Officials from Kyambogo University led by the Vice Chancellor, Elly Katunguka and the University Secretary Charles Okello have highlighted the need for government to increasing the funding for students’ meals from Shs 4,000 to Shs 10,000 per day.
The proposal was raised by the Kyambogo university officials as they interacted with the Parliament committee on Education on Thursday. They were presenting the university’s budget framework paper for the financial year 2019/2020.
The University Secretary told legislators that the issue of feeding university students especially those under government sponsorship is a matter that needs to be sorted out once and for all for the good of the students.
Okello said that following a meeting with the Minister of Education last year, it was decided that universities stop directly providing the meals for students but rather hire catering services which has since become a policy for all public universities.
“As Kyambogo University, we developed an out-sourcing policy where we have now established kitchens which can serve all the 33,000 students on their own choice,” Okello said.
“I want to inform you that we have only 2,800 government sponsored students out of the 33,000 and these are the ones we are struggling to feed”.
Currently, the government budget for each government sponsored student is Shs 4,000 which caters for three meals daily.
He explained to the committee that the University Management has gone through pains to negotiate with the service providers to agree to providing the three meals at the current budget.
Okello recommended that the committee intervenes and compels government to increase the funding.
The Committee promised to process the request which will form part of the committee report to the House.
