The minister of Education for higher education John Chrysostom Muyingo has warned Uganda Christian University (UCU) not to violate the presidential directive to conduct examination online yet all learning institutions were closed.
Last month President Yoweri Museveni ordered for the shutdown of all institutions of learning across the country, as a measure that was intended to control the rapid spread of Coronavirus pandemic.
Although it was a health and preventative measure to save Ugandans some learning institutions went ahead with their programs using their online platforms. Such learning institutions included UCU which continued to demand students to do their course works and other programs via online platforms .
UCU took it business as usual and also organised online examinations for all students due to start next week on 6th April 2020. However, this move was opposed by students and some resorted to petitioning the university, while other students went to their area Members of Parliament (MPs) to help them.
On Wednesday during a plenary sitting, Gilbert Olanya, the Member of Parliament (MP) for Amuru Constituency raised a matter of national importance blaming UCU for disrespecting the presidential directive and continued to pester students tuition fees plus threatening them to seat for exams which will be delivered on the university’s Website.
“I want the Minister of Education to intervene in this situation. In my constituency, I know of 6 students from UCU that are burdened by the scheduled examinations. This is a serious issue. Now students, particularly in villages, are not allowed to move to trading centres where they can access the internet to do such exams. I honestly don’t know why do such institutions are still working?” he asked.
He also asked the minister to stop the university from pestering parents tuition fees in such a time when many people are not working. The university had put a deadline for tuition fees on Monday on 6th next week.
The Speaker of Parliament Rebecca Kadaga asked the minister to come out and analyse why some universities are still operating. Muyingo said that no university was privileged to remain operating amidst this pandemic of COVID-19 neither online or physically.
“All Ugandans whether in private schools or public schools are under government directives.By the closure of schools, the government meant that every school activity was supposed to shut down, including the running of any online activity. This must stop right now. I promise to intervene immediately,” he said.
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