The Ministry of Education and Sports is urging for increased funding to support essential activities in public universities such as staffing, infrastructure development, and research.
State Minister for Higher Education, Hon. John Chrysostom Muyingo, highlighted the need for additional funds in universities like Makerere, Mbarara, Muni, Soroti, Gulu, Busitema, Lira, Kyambogo, and Kabale in the upcoming budget for the financial year 2024/2025.
“The provision of extra funding will significantly enhance the operations of the universities, allowing them to compete effectively at both national and global levels,” stated Muyingo.
Minister Muyingo and State Minister for Finance, Hon. Amos Lugoloobi, made this appeal while appearing before the Committee on Education and Sports on Thursday, 22 February 2024.
Committee Chairperson, Hon. John Ntamuhira, emphasized the need to prioritize Shs89 billion in the next budget (2024/2025) to cater for salary increments for staff at public universities.
Lugoloobi recognized the importance of supporting national higher education institutions to accommodate the growing student population.
“The continuous rise in the number of youths enrolling in universities puts pressure on the resources needed to support the sector. The Ministry will carefully evaluate how to provide the necessary financing,” Lugoloobi explained.
He noted that more time will be required to align resources to support the request for additional funding and committed to presenting a report with final estimates to the committee within a month.
“We need to reassess our approach to consider the policies within the program and the required resources. It’s crucial to support these universities for optimal performance as the population increases,” Lugoloobi emphasized.
Hon. Michael Timuzugu (NRM, Kajara County) highlighted that adequate support for universities will contribute to nurturing a high-quality population that can enhance the national economy.
Hon. Ismail Muhammad Lomwar (NRM, Kotido Municipality) requested the Minister to update the committee on the presidential pledges made to public universities.
“I urge for transparency in providing details of presidential pledges to all public universities as it is unclear how much has been pledged and disbursed,” expressed Lomwar.
The Committee tasked the Minister to collaborate with the leadership of public universities to devise a plan for addressing the funding requests.
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Parliament of the Republic of Uganda.