible answers to it:
First, the staff/student ratio is so high that there is very little contact between students and the academic staff. For example, the staff/student ratio in the College of Humanities and Social Sciences is 1:70. It is 1:90 in the College of Education and External Studies. The ideal ratio for humanities is 1:30 and 1:10 in science related subjects. The actual ratio is 1:20. The major problem is in humanities. Under these circumstances, the academic problems of students are not addressed by the academic staff who are also poorly remunerated. The tutorial system which addresses academic problems of students has virtually collapsed.
Frustrated students who are not even known by the academic staff became attracted to hooliganism. Sometimes some members of the academic staff quietly support students. When I was Chancellor of Makerere University, I urged the vice chancellor and his team to reduce the student intake until the lecture rooms and other infrastructures match student intake.
When I ceased being chancellor, the university resumed increasing their intake because they wished to get money from private students in order to supplement its inadequate income. In order for the university to reduce its intake, the government which pays the university’s 60 per cent of the wage bill should pay 100 per cent of the wage bill. Fortunately, President Museveni accepted this proposal. Reducing the intake of students is essential because many students can’t fit in lecture halls! Students become frustrated because they cannot access their lecture halls and the lecturers. They become susceptible to hooliganism.
Second, whenever students strike, the academic staff tend to leave this problem to the central administration and to the University Council and yet they should be involved in solving the problems of strikes and hooliganism.
In order to involve the academic staff in addressing hooliganism, it is advisable for the vice chancellor to ask senate to request colleges, schools, wardens and the student guild to discuss the causes of student hooliganism and suggest solutions. Senate will discuss the recommendations and forward them to the University Council so that viable solutions to the problems of hooliganism may be formulated.
Third, religious leaders of the two chapels and one mosque should also address hooliganism and suggest their solutions to the vice chancellor.
Fourth, in some cases, the police officers have fraternised with students because they have children at the university. This is wrong. The police officers, who have so far done a good job in containing hooliganism, should be strict and arrest hooligans and take them to courts of law. The police officers should also protect the shops which are surrounding the university so that they are not looted by students.
Fifth, the university must install more CCTV cameras in strategic places so that they may capture the faces of hooligans who damage university property. The hooligans must pay for the damaged property and should be suspended from the university for a semester or for a longer period depending on the gravity of their case.
Sixth, the University Council should refrain from making unrealistic decisions. For example, it increased graduation fees from Shs90,000 to Shs200,000. This decision played into the hands of hooligans who damaged university property. It was essential to increase graduation fees but the increase was too high.
Seventh, if council is to make a decision on a controversial matter affecting either students or members of staff, the chairman of council and the vice chancellor should invite the chairperson of MUASA (Makerere University Academic Staff Association) and his or her team and some influential senior members of staff so that they may have an input in the proposed matter before it is discussed in senate and council.
It is important for the chairman of council to meet these people because sometimes the chairman and other members of council ignore the vice chancellor’s advice because they don’t fully understand the politics of the university. The chairman of council and the vice chancellor should also meet the guild president and his or her government so that they may have an input in the proposed matter.
There has been a tendency for the president of the guild and his vice president who attend council to disown matters regarding student welfare such as increasing graduation fees. The students should be shown the logic of increasing the fees so that they accept the level of increasing the fees.
Controversial matters
The chairman of council and the vice chancellor should meet the chancellor of the university so that he may have an input in the proposed controversial matter. They should also meet the dean of students and wardens so that they may have an input in the proposed controversial matter.
Finally, the chairman of the council, the chancellor and vice chancellor should meet the President and the minister of Education so that they may make an input in the proposal so that they do not disown the agreed proposal when students stage a strike opposing it. These informal meetings enhance good will. When a final decision is made by council and the students go on strike, the council should stick to its decision and if necessary, the university should be closed.
Eighth, in the past, whenever there were strikes at Makerere University, President Museveni who is the visitor to the university, used to intervene and solve the problems. However, it was realised that it is improper for a busy head of State to address strikes in public universities. The minister of Education, Science, Technology and Sports has the responsibility to work with the University Council to solve strikes.
In Tanzania, when students demonstrated against participating in national service and made false accusations against his vice president, president Nyerere was so annoyed that he caned the students’ leader. He also forced the university of Dar-es-salaam to close down so that all the students had to participate in national service. Students like other groups, have a right to demonstrate against any policy but they must not damage university property or the property of other people.
Ninth, the manager of the counselling department who normally gives a report to the vice chancellor, should also give a report to senate every three months so that senate should make recommendations to council. This method will enable the academic staff to capture the problems afflicting students.
Tenth, the dean of students who is a member of senate should submit a report to senate every three months concerning major issues afflicting students and the solutions to the problems.
Eleventh, President Museveni made a good decision when he pledged that a professor will get Shs15 million per month, an associate professor will earn Shs13 million, a senior lecturer Shs11 million, an assistant lecturer Shs9 million and a teaching assistant Shs5 million.
However, the President made a mistake when he ignored rewarding administrative staff because they support the academic staff in the running of their academic programmes. For example, technicians should be highly remunerated. We hope that this financial arrangement will enable the academic staff to concentrate on teaching students and in carrying out research.
Point 12 and 13
Twelfth, the role of a warden in forestalling student hooliganism. When I was a senior warden in New Hall (now Nkrumah), a warden played a key role in forestalling student hooliganism. The warden knew many of his/or her students. Those who had problems would approach him or her and the warden would attempt to address the problems. The wardens were coordinated by Mr George Kihuguru, the dean of students.
Students who failed to get living out allowances in time, would approach him and he would consult the ministry of Education to sort out the problem. The wardens and the dean of students knew students who were trouble makers and counselled them. The warden would visit the areas where non-residents stayed to approve them. Mr Kihuguru performed his functions so well that he was fondly referred to by students as Uncle George. Currently, the institution of warden has declined in efficacy. There are 4,000 non-resident students who are difficult to reach. Some wardens have ceased knowing their students.
Recently, when the role of feeding students was contracted to service providers, the university administration assumed that the work of the warden was greatly reduced and it was resolved that one warden must take charge of two halls of residence. This is a wrong policy which will further reduce the efficacy of the warden in addressing students’ problems.
Thirteenth, it must be pointed out that the basic cause of hooliganism is that some students are not properly brought up by their parents.
They lack moral values. These students need a lot of professional counselling so that they do not resort to practising hooliganism.
Lastly, the rules of the university must be gazetted so that they may have legal effect. This problem has arisen when students have appealed to courts of law when they have been dismissed from the university and the university has lost the case because their rules are not gazetted.
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