The principle of Unyama National Teachers College has asked for more funding from government to the institution to meet the rising cost of feeding students at the Gulu based institution.
Speaking during the recent 4th Graduation Ceremony in which 1,226 students were awarded diplomas, Bernard Barigye Byarugaba asked the government to double its funding to the teachers’ training institution due to rising food prices.
Byarugaba said the current grant being released by the central government to the college is too meager to support the running of the institution.
According to Byarugaba, government release only 1,800 for each of the 1,950 students as daily allowance including feeding.
The Principle says the money is inadequate to run the college since food prices have sky rocket over the years.
The principal of Gulu School of Clinical Officers, Grace Jennifer Aninge says her institution is also facing a similar challenge.
With the growing student number, Aninge said, the school has to spent between 2.5 to 3 million shillings each month to feed its 325 students.
She said with a kilo of beans currently costing around 4,000 shilling, they are facing challenges in feeding students.
She noted that though the government has tried to fund the running of the medical training institution, the high demand for food stuff in South Sudan has proved to be a headache as it has led to increase in prices of food stuff in the local market.
Currently, Government remits 4,000 shillings for each medical student to meet feeding costs in the medical school.
Gulu School of Clinical Officers spends around 20 million shillings in feeding, administration and utilities every month.
Web Elicard Nyabahika, the Assistant Commissioner in- charge of Teachers’ training in the Education Ministry tasked the institutions to work within the available budget.
Nyabahika says government currently does not have money to cater for the shortfall in funding to the institutions.
Recently, the Education Minister Jesica Alupo revealed that in the new financial year, government will increase funding to tertiary institutions in order to boost performance of students. Alupo, however, said the funds will be specifically to address skills gap among graduates in order to equip and make them employable.
James Owich
