Parliament has punched holes in the quality of graduates from Busitema University having learnt that it is understaffed.
Albert Mutungwire, the secretary at Busitema University shocked legislators on September 15th, 2022 when he revealed that the university is under staffed.
Apparently, Busitema University has only 29% of the required 50% minimum staff, leaving a gap of about 150 staff members.
Albert said that the university needs more staff across the 6 campuses in order to fill this gap.
“We need them across the board but more specifically in the Faculty of Engineering, Faculty of Medicine, Faculty of Agriculture and Faculty of Natural sciences,” he explained.
“We have 20 cases of those who are senior lecturers but now qualify to be associate professors. We have 10 cases of professors and 30 cases of lecturers who want to be promoted to senior lecturers,” he added.
Albert said that they (Busitema) had been subdued by the Finance ministry’s instruction to only recruit to replace departing staff.
Albert made the revelation as Busitema University management appeared before the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) to answer to queries in the auditor general’s report.
The committee also tasked Busitema University to produce evidence of their request for more staff and the education ministry’s letters on new recruitment.
Hon. Michael Mawanda, the Igara County East MP, said that the core mandate for the university is teaching and learning, and that he was surprised that the university has a 29 percent staffing level.
“This is the area we would like to interest ourselves in, because the knowledge you impact on students will have a far reaching consequence on the people. When you have a 29 percent staffing, then the output will be lacking and more so, you have separate campuses,” Mawanda said.
Busitema University also said that it is not only underfunded but also can’t expand infrastructure.
