By Peter Ssebulime
The Quality Assurance Committee, the regulators responsible for monitoring and evaluating the quality of activities conducted in universities have advised lecturers to be vigilant while teaching students in universities.
Speaking to members of various university councils, Peter Kayizi Lwanga, a lecturer and member of Quality Assurance at Ndejje University condemned lecturers with a habit of teaching students while drunk. He warned that such lecturers risk losing respect and trust from students, and finally their professions could be in jeopardy since the Quality Assurance committee of such universities can make very drastic recommendations against such errant lecturers.
“Self-respect should come first in order to improve the quality of Education in universities. It’s a shaming that some lecturers come drunk in classes, some are poor time managers who disappoint students who come very far from their institutions to attend classes in time only to find those lecturers are nowhere to be seen, which results into failure to complete syllabus,” he said.
On the other hand Lwanga stated that research is still lacking in Uganda’s universities yet it is one of the four pillars that must be given priority.
He said every university must be committed to carry out research as a central part of its mission but here in Uganda it has not been satisfied.
“The expectation is that after carrying out research, it is practiced in societies for people to benefit in higher institutions since a big percentage of people especially in rural areas are illiterate,” he continued.
He called upon all university councils to always conduct self-assessments and see whether what their institutions are doing comply with policies and guidelines set by National Council for Higher Education (NCHE).
Meanwhile the vice chancellor Victoria University Dr. Krishna Sharma noted that in order for Higher Institutions to fulfill this, they must join hands and share knowledge to improve the quality of Education in order to benefit society.
“If we must do more to solve some of the current challenges the Education sector is grappling with, then the first thing we need to do is to come together and share knowledge as institutions for the benefit of the students and the country atlarge,” Krishna noted.
He noted that he was proud to note that the Quality Assurance Committee recognized Victoria University, which he heads, as one of the Universities that are fully compliant with all the Education guidelines as set by Gov’t.
