Student leaders from four public universities in Uganda have issued a stern warning to the National Council for Higher Education (NCHE), stating that they have two weeks to accredit all courses labeled as “expired” or face mass demonstrations at the NCHE headquarters in Kampala.
Robert Maseruka, the Guild President of Makerere University, and Edrine Wafula, his counterpart from Kyambogo University, expressed their dissatisfaction with the NCHE, claiming that the regulatory body has no valid reason not to accredit the courses. They highlighted that students contribute a fee of Shs20,000 each year to the Council, making its inaction unacceptable.
Maseruka, accusing the NCHE of defrauding students, warned of the consequences if he were to gather all affected students and alumni from various institutions to protest at the NCHE offices. The student leaders demanded immediate action and accreditation of the courses in question.
In response, the vice-chancellors of the implicated institutions denied teaching expired courses, asserting that the NCHE had misinterpreted degree and diploma programs that had undergone restructuring, merging, or discontinuation. They explained that they had submitted the necessary documentation for review, adhering to the accreditation requirements stipulated in the Universities and Other Tertiary Institutions Act of 2001, as amended in 2006, and were awaiting a long-delayed decision from the NCHE.
The Council, in a statement released following the student leaders’ ultimatum, addressed the matter but provided little information regarding the origin of the problem or their counter-accusations. Instead, the NCHE directed the affected institutions to submit the pending programs for accreditation by November, emphasizing that the responsibility to ensure accreditation lies with the institutions themselves.
Maseruka, the Makerere Guild President, criticized the NCHE for its management flaws and perceived lack of seriousness in addressing the issue. He was joined by student leaders from Mbarara University of Science and Technology and Kabale University, who expressed concern about the credibility of courses that had been advertised, admitted students, and granted graduation certificates, only to be labeled as expired later on.
The student leaders called upon Members of Parliament to intervene in the situation and urged for a collaborative effort to ensure that the expired courses are accredited, ensuring the safety and legitimacy of the qualifications obtained by students.
It is worth noting that the NCHE Board is chaired by Kyambogo Vice-Chancellor Prof Eli Katunguka, which came as a surprise to Guild President Wafula, as Kyambogo University was among the institutions with the highest number of programs labeled as “expired.”
The student leaders from various universities expressed their intent to await further information from the NCHE to determine the appropriate course of action, highlighting the critical role the Council plays in ensuring the quality and accreditation of higher education programs in Uganda.
As the deadline approaches, all eyes are on the NCHE to see if they will address the concerns raised by the student leaders and take the necessary steps to accredit the disputed courses, ultimately resolving the tension and potential disruption in the higher education sector.
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