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Universities tipped on new admission criteria
Bishop Joshua Maponga III during a public lecture in Kampala yesterday. PHOTO | SYLIVIA KATUSHABE
What you need to know:
- Bishop Joshua Maponga III calls for home-grown solutions to Africa’s development challenges.
A Zimbabwean motivational speaker has urged the government of Uganda to introduce a new education system that compels students to present bankable business proposals as a precondition for admission into universities and other institutions of higher learning.
Speaking at a public lecture under the theme, ‘Building the future we need for Africa, organised by Victoria University in Kampala yesterday, Bishop Joshua Maponga III called for home-grown solutions to Africa’s development challenges and asked universities to look at the ambitions of students before being admitted.
“Before they even study, you must ask the student why they are here, and what they are looking for, the student must come to the classroom with a full identity of the issues that the community is involved in,” Bishop Maponga, who is also a musician and social entrepreneur, said.
He urged students to look back at their communities, and identify the problems there, which they should study to address.
“You don’t come here and say, ‘I want to study IT [Information Technology],’ for what, for who and why? What if that problem is not in your community where you are going to work, how is your information and knowledge going to help the community?” he wondered.
Bishop Maponga explained that lecturers must assist students to solve the problems. He reiterated that all their research papers and studies must be case studies that are related to the problem that students want to solve.
In response, Prof George Openjuru, the deputy vice chancellor of Gulu University, said Bishop Maponga’s proposal needs deep analysis in order to work in Uganda.
“At master’s level, we even write a report called dissertation, where you identify a problem and they make recommendations on how to solve it, has it created any impact, even at PhD level?” he wondered.
Prof Openjuru noted that the new curriculum at lower secondary school level is hoped to solve most of the unemployment challenges.
Prof Muhammed Mpezamihigo, the Kampala International University vice chancellor, disagreed with the proposed reform.
“Students who are about to join the university, they seem not to belong anywhere, they are between post A-Level and pre-university. So, who is going to manage that activity of trying to send them to have a business case to come up with a project?” he wondered.
“My opinion would be to undertake an internship as often as possible by the time they start university. They need that initial guide to be introduced to the university environment. So, for you to assess project pre-entry, it will not be easy,” he added.
During the lecture attended by several students and educationists from various universities and institutions of higher learning, Dr Lawrence Muganga, the Victoria University vice-chancellor, applauded Bishop Maponga for the proposal and urged universities and students to pick a leaf.
“I believe in the model of education that solves the problem, not just simply go and sit in a class room and assume that what you study is what happens in the real world,” Dr Muganga said.
