Ugandan First Lady and Education and Sports Minister Janet Kataaha Kainembabazi Museveni or any of her three junior ministers is expected to inform the nation on the fate of expired university courses or academic programs and degrees after a revelation that has put the quality of the country’s higher education and the seriousness of administrators in a questionable state.
Parliament has summoned the Minister of Education and Sports to come to the House and explain to the MPs and the people they represent what will happen to those who were awarded degrees from expired courses and the hundreds of thousands studying the so-called expired courses.
During Tuesday, May 23, 2023 plenary, Deputy Speaker Thomas Tayebwa noted that the media was awash with stories on universities teaching what are being referred to as ‘expired courses,’ a revelation he observed was “a very big concern in the country.”
Tayebwa also revealed that he has received “very many messages” from parents and student leaders from many parts of Uganda inquiring about the fate of those pursuing expired courses and those who have qualifications in expired academic programs.
He went on to reveal that he had made consultations with officials from universities, the National Council for Higher Education (NCHE), and the Ministry of Education and Sports, and has since concluded that the matter should be given “serious attention.”
It was against this background that DS Tayebwa directed that the Ministry of Education presents a comprehensive response on the matter and the way forward.
“It’s therefore critical that ministry of education brings a detailed statement on this issue tomorrow. The country must be updated about the situation because some of the information I got from a very critical stakeholder was that the original statement on expiry of courses is a fake one. So we need clear communication and the government’s stand to avert this situation,” ordered Tayebwa.
“We want the government to reassure Ugandans that indeed those who are educated, their degrees/ courses are okay, and if they are not okay, what are you going to do about it? How do we make a declaration as a country that our courses/ degrees are expired? It’s so scary so it needs to be handled seriously.”
It remains to be seen if Minister Janet Museveni will turn up to present a statement on the matter or if she will delegate since she supervises three junior ministers under her docket: John Chrysostom Muyingo, the State Minister for Higher Education; Dr Moriku Kaducu, the State Minister for Primary Education; and Peter Ogwang, the State Minister for Sports.
As we have reported, hundreds of university courses and degrees are expired and some have already been rejected by serious universities abroad. (See Full List of expired courses for each Ugandan university, and what it means to study an expired course Here and There).
You can also see the list of 600 students who have been admitted on government sponsorship for Makerere University’s expired courses, and also read about the shocking story of a student who scored the maximum 20 points but was denied government sponsorship because PUJAB officials reportedly failed to download his results Here and There.
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