Students of Kyambogo University, a Banda based university are striking a day after the Vice Chancellor, Prof Eli Katunguka, suspended physical classes.
Professor Katunguka suspended physical classes after some members of Kyambogo University tested positive of #Covid-19.
Three students from the Department of Accounting in the School of Management tested positive of #Covid-19 but the latest information coming in from students indicates that the number of students who tested positive is more than the reported.
Students who are opposing this decision have started a strike by surrounding the administration block where most of the University top managers sit and they are demanding the management to change its decision and allow them continue with physical lectures.
Other students led by John Mbazira, the Guild President are moving in Banda and other surrounding areas shouting” say no to online learning “.
Students contend that they have suffered a lot while trying to use the Online system of learning which is not working for them.
Kyambogo university introduced Open Distance and Elearning-ODel system of learning when the government closed education institutions in 2020, since then students have complained about how ODel system has failed to work for them.
Fortunate Atuhurire a third year student says that suspending physical classes will not help in anyway and asks the administration to think about the impact of online learning to students.
Deborah Ampereza a bachelor of Accounting and Finance second year student explained that in her class, none of the students had managed to access the study materials online, and wonders why the university keeps on insisting on using online yet it failed in first place.
Students are also striking against surcharges the university getting from students who pay their school fees after six weeks. Kyambogo has six weeks policy of paying tuition to zero balance and when six weeks are done, a late payment fee of Shs50,000 is added and it has to be paid before doing exams.
Bruce Okello a second year student of bachelors of Community Based Rehabilitation, says that since the students have been affected by the pandemic too, the university should not continue charging them this surcharges.
Professor Eli Katunguka, the Vice Chancellor explained that the ODel system is opposed by a small group of students who are just after opposing everything in the University, adding that ODel has been there and it is a government’s measure of stopping the spread of #Covid-19.
The police together with UPDF have fought students who were protesting and the situation in University is coming back to normal.
According to statistics released by the Ministry of Health, the cumulative confirmed cases are now 44,074 and 358 people have died from the deadly virus. There are currently 140 active #Covid-19 cases.
The Ministry has called upon all persons who have received their first dose of the AstraZeneca vaccine and have completed between eight to twelve weeks to visit any designated vaccination health facility and receive the second and final dose.
As per the Ministry of Health guidelines, the university is now expected to trace and isolate contacts of the students who tested positive as away of slowing the spread of #Covid-19.
