A scuffle ensued between police and students this morning at Mbarara University of Science and Technology after the latter went on strike challenging a new policy introduced by the administration targeting anybody who fails examinations.
According to the new retake policy, every student who fails a paper must pay 50,000 shillings for each paper retaken and once a student fails two papers, he/she automatically gets a dead year.
Initially the policy put shillings 200,000 for each paper retaken and once a student fail three papers, he or she automatically get a dead year. This was however redesigned after a students' protest on the 23rd of August and the amount was reduced to 50,000 Shillings.
Now, students claim they were not part of the deciding process and their views were not incorporated in the new policy.
Students today morning abandoned lectures and pitched camp in the University grounds demanding for audience with the Vice Chancellor, Professor Therestine Obua.
They also carried placards, some of which read: "We cannot pay 50,000 shillings for retakes", "We are no longer fools", "Enough is enough "and "University failed to listen" among others.
They were also chanting songs that are anti-University administration branding it as incompetent.
The students accused the administration of failing to ensure that there is steady supply of electricity and water at the University premises.
Students later retreated to their halls of residence after they failed to meet the vice chancellor while others remained camped in the compound in small groups.
Police has also pitched camp at the University to avert any possible chaos. The Mbarara district police commander Jaffar Magyezi, says that the police is to ensure that the situation does not get out of hand.
