The National Council for Higher Education (NCHE) has halted dual admissions into medical and health sciences programmes, saying each training institution should have only one intake a year to optimise the quality of graduates.
However, Kampala International University (KIU), a private institution with three intakes a year (January,April and August), said they would engage the Council because they have strong reasons for having more than one intake a year.
Prof Mary Okwakol, the NCHE executive director, in a December 1 circular to all vice chancellors and principals, said the government is facing challenges in handling the high number of students graduating from the different institutions that offer medical and health sciences programmes.
Prof Okwakol added that the Ministry of Education and Sports and the Ministry of Health Inter-Ministerial Standing Coordination Committee has “categorically indicated that there are challenges encountered in students internship placements majorly attributed to two intakes a year by some institutions.”
“The challenges include the inadequate numbers of supervising staff, the limited number of facilities with requisite equipment to support student learning and budgetary constraints, among others,” the circular read in part.
Following these concerns, Prof Okwakol said during the 73rd sitting of Council held on October 13 that “Council resolved that intake/admission of students to all medical-related programmes should be only once a year.”
“The purpose of this letter, therefore, is to communicate the Council decision and urge all higher education institutions to implement the same for all medical and health-related programmes at your institutions,” she directed in the circular.
However, Prof Mouhamad Mpezamihigo, the KIU vice-chancellor, told Daily Monitor that they would have discussions with the NCHE about the need to make some adjustments.
“We received that communication. We will take it through our structures and consider comprehensively our health-related programmes. We will be able to work with NCHE in case there are special requirements. I don’t think this is just cast in stone, there are realities, reasons for dual admission in Ugandan universities,especially private institutions,” he said.
