Makerere University has appealed for additional Shs 47.5 billion to among others cater for salary enhancement and research in the financial year 2019/2020.
University Vice Chancellor, Prof. Barnabas Nawangwe, said that additional funding will go a long way in promoting research on key Government areas of concern, while donors funding is focused on different fields.
Nawangwe was meeting the Education Committee of Parliament handling the university’s budget proposals for the financial year 2019/2020. University officials presented their achievements and the priority areas for the new final financial year.
The Committee chaired by Hon. Jacob Opolot (Ind., Pallisa) also met Vice Chancellors of five other public universities including Makerere University Business School, Kyambogo University, Kabale University, Gulu University and Muni University.
“There are key research funders of the University including SIDA that have given more than US$8 million annually, as well as others like USAID, DFID and CDC, that may soon pull out,” said Nawangwe.
He told the Committee that the university required up to Shs50 billion for research a year, but that Government had only provided Shs30 million for the new financial year.
He also said that the University had received a proposal from Bridgin Foundation in Israel to fund its highly specialized and high tech teaching hospital and dental school.
“This hospital is badly needed because Mulago is now allowing other medical schools to bring their students to be taught from there… but we cannot regulate the quality of our graduates,” said Nawangwe.
He added that Shs530 million had been spent on setting up the institution’s dental hospital, with an additional Shs1.36 billion needed in the 2019/2020 financial year, to complete works on the hospital.
Muni University Vice Chancellor Prof. Christine Dranzoa told MPs that the institution urgently needed additional funding for effective physical planning as well as operationalization of its mandate.
“Muni University was a project demanded for by the community. If they do not see us doing what is expected by the institution, there will be many questions,” said Dranzoa.
Similar concerns on the need for additional funding for operationalization were also raised by Gulu University Vice Chancellor Prof. George Openjuru, which MPs said they would engage the Budget Committee of Parliament on, for possible interventions.
