By Otai James
Uganda — Deputy Speaker Thomas Tayebwa has blamed the current expired course crisis on misuse of strong words and directed the National Council for Higher Education to declassify ‘expired’ courses as “under review”.
While presiding over plenary on Wednesday, May 24, 2023, the Deputy Speaker also challenged the Ministry of Education and Sports on its program accreditation and review policy.
“Sometimes we love using string words without knowing the impact they can have. Why use the word expired? Hon. Muyingo, you need to write to the National Council for Higher Education so that these programs are marked as programs under review.” The Deputy Speaker ordered— noting that the word expired is being used unnecessarily.
“When you say a bachelor’s degree’s curriculum is reviewed every five years, when you have a course like medicine, which takes five years, it means by the time a student is graduating the curriculum has expired or is expiring,” he said, adding that this is not tenable. Why are you causing a national crisis?”
Deputy Speaker of the Parliament of Uganda Thomas Tayebwa
This follows media reports on ‘expired’ academic programs.
At least 1,470 programs have expired over the last five years, according to statistics obtained from the NCHE.
The list of affected universities and other tertiary institutions includes both public and private academic institutions, but the biggest universities are the worst hit.
The affected programs include both graduate and undergraduate courses, and the expiration period differs according to the academic institutions.
Presenting a statement on the validity of accredited academic programs offered by NCHE, the State Minister for Higher Education, John Chrysestom Muyingo, said the “expiry” of accreditation, as reflected on the NCHE website, means that the program needs re-assessment to establish whether the key aspects upon which accreditation was granted are still in place.
“Institutions with programs requiring reassessment have been urged to submit them for reassessment as soon as possible, in any case by November 30, 2023,” he said.
Dr. Muyingo assured the public that the qualifications of graduates on programs that have received prior accreditation, in accordance with NCHE minimum standards and regulations, are valid.
“In the process of program review, some higher education institutions have found it necessary to delete, merge, and/or improve the existing accredited programs.” The changes ought to be communicated to the NCHE for an appropriate update of the program database at the NCHE,” he said.
The qualifications awarded by higher education institutions in Uganda are highly regarded both at home and abroad. Graduates from these institutions continue to receive international admissions, recognition, and acclaim,” he said, disassociating the ministry from all media reports on alleged expired programs.
“This is so as to avoid the circulation of fake information that could alarm the public. We, therefore, call upon the public to seek the right information from the National Council for Higher Education to allay any anxiety about the validity of programs.”
The Attorney General, Kiryowa Kiwanuka, called for calm, saying all courses are valid.
“The country needs to remain calm; there is no law that provides for the expiration of courses. The courses are still valid. It was just a bad choice of word,” AG Kiwanuka said.
The Kiboga District Woman MP faulted NCHE and university managers for failing to do their part.
“These universities in question advertise for enrollment, get tuition, teach students, and even publish the graduation list when you know the course is already expired. I put much blame on the responsible officers in universities,” Hon. Kaaya said.
Bigiri Municipality MP Asuman Basalirwa said that once a program has been accredited and the university has a charter, the idea of periodic reassessment, in his view, becomes superfluous.