Uganda Christian University finds itself inextricably mired in the mother of all academic scandals after allegedly misleading students to apply for a course it knew they did not qualify for.
A group of close to thirty 2015 graduates of Bachelor of Nursing Science have come out to pin the Mukono-based university for having misrepresented to them in the course of their admission that “anyone with a principal pass in Biology and any other science subject” qualified for the course whereas the actual requirement was a principal pass in both Biology and Chemistry, but not Biology and any other subject.
Through their leader whose name is withheld on request, Campusbee has learnt that the aggrieved graduates were admitted for the four-year course in 2011 even though they lacked a principal pass in Chemistry which was a mandatory requirement before they should have been admitted.
The students allege that whilst being invited to apply and enroll for the course, the university indicated that anyone who lacked the principal pass in Chemistry nevertheless qualified, upon which assurance they applied – and were later admitted – for the course.
After spending four precious years pursuing what they thought would be a genuine degree and expending considerable amounts of money during the four-year duration of their course paying tuition, research and functional fees, for what they thought would be their lifetime career, the students received the shock of their life when they learnt that they were illegally admitted since they lacked a principal pass in their Chemistry results of A Level.
The disillusioned students claim that when they were finally granted audience with the university authorities to chart a way forward, the university vice chancellor simply advised them to “pray about the situation”.
Emails sent to the public relations office of the university seeking a comment on the issue were still unanswered by press time.
