Empty plates, empty promises: The plight of university students

“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness,... it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us….”

This opening statement that I borrow from the book, A Tale of two Cities is one of the most iconic phrases of literature. I say this not merely because of how much attention it has garnered in the world of literature but also because of just how it reflects much of the dilemmas of our current society.

For the thousands of university students in the country, I believe, my assertion has sufficient resonating ground. The past days have seen an uproar or better described as an outcry from university students particularly for government sponsored students in Makerere University over the status quo of hunger exacerbated by delayed provision of food and living allowances. 

The sponsorship , which is a goal/dream for majority of the students studying at A-Level, covers the full tuition for the whole course programme period in addition to entitling the beneficiary to food allowances(for all ) and living allowances (for those who reside outside the university halls).

However, there is no particular timeframe within which these allowances are meant to be remitted to the beneficiaries and constantly, there have been and there are delays in the process of remittal.

For almost every academic year within the past three or so academic years post the Covid lockdown, the delays have been very rampant, culminating into student protests before action is taken to provide the allowances.

Currently, the situation is no different, with the current academic semester having moved by close to three months now yet less than a quarter of the allowances were remitted. For many government sponsored students, these allowances are the basic source of survival.

You will find that some students even share a portion of their limited allowances with their families back home, yet these allowances frequently arrive only after considerable struggle and effort by the students.

The consequences are of course dire, starting with the pressing issue of student hunger.

There are always passing jokes which in fact are a reality that a university student's biggest problem is food and for the most part , that is a glaring reality on ground. Hunger among these university students is an urgent issue that requires immediate attention and delays in the provision of living allowances for government-sponsored students leaves many of them struggling to afford basic needs, including food, which severely impacts their wellbeing and academic success.

Recently, information shared on X (formerly twitter) is to the effect that the university puts the blame for the delay on cuts by the government. However, one would ask themselves whether this has been the case constantly over the years or more still, if this is how matters are handled, still moving forward with this huge problem of student welfare at hand.

Also, one would question the issue of priorities both for the government (the relevant ministry that may have affected the cut) and the university at large. There are serious questions. For example as to why university administrations would prioritise costly commissioning events for new buildings over the immediate welfare of students needing food allowances. These decisions by those in responsive offices ultimately appear misaligned and out of touch with the urgent needs of students and highlight the core challenge of prioritisation in programmes in government institutions.

Generally, there is a need to address this issue in a timely manner. This dilemma of hunger among university students transcends mere policy concerns, it is fundamentally about basic rights and the need for prioritisation. Timely and adequate distribution of allowances, coupled with a transformation in government priorities, including putting in place timelines for the disbursement of allowances is key in that regard.

We don't need to look very far for positive examples. South African institutions have implemented meal vouchers and other sustainable and timely support mechanisms to prevent students from experiencing hunger. These initiatives illustrate that thoughtful policies and support systems can indeed create a significant impact.

Mahad Kisuze Mugaya [email protected]

Law student and programmes officer at Lex Amica.