Students from different Universities under the guild leaderships have given National Council for Higher Education (NCHE) two weeks to address the mess in which over 1000 expired courses are currently being offered at institution of higher learning.
Addressing the press on Wednesday, Makerere University Guild President – Robert Maseruka lashed out at NCHE for its laxity yet students contribute lots of money to the regulating body annually.
Signaling a looming a demonstration at NCHE if the issue is not addressed in two weeks’ time, Maseruka had this to say: ““We cannot afford to have a course that is being advertised by this universities, admit students and certify them at the end of the day, provide certificates that they have graduated and at the end of the day you tell us that these same courses are expired.”
Alongside him were student leaders from Kyambogo and Mbarara University of Science and Technology who jointly called upon MPs to intervene in the matter at hand.
Since the rise of the expired degree reports across different media, universities have jumped in to quell the public outcry explaining that a number of programmes have since submitted requirements of the courses in question to NCHE.
“The University Management wishes to reassure its alumni, current students and stakeholders that all the University’s academic progammes are accredited by the NCHE. Management is following up with the NCHE to ensure that the pending reviews are completed without further delay,” partially reads a statement released by Makerere University administration on the matter.
“It is not anywhere in the law that an accredited programme that has not been reviewed on time is null and void! The NCHE should correct this anomaly and replace the word ‘expired’ with ‘under review’ –Kyambogo University Vice Chancellor, Prof Eli Katunguka said justifying that very many programmes at the institution were wrongfully marked expired.
