I recently employed an ex-student from a school in Kitgum who completed Senior Four not suspecting that she was handicapped in the English language.
I dictated a message to her to deliver to a third party. When I read through what she had written I was saddened.
She displayed then and thereafter, no intelligible knowledge of the English language and she could only communicate in pidgin English or Luo.
Every day, she and I were very frustrated by the inability to communicate with each other properly. I have met and employed post Senior Four students and university graduates who are semi-illiterate and cannot communicate properly or at all in any subject they claim to have studied.
I employed one in my firm whose CV showed he had a university diploma in accounting. It later transpired that he had no clue whatsoever about accountancy or English. His fellow workers at the firm could not understand him nor understand them.
He resigned voluntarily after one month following his demotion and appointment as the firm’s cleaner. During his unfortunate tenure he never produced any report or communicated in English or in any other language about what he was doing in the office.
Universities and other institutions of higher learning publish reports of excellent results and hundreds of degrees but in practice, their paper qualifications do not reflect knowledge, intelligence or practical wisdom.
The standards and values of our universities in which many people have faith and pride are far below international standards.
Some years ago, colleagues and I were acutely embarrassed after we highly recommended a Makerere University graduate who had scored a starred First Class degree. We were recommending him to do MA at a UK University.
Unfortunately, after one year of abysmal term and sessional tests, his tutors recommended that he drops the MA programme and accept to be taught at the undergraduate level in that university. He refused the offer and opted to do a course in driving vehicles.
Several years ago, one well known university proudly published its results before the graduation date. It proclaimed that 40 undergraduates had obtained First Class degrees. Many educationalists and scholars questioned the methods of assessment used by that university.
Later, a spokesperson from the National Council for Higher Education (NCHE) is reported to have said that the university should have never been given a provisional licence to teach at degree level.
Subsequently, two other universities have been investigated and condemned for awarding “byoya bya nswa” or bogus degrees.
The first was condemned for awarding PHD degrees in the shortest possible duration of time when actually the graduates had either not researched into or been taught the subject for which they were assessed for these degrees.
The latest university to award bogus degrees has had its provisional licence to teach at the degree level cancelled by the NCHE.
NCHE had found that this particular university was awarding doctorates to foreigners who had not been admitted or studied at the university but were from foreign universities or were transferees from other struggling institutions of higher learning.
In the last decade or so, Makerere University has been fighting against the continued validation or presence of a fraudulent post graduate student who presented to the university’s department of graduation studies for award of Doctor of Laws, Honoris causa Doctor of Laws degree which is not researched for or awarded to graduates however eminently qualified but for recognition of either significant contribution to the study and knowledge of law to the community at large.
But this act which in other institutions is criminal was, and I believe, is still vehemently protected and concealed by some members of the faculty concerned and members of the university administration.
In conclusion, as Ugandans, we should be modest when praising and exposing our unfortunate pupils and graduates who are not responsible for the devaluation of their education. The Education minister could be advised to set up a fact-finding mission in the affairs and educational performance of all our institutions from nursery to the post graduate level and be guided by the mission which it is hoped, will be composed of highly motivated and qualified persons.