Varsity admissions delayed for a week
Apr 27, 2009
THE admission of students joining university under the government sponsorship scheme has delayed because UNEB is not able to print the computerised admission lists.
By Fortunate Ahimbisibwe
THE admission of students joining university under the government sponsorship scheme has delayed because UNEB is not able to print the computerised admission lists.
This leaves the parents of tens of thousands of aspiring students in uncertainty whether their children will be sponsored by the Government or whether they have to budget for admission under the private sponsorship programme.
The Public Universities Joint Admissions Board, which sat on Friday, postponed the decision on admissions to May 5.
The board will then consider the cut-off points for the 3,000 students who will be admitted under the merit-based system.
A source said the delay was caused by a technical problem within the examination body’s information management system.
UNEB uses its computerised system to generate the lists of best students on the basis of the courses they applied for.
For each of the courses, a separate list is printed in order of performance. The board then decides on the number of students to select. The cut-off points are determined by the number of vacancies available.
The board has already completed the admission of about 800 students to degree courses on the basis of their diploma qualifications.
However, the board was unable to set the cut-off points for the next academic year, which opens in four months.
The Government sponsors 4,000 students in public universities. Of these, 3,000 are selected on academic merit; 75% are admitted to science courses and 25% to arts and humanities.
The other 1,000 students are admitted on the district quota system. The system is intended to ensure that all the 84 districts send students to public universities on government sponsorship.
There are five public universities in Uganda; Makerere, Kyambogo, Gulu, Mbarara and Busitema in Busia district.
Makerere will admit 2,000 students on government sponsorship, Kyambogo 850, Mbarara 400, Gulu 490, while Busitema will take 200.
The newly-established Kigumba Institute will admit 40 students on government sponsorship to study petroleum-related courses.
The board will consider the admission of the 1,000 students under the district quota system after admitting those under the merit system.
A total of 89,921 candidates sat A’ level examinations last year. Of these, 57,510, or 65%, qualify to join public universities because they got the minimum requirement of two principal passes.
However, the 20 private universities can accommodate just over 20,000. This means that more than 25,000 students who qualify cannot be admitted for university education.
The majority of them are expected to joint national teachers colleges, business schools, vocational and technical colleges.
Some private universities, such as the Uganda Christian University in Mukono, have already called for applications. Others include Kampala International, Nkumba and Uganda Martyr’s University, Nkozi.
THE admission of students joining university under the government sponsorship scheme has delayed because UNEB is not able to print the computerised admission lists.
This leaves the parents of tens of thousands of aspiring students in uncertainty whether their children will be sponsored by the Government or whether they have to budget for admission under the private sponsorship programme.
The Public Universities Joint Admissions Board, which sat on Friday, postponed the decision on admissions to May 5.
The board will then consider the cut-off points for the 3,000 students who will be admitted under the merit-based system.
A source said the delay was caused by a technical problem within the examination body’s information management system.
UNEB uses its computerised system to generate the lists of best students on the basis of the courses they applied for.
For each of the courses, a separate list is printed in order of performance. The board then decides on the number of students to select. The cut-off points are determined by the number of vacancies available.
The board has already completed the admission of about 800 students to degree courses on the basis of their diploma qualifications.
However, the board was unable to set the cut-off points for the next academic year, which opens in four months.
The Government sponsors 4,000 students in public universities. Of these, 3,000 are selected on academic merit; 75% are admitted to science courses and 25% to arts and humanities.
The other 1,000 students are admitted on the district quota system. The system is intended to ensure that all the 84 districts send students to public universities on government sponsorship.
There are five public universities in Uganda; Makerere, Kyambogo, Gulu, Mbarara and Busitema in Busia district.
Makerere will admit 2,000 students on government sponsorship, Kyambogo 850, Mbarara 400, Gulu 490, while Busitema will take 200.
The newly-established Kigumba Institute will admit 40 students on government sponsorship to study petroleum-related courses.
The board will consider the admission of the 1,000 students under the district quota system after admitting those under the merit system.
A total of 89,921 candidates sat A’ level examinations last year. Of these, 57,510, or 65%, qualify to join public universities because they got the minimum requirement of two principal passes.
However, the 20 private universities can accommodate just over 20,000. This means that more than 25,000 students who qualify cannot be admitted for university education.
The majority of them are expected to joint national teachers colleges, business schools, vocational and technical colleges.
Some private universities, such as the Uganda Christian University in Mukono, have already called for applications. Others include Kampala International, Nkumba and Uganda Martyr’s University, Nkozi.