Universities should be considered in the new curriculum debate – Prof Mpezamihigo

(L-R) Prof Tayo Arulogun, VC KIU Prof Mohammed Mpezamigigo (c) and Prof Chukwuemeka Diji during the press conference on Friday. photo by Eve Muganga

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  • He added that the National Council for Higher Education and Vice Chancellors Forum must have a conversation focusing on the future of University Education visa-vie what is happening atlower levels.

The Kampala International University (KIU) Vice chancellor Prof Mohammed Mpezamihigo has appealed to the Ministry of Education to give a chance to universities to also debate on the new secondary curriculum.

“The entire education system of this country is linked from the bottom to the top and so if they are going to be reforms, it’s so important that all sections of the education systems are analysed, studies are done and comparisons are made such that whatever happens at the lower levels of our education system will have a significant impact for the upper levels,” he said at a press conference on Friday held at KIU while showcasing the centre of excellence in entrepreneurship and innovation centre after being ranked as the best private university in Uganda by the webometrics.

“The universities have got to have the interest in knowing what is happening in the lower levels, because at the end these students who join the universities will have spent minimum of seven years of primary, six years of secondary and by the time they join universities they have been formed in a particular direction in terms of communication, writing skills, knowledge and attitude. It’s a whole package so we think for us as universities the education service providers ought to have interest,” Mr Mpezamihigo said.

He said universities must participate in a debate of the review of the new curriculum for secondary education, because many of the students who are in secondary school would like to have a future via universities.

“Now the fundamental question is what is going to happen to university education? Do we now vocationalise?” he asked.

He added that the National Council for Higher Education and Vice Chancellors Forum must have a conversation focusing on the future of University Education visa-vie what is happening at lower levels.

“I don’t think universities have actually thought about reviewing their own curriculum in preparation to receive the would-be future and I think there’s some homework to be done,” he noted.