Gulu – The minister of Education and Sports, Ms Janet Museveni has expressed dissatisfaction on the status of Gulu University which was built on land that doesn’t belong to the institution.
The minister, also First Lady, was speaking to the institute officials and students at the university sports ground located in Laroo Forest ward in Laroo Division, Gulu Municipality on Wednesday May 9, 2018 during a monitoring tour of a Shs22.5 billion building project for the Faculty of Science and Agriculture funded by the African Development Bank (ADB).
“I was happy to see the University coming in term of infrastructures but I am impatient as the vice chancellor to see the University move to its rightful home because where they are living right now is not a conducive environment for learning, Ms Museveni said, adding: “ I too would love to see the University move to their rightful home as soon as possible.”
Ms Museveni expressed satisfaction with the the skyline of Gulu University was changing gradually which she believed will portray Gulu as a University town that will change the quality of lives of people living around as an added responsibility of a university existing in a rural environment.
She said students have a big role to play in helping the process of transformation of Gulu Municipality and Gulu District because she hoped their opportunity to learn from the institution will benefit the community in term of lifestyles, nutrition standards and decent dressing codes.
She advised student to embrace discussion as a way of conflict resolutions instead of strike which in most cases destroy the university.
She also prayed that students find peaceful means of resolving misunderstanding that comes from student and their leadership with the university.
” If there is anything you need to discuss, discuss it like modern learned people not by strike, not by going off like mad people,” Ms Musevenk said.
Gulu University Vice Chancellor Prof George Openjuru Ladaa said the University is grappling with problem in term of Infrastructural development due to lack of land.
He noted that the land where the new building that will house Laboratories, belong to National Forest Authority (NFA) and the issue is before parliament that NFA should degazette the land so that it can be used for development.
He requested the First Lady to prioritize the degazettement of the land where the new multibillion shilling building of the University is sitting.
Prof Openjuru noted that Gulu University is negotiating with Gulu District Local government to allow the institution have permanent ownership of the where the Main campus is located in Laroo Division.
He said the Gulu Main Campus is also sitting on the land that belongs to the defunct District Farm Institute (DFI) which is still the property of Gulu district.
“Sometime it is quite embarrassing even to say you are the VC of Gulu University because even the facility they are using does not even look like a facility of a good primary school.” Prof Openjuru said
He requested Minister of Education and sport to endorse any request for Development Fund that Gulu university would seek to enable them change the skyline of Gulu Municipality.
