OP-ED: An Open Letter To Archbishop & Vice-Chancellor UCU University Mukono Over Rot At Mbale Campus

”RE: URGENT INTERVENTION INTO UCU MBALE CAMPUS.

Dear beloved Father in Christ (His Grace the Archbishop of the Anglican Church, Rev Kazimba Stephen). We hope this letter finds you in good health.

As concerned stakeholders of the Anglican Church and the UCU University in Mbale, we have failed to reach you in person and resorted to alarm our concerns to you through our open letter. We apologize in advance but it’s too much on us.

Our father in faith, for the past months, since our management changed our institution started swinging to its doomsday. The relationship between the institution and the centre became a bigger challenge. Our Mbale Campus is on the verge of collapse because of the strict and unfavorable conditions of the mother university in MUKONO.

Mbale campus does not do anything on its own, the policies shared there are totally unfriendly and it’s why our numbers are going down day and night. To start with a few;

All productive and Up-to-date courses are transferred from the university courses like law, and natural science courses are no longer there, post graduate and masters are shifted from there. Those who were continuing with masters are forced to do them online and it’s too complicated for example a student offering basic computing to do it online it’s embarrassing.

• We only have courses in social science, education and business which are totally uncompetitive in the labor market.
• Students are forced to do two sets of tests within a period of four days. For those on weekend programs do 4papers a day and if they perform they are never helped. This has affected their performance and the one with less pay is denied. But our people in Eastern are low earners but always struggle before the end of the semester to make a zero balance.

Even at zero balance most students we inclusive missed end-of-semester exams because of a policy that changed on the first day of exams. Some of the students came from far, and they couldn’t go back but the academic registrar demanded a financial statement even if students had the real requirements of a stamped passbook and clearance card/ registration from the center.

No one listened to the cries of the poor children whose parents had sold what they had hard to make it to the final payment. Those who missed almost struck but were deceived that the senator had approved for them to re-do the exams to our dismay we are forced to do forced retakes. You know how it hurts at a moment when a poor woman or man hustles and is disappointed by people of faith. We know that the church is built on faith and those in need should always be supported.

Our institution has become a business to only benefit those in positions, there is no friendly approach either. The mighty home to Christians is now termed the most corrupt institution in the region. When you visited students were shielded from reaching you because they were going to tell you what you had to hear though those in charge wanted you to hear what would make you happy.

His grace, our institution is fading up, and our local community has distanced itself from the university because of unfriendly grounds. We no longer invite even local leaders and visit any function and reference is made to our fundraising, even students didn’t turn up because their hearts are bleeding, the torture is too much. We can’t do without them, life moves on embracing one another and supporting one another. The mighty UCU MBALE which dominated is now the most disappointing one.

The universities staffs have factions they believe in, some assume a lot of power, and others have personal grudges and this affects us the students. In fact, we no longer associate with our leaders because it will lead to suspension and sidelining. We study in a life of shock and pressure. There is no connection between the staff and the students. We only have contact in lecture rooms where at times diploma classes are combined with bachelor’s at all levels.

So we write to you to immediately take up our matter and help us restore our past Glory, this university is our pride as Christians in eastern Uganda.

Kindly investigate the staff’s interests in failing the university. At one time some students were advised by staff to see how he or leave here and apply to Kabale and this student posted on his Facebook how he was disappointed on a staff from Kabale working in Mbale is decamping the university.

• Help us get better services. We are mistreated and study in an atmosphere we feel like a prison. Every time a policy changes from Mukono and it affects us, for example, the tests are too many. No brain is worthy of four papers a day.
• Let the administration also know that students are the prime customers and need special care, customer care is needed at this critical time.
• Let competitive courses be brought back to Mbale, we have books worth a billion in our library for both the master’s and relevant courses like law yet they are scrapped from the university.
• Let no student miss exams after full pay imagine with sur charges but disappointed by unprofessional decisions. On this matter, we have reported to the courts of law but we know that our good Bishop will respond.
• Let the church come back into the University’s leadership because it’s the foundational body and its guidance is always equitable. At the time the church had 50% leadership. The university was at its top.
• Let Mukono campus allow regional universities to make decisions, our regional universities suffer a lot and it’s we students who go through the pain.
• Let those who have finished graduate in time, many have lost opportunities because for one to receive a transcript sometimes takes a year or two years. And even graduating to be taken to MUKONO affects us a lot. Last graduation we lost lives in a road accident but it can be done in Mbale since it’s a marketing tool.

We finally apologize to whoever feels offended in our submission but we have a lot of pain and don’t want any other student to go through the same. Our hearts are bleeding, our parents got heart diseases, stroke and pressure after realizing that we were denied exams though had paid to zero balance.

We request that you visit us urgently and be allowed to interact with us the students directly or call us the students who missed exams and listen to us plus other people you feel can help you with clear information.

We look forward to your positive response.
Yours faithfully.

Written By Grieved Students Of Uganda Christian University – Mbale campus.”

Disclaimer: The opinions, views grievances, and statements made/expressed in the above article are not for the editor or administrators of this site.

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