Makerere University has requested for an additional Shs47.5 billion to cater for among others salary enhancement and research in the financial year 2019/2020.
The University Vice Chancellor, Prof. Barnabas Nawangwe, said the additional funding will go a long way in promoting research on key government areas of concern, while donors funding would be focused on different fields.
Nawangwe made the revelation this week while meeting the Education Committee of Parliament handling the university’s budget proposals for the financial year 2019/2020.The Committee chaired by Pallisa Member of Parliament Jacob Opolot also met Vice Chancellors of five other public universities including Kyambogo University, Kabale University, Gulu University, Makerere University Business School 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.”
Nawangwe 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.
