As the new academic year 2024/2025 approaches, universities in Uganda are grappling with a significant challenge: over 1,600 academic programmes await review by the National Council for Higher Education (NCHE). With only two months left before the start of the new school year, this backlog threatens to disrupt the enrolment process and potentially invalidate the qualifications of future students.
The NCHE set a deadline of November 30, 2023, for universities to submit all academic programmes for re-assessment. Despite this clear directive, as of May 30, 2024, the NCHE website showed that 1,629 programmes were still pending review, 171 were under review, and 2,804 were active. This delay has created a precarious situation for universities and students alike.
Dr. Vincent Ssembatya, NCHE’s Director of Quality Assurance, emphasized the urgency of the matter. “No institution should enroll any student in a programme that is due for review. We want to fix the problem in our country. It is painful, but this mess should be fixed,” he stated.
Last year, the NCHE warned that any students enrolled in programmes due for review but not submitted would have their qualifications rendered null and void. This stern warning underscores the importance of adhering to the NCHE’s directives. In a letter dated November 30, 2023, NCHE Executive Director, Prof. Mary Okwakol, reiterated this stance, stating that enrollment in these programmes would be halted if universities failed to comply.
Despite the initial deadline, many universities have not yet submitted their programmes for review. Kyambogo University, for example, has 156 programmes due for review, with only 53 currently active and 17 under review. Other institutions facing similar issues include Kampala International University (115 programmes due for review), Makerere University (109), Ndejje University (94), and Uganda Martyrs University (75).
Recognizing the challenges faced by universities, the NCHE granted an additional two months for institutions to submit their programmes. Dr. Ssembatya indicated that NCHE would meet in August to approve more programmes that had been submitted for review. He noted that while NCHE meets quarterly (January, April, August, and November) to approve assessed programmes, it is unlikely that all 1,629 pending programmes will be approved in the upcoming session.
During their last meeting in April, the NCHE approved over 300 programmes. However, this rate of approval indicates that many programmes will still be pending review beyond August.
The directive from the NCHE has had varying impacts on universities. Makerere University, for instance, reported that only 60 of its programmes are either under NCHE re-assessment or before its quality assurance department. Prof. Buyinza Mukadasi, Makerere’s Academic Registrar, confirmed that the university had not advertised programmes whose statuses were “expired.”
Kyambogo University’s Vice Chancellor, Prof. Eli Katunguka, cited financial constraints as a barrier to timely programme review. He highlighted that government funding for workshops in public universities had been frozen, complicating the review process. Nonetheless, Kyambogo staff are working diligently to submit all required programmes for approval.
Busitema University also reported proactive steps, with Vice Chancellor Prof. Paul Waako stating that all their programmes had been submitted for review and they were awaiting NCHE feedback. He assured that students would only be admitted to fully accredited programmes.
The delay in programme reviews not only jeopardizes the immediate academic plans of students but also impacts the credibility of Ugandan higher education. In 2023, several international institutions rejected Ugandan graduates due to “expired” programme classifications on the NCHE website. This issue sparked public outcry and led to NCHE replacing the term “expired” with “due for review.”
To address the backlog, the NCHE has instructed all higher education institutions not to enroll students in programmes that are due for review and have not been submitted for re-assessment. Despite this directive, many institutions are struggling to meet the requirements, putting new students at risk.
As the NCHE prepares for its next meeting in August, the focus remains on resolving the backlog of programme reviews. Universities are urged to expedite their submissions to ensure compliance and avoid disruptions to the upcoming academic year.
At the time, 2,253 programmes were active, with 2,173 due for review, and 118 under review. This means about 500 programmes have been reviewed and approved by the NCHE since last year.
