The answer is a BIG NO… Knowledge per se may not expire, it can be improved on, added on, redefined and reorganised but to expire No.
‘…this country was and still is our ideal and aspiration in matters of education…Makerere was the dream and pride of our generation, as we pursued secondary education…this can’t be good for Uganda…it sends out a very scaring image…it might be irreversible…’. Mzee BSN was startled by the trending contradictory messages about university courses in Uganda.
In order to contextualise this discussion, its important to understand that University courses themselves do not have an expiration date in the traditional sense. The knowledge and concepts taught in a course do not suddenly become irrelevant or obsolete after a certain period of time. However, the context and requirements surrounding certain fields of study can change over time, which may impact the perceived relevance and value of specific courses.
It’s important to note that the concept of courses “expiring” is more related to the need for continuous improvement and adaptation within the education system, rather than an inherent expiration of knowledge itself.
‘What exactly does it mean for a university course to expire? Is it the content that expires? Is it the mode of delivery that expires? Is it the relevance of the course in the economy that expires?’. Nomenclature and mode of delivery can change but the essence remains the same. In marketing management for example, we used to measure customer satisfaction using Customer Satisfaction Index (CSI) as a standard tool…upon which software like CRM have evolved and now in vogue. But the essence remains the same across time and space: a gratified customer.
The same applies to university courses: constant updates both in content and mode of delivery should be an on-going process of continuous professional development, not a subject of fees payment! This is wrong. Even beyond students and parents, this development has implications about education in this country.
Degree qualifications from Uganda now will be subjected to suspicion. And since it is the awarding institutions that do the certification of authenticity, even this will no longer be enough guarantee about the knowledge, the skills, capacity and aptitude of the degree holders.
With liberalization, education now conforms to what Prof ABK Kasozi refers to as universities becoming merchants and students/parents the customers buying the goods offered. A typical market place like any other. Perusing the circulating messages about ‘expired’ courses, Mzee spotted one reality that we had not bothered to focus on: NCHE collaborates with Cambridge University in this matter of university courses accreditation. And Makerere, the magic word in East Africa, argues Mzee, can be our Cambridge in Uganda.
Instead of each new university developing its own courses and seeking approval and accreditation, let Makerere University take over the role. Thus, regardless of where the course is taught, students and parents will be comfortable knowing that they are receiving Makerere University education. No one doubts primary and secondary education curriculum because is all developed by the National Curriculum Development Centre (NCDC).
Makerere University in this case, becomes the NCDC for tertiary education. It becomes our Cambridge. The truth is that there is nothing fundamentally different in these courses, regardless of the university. Moreover, even for private universities, offering programmess and courses with a ‘Makerere’ touch is a marketing plus, even at a purely ‘commercial’ level. Recall the ‘name’ battle between Makerere main campus and Makerere Business School? Therein lies the magic.
Those not so keen about ‘autonomy’ can actually work with Makerere in an affiliation arrangement. The ideal, according to Mzee, would be the national university having evenly distributed campuses for the various colleges, across the country, the way France has Université de Paris I, II, III…on different campuses.
The Council can supervise and do quality control on the mode of delivery. Pending this radical reform, in the interim, NCHE should not punish innocent students and parents. If universities and other tertiary institutions default on the course accreditation fees, NCHE should issue threats of withdrawing provisional licence, licence or charter for those that are chartered.
And talking of chartering, what qualifies a university to receive a charter? What is the difference in weight between a degree or diploma awarded by a provisionally licenced university, a licenced university and a chartered university? NCHE can throw some more light on this.
"Let Makerere University take over the role [of course accreditation] and become our Cambridge in Uganda."
Photo Credit: Image by Clker-Free-Vector-Images from Pixabay
