Accreditation dispute prevents graduates from finding jobs

When Innocent Ryambabaje graduated from Cavendish University Uganda (CUU), a private university in Kampala, Uganda, little did he know that his chances of finding employment in Rwanda, where he comes from, would be slim.

Ryambabaje graduated in 2015 with a teaching qualification to teach English and Kiswahili.

Upon graduation, Ryambabaje sought equivalence – recognition that his CUU qualification was equivalent to local degrees – from the Rwanda Higher Education Council (HEC).

Instead, he was issued with a document that proved only that he had completed certain courses. This is known as a ‘Recognition for Academic Qualification’.

The HEC denied his application for equivalence, saying CUU did not meet accreditation requirements in Uganda – a claim denied by Professor John Francis Mugisha, the vice-chancellor of CUU.

Mugisha said the qualifications offered by the CUU were accredited by the Uganda National Council for Higher Education (UNCHE).

But the dispute between CUU and the HEC in Rwanda is not helping Ryambabaje and about 2,000 other affected graduates, who are struggling to find jobs.

“As I awaited a call to start working, I was told that I was not qualified to become a teacher,” he said, adding that “we were told by the recruiters [which are district-based] that our qualifications were rejected by the Public Service Commission and that we were not allowed to start working as our degrees did not come from an accredited university.”

The Public Service Commission oversees the recruitment of public servants and operates under the auspices of the ministry of public service and labour.

“I went to a university I believed to be accredited. I spent four years studying and got a degree but I cannot use it to get employment. It is unfair and we need justice.

“We should be given a chance to work because the university [CUU] is looking for full accreditation,” Ryambabaje said.

According to a letter from the ministry of public service and labour issued in January 2021, graduates from CUU should redo courses or wait for their university to be fully accredited with the Ugandan Higher Education Council.

Those who have been employed already were given one year to get all the required documents or else they face rejection, according to the officials.

Cavendish rejects allegations

According to Mugisha, all the allegations are wrong. He said the CUU has been licensed since 2008 to offer academic programmes. The qualifications of CUU were accredited by the UNCHE.

“The reported misunderstanding of the status of CUU qualifications in Rwanda has risen because, unlike in Uganda and many other countries, in Rwanda, the accreditation and recognition criteria for universities start with the granting of a civil charter (which means they should have full accreditation to operate),” he said in a letter dated 21 January 2021.

“In Uganda, it begins with granting a provisional licence. This is why graduates from CUU and other non-chartered, licensed universities, are fully recognised and considered for employment and academic advancement globally,” he added.

Mugisha noted that CUU has engaged the Higher Education Council in Rwanda and assured graduates and alumni in Rwanda that the issue would be resolved.

“CUU has embarked on the process of transitioning from a provisional licence to a civil charter and we appeal to all alumni in Rwanda to stay calm as we wait to hear from the Higher Education Council of Rwanda,” Mugisha urged.

According to Dr Rose Mukankomeje, the director-general of Rwanda’s Higher Education Council, graduates from Cavendish University should not get the equivalence of their degrees until the institution is fully accredited.

“Normally, it is not the university that confirms its accreditation status but rather the regulator [the HEC]. On the website of the Uganda authority, Cavendish University status shows that it does not have full accreditation,” Mukankomeje told University World News.