Stakeholders lobbying for regional body to oversee education in EAC

By David Kisanga

Inter-University Council for East Africa (IUCEA)

Education stakeholders are lobbying for the Inter-University Council for East Africa (IUCEA) to be granted more power to oversee education across the East African Community (EAC).

 

The development comes but a few days after Vice President Mohammed Gharib Bilal called on the council to deliberate ways to improve the quality of education in higher learning institutions.

 

The Vice President expressed deep concern over what he described as ‘the worrying quality of higher learning institution graduates who do not meet labour market qualifications.’

 

At the turn of the week, Vice Chancellor at the African Rural University (Uganda) Prof Denis Okello Atwaru said universities are supposed to produce graduates of value, integrity and with a mindset ready to apply their acquired knowledge for social and economic development in their communities.

 

As such, he advocated for the IUCEA to shoulder the responsibility saying; “The region needs to empower the IUCEA to make the dream of having a competent workforce from our graduates a reality.” 

 

With that said, the professor was keen to admit that: “There are so many differences between one higher learning institution and another across the entire region.”

 

A fact he said can be sustainably overcome should the council be empowered to harmonise the differences.

 

Similarly, he pointed out that the council has no power to enforce any recommendation it makes and this he said must be rectified if any positive changes are to be realised.

 

Dr Gaspard Banyankimbona, Rector at the University of Burundi agreed that the disparities amongst universities in the region hamper IUCEA from assuming full control of the sector.

 

However, he remained optimistic that, should the IUCEA be empowered, it is capable of facilitating the introduction of a special mechanism to support high learning studies for talented but needy youth across the EAC.

 

Dr Emmanuel Matiku Vice Chancellor at the University of Arusha (Tanzania) seconded the argument that  the IUCEA is not financially enabled to execute its duties short of relying on random donation from EAC member states.

“The IUCEA needs to be financially sound if it is to efficiently take over the entire region’s education sector,” he emphasised.

 

IUCEA Executive Secretary Prof Mayunga Nkunya admitted that at least half of the region’s graduates are not apt to the modern age market standards. 

“The council intends to develop a special programme that will bring employers to offer work experience programmes at the school to better prepare candidates for the market,” he said.