Govt takes over admissions in private universities

KAMPALA - Effective July 1 this year, the Government will take over admissions at all higher institutions of learning, including private ones. 

For the last 33 years, Uganda’s private and government-owned universities have enjoyed the liberty of developing courses and admitting learners based on their capacities. 

Despite the regular communication by the Government on the critical skills needed for Uganda’s development, the higher institutions of learning, including universities, have continued admitting students for unmarketable courses. 

This has created a skills mismatch, blamed for the surging levels of unemployment, especially among graduates. 

Figures from the education ministry indicate that Uganda’s universities and other tertiary institutions churn out at least 400,000 graduates annually. 

Under the current system, the Public Universities Joint Admissions Board (PUJAB) is responsible for admission of students to government-owned universities on government sponsorship. 

The various government universities were responsible for admitting privately-sponsored students. 

The planned centralised system will now take on the role of admissions to all public and private higher institutions of learning managed by the state, irrespective of sponsorship. 
The plan is entailed in the National Development Plan IV (NDP IV), which will run for the next five years effective July 1, 2025. 

“The Government will establish and implement a national central admission system for higher education and link higher education admissions and financing to the critical skill needs identified in the plan,” the NDP IV reads. 

This system will ensure that all higher institutions of learning roll out programmes that speak to the Government development agenda and plans. 

Relatedly, the entry requirements across private and government institutions will now be the same. For instance, the entry requirements for admission to pursue law or medicine at private universities will be the same as those of government universities. 

The implementation of the joint admission system for all higher institutions of learning is one of the key reforms the Government wants to adopt to fully implement the human capital development programme and realise the intended goals in the next five years. 

The NDP IV strategic direction was approved by the Cabinet in March last year. The NDP IV was based on the challenges highlighted in the NDP III mid-term review, the Uganda Vision 2040 and the Government strategy to grow the economy tenfold in the next 15 years. 

A senior education ministry official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said they had seen the plan and related proposals. He indicated that they are waiting for guidance from the First Lady and Minister for Education and Sports, Mrs. Janet Museveni.

Admissions elsewhere 

Once the national central admission system is adopted, Uganda will join several other countries such as neighbouring Tanzania, Thailand, Slovakia and Hungary, which all use the system while admitting students in higher institutions of learning. 

In Tanzania, students who pursue first degrees, diplomas and certificates are enrolled through the Central Admission System.

Why now? 

Data from the education ministry indicates that Uganda has about 54 universities, 44 of which are privately-owned. 

Relatedly, there are 1,439 certificate and degree-awarding institutions in the country, 1,219 of which are privately-owned. 

Despite these numbers, there is no clear data on how many students are enrolled there, and reports indicate that some institutions illegally admit students beyond their capacity. 

According to the government plan, Uganda is faced with a youth bulge of 31.2 million people, which creates both an opportunity and a challenge. The Ugandan population stands at 45.9 million people, according to the 2024 national census figures. 

The greatest risk factor in these circumstances, the plan says, is that only 15% of Ugandans who enter the labour market are in demand. 

The incompatibility between the qualifications possessed by graduates or those seeking employment and the prevailing demand within the labour market worsens the risk of attaining the desired human capital outcomes. 

The Government says the skills and training acquired do not match the market demands in the current job market, causing a high risk in investments made in addition to low adoption of technology despite emerging innovations like artificial intelligence. 

A senior government official who participated in the development of the NDP IV explained that the planned national central admission system is intended to solve many challenges at the higher education level. 

Some of these include curbing the skills mismatch and streamlining admission, as well as saving resources lost in government sponsorship. 

The source added that it will eliminate forgeries, especially for certificates used during admissions. 

“The central admission system will solve many challenges. For instance, we have universities admitting students for the same programmes, but each has different entry requirements. This has to be harmonised,” the source said. 

The source added: “We also have students who have been admitted on government, but do not turn up, and opt to enrol for other programmes in private institutions.” 

In 2022, a government report revealed that at least 8,000 students admitted since 2012 to public universities under the national merit scheme did not turn up. 

The estimated figure, sources say, is equivalent to 20% of the 40,000 students who were offered government scholarships to public universities in the last 10 years. 

The Government spends at least sh2m every semester on each student enrolled under the government programme, implying that the Government lost sh16b to students who did not turn up in a single semester. 

Sources said this money is sent throughout the students’ period of study. 

The funds are sent directly to public universities every academic year to cater for the listed students as announced by the different universities. The funds cover tuition, accommodation, meals and internship allowances.

Stakeholders weigh in 

Prof. Celestino Obua, the former vice-chancellor of Mbarara University of Science and Technology, called the plan of a central admission system “a good innovation”. 

He said the system will address the challenge of multiple-admissions, where students are admitted to different institutions, and denying others the opportunity to enrol. 

“For instance, government admissions are based on performance of a student and preference. Unfortunately, when these students do not turn up, the slots are lost. Because many have already been sent to universities, many of them do not make an effort to replace them,” Obua said. 

He added: “The idea of a central admission might work, but we need to understand how it will be implemented.” Prof. Eriabu Lugujjo, the executive director of the Uganda Vice-Chancellors’ Forum, said the central admission system can only work when the Government lowers entry requirements for all programmes. 

“The entry requirements for programmes under government sponsorship are high and this explains why many students who performed relatively well opt for private sponsorship for certain programmes such as medicine,” he said. 

Lugujjo added: “In my opinion, it will be too early to implement a central admission for private and public universities because they are not at the same level.”