FULL LIST: Govt orders 30 universities to acquire charter status

The National Council for Higher Education (NCHE) has asked all universities across the country who are still operating on provisional charters to present their roadmaps for acquiring full ones by March.

Currently, the country has 11 private chartered and 32 private provisionally licensed universities.
Addressing journalists in Kampala yesterday, the executive director of NCHE, Prof Mary Okwakol, said by acquiring charter status, the university will help in delivering quality education that meets international standards.

“In 2018, we requested the universities, which are provisionally licensed to produce road maps towards applying for charter status, regrettably, not long after that, a number of them produced them but as you are aware in 2020, we had the Covid-19 pandemic,” she said.

“But at the moment, we are studying the road maps and guiding each institution. We expect not long from now, all of them should be able to apply for charter status,” Prof Okwakol added.

She added that the NCHE act provides that a provisionally licensed university only holds a provision status for at least three years.

“It is true some have gone beyond this period but what we have been doing is monitoring them and guiding them, identifying areas of strength, which they can maintain, and identifying areas of weaknesses, which they can improve on. We also request provisionally licensed universities, which have not submitted their roadmaps for charter status, to do so by March,” Prof Okwakol said.

The acting Director for Quality Assurance and Accreditation at NCHE, Ms Maria Nakachwa, said under the roadmap for charter acquisition, the institution should indicate the time frame it intends to acquire the charter, when it will be ready for vetting as well as the self-assessment report, showing the future progresses of the institution, among others.

Since its establishment in January 2003, NCHE has accredited 252 institutions, both private and public.

Prof Okwakol also said NCHE has been challenged with the current law, which does not allow them to enforce their decisions.

“So this requires the amendment of the law and this process is ongoing” she said.

Provisionally licensed         
•       Africa Renewal University 
•       African Rural University
•       Aga Khan University
•       All Saints University, Lango
•       Ankole Western University
•       Avance International University
•       Cavendish University
•       Clarke International University
•       Equator University of Science and Technology 
•       Fins Medical University (FMU)
•       Great Lakes Regional University
•       Ibanda University
•       Islamic Call University College
•       King Ceasar University 
•       Kumi University
•       Limkokwing of Creative Technology
•       Livingstone International University
•       Metropolitan International University 
•       Muteesa I Royal University
•       Nexus International University 
•       Rwenzori International University
•       St. Lawrence University
•       Team University
•       Uganda Pentecostal University
•       Uganda Technology and Management University 
•       Unicaf University
•       University of Kisubi
•       University of Saint Joseph Mbarara
•       University of the Sacred Heart, Gulu
•       Valley University of Science & Tech

Those with full charter         
•       African Bible University
•       Bugema University
•       International University of East Africa
•       Kampala International University
•       Kampala University
•       Nkumba University
•       Uganda Christian University
•       Uganda Martyrs University
•       Islamic University in Uganda
•       Makerere university
•       Gulu University
•       Mbarara Univ of Science and Tech
•       Mountains of the Moon University
•       Muni University
•       Bishop Stuart University
•       ISBAT University
•       Kabale University
•       Kyambogo University
•       Lira University
•       Victoria University
•       Ndejje University