Nairobi, Kenya
Makerere University, in Uganda, one of the most prestigious universities in Africa, may revoke more than 200 degrees awarded in the past four years after an internal investigation discovered that the students had been enrolled without any evidence that they had met admissions criteria.
Lillian Tibatemwa-Ekirikubinza, deputy vice chancellor for academic affairs, told The New Vision, Uganda’s leading newspaper, that the university senate will make the final decision on whether the degrees should be revoked. “The matter is urgent and needs to be resolved quickly,” Ms. Tibatemwa-Ekirikubinza said during the university’s graduation ceremony last week.
Ms. Tibatemwa-Ekirikubinza noted that the scandal, which was described in a report presented last month by an internal committee charged with investigating academic fraud, involved what the university calls “mature” students -- those over 25 who do not have high school diplomas. Such applicants are required to pass a proficiency test to enter the university, and the committee found evidence that the results of those tests had been altered to allow test takers with failing scores to be admitted.
The report blames the registrar’s department, which is responsible for admissions, for lack of internal-control mechanisms to curb serious academic fraud.
The scandal is a major blow to a university that has for many years been called the “Harvard of Africa.” “Many students from all over Africa have been educated here, and Makerere had widespread influence across the continent,” said Helen Kawesah, a former public relations officer at the university.
Makerere has had to admit large numbers of students in recent years in order to finance its academic programs. Some faculty members have complained that the resulting looser admissions process has lowered academic standards and the quality of scholarship at the university. “The current crisis is likely to polarize Makerere even further, said Kimani Njogu, a linguistics professor at Kenyatta University in Kenya.
The report recommends firing and prosecuting the officials who appear to have been involved in the scam.
Most of the affected students reportedly earned degrees in law, pharmacy, medicine, or business administration. According to Ms. Tibatemwa-Ekirikubinza some of the students have already graduated and have been issued certificates and transcripts.
Background articles from The Chronicle: