Makerere waives PhD rule for lecturers
Sep 03, 2006
MAKERERE University has amended the Mujaju Report, waiving the Doctorate of Philosophy Degree (PhD) requirement for lecturers in clinical disciplines.
By John Eremu
MAKERERE University has amended the Mujaju Report, waiving the Doctorate of Philosophy Degree (PhD) requirement for lecturers in clinical disciplines.
The university has also dropped the pegging of academic promotions to the number of years taught, effectively opening opportunities for those with the requisite qualifications but without the teaching experience to be recruited into senior academic positions.
It was observed that tagging promotions to years of service discouraged prolific young researchers and lecturers from continuous writing and publishing since such outputs would not be recognised until the required years of teaching had been completed.
The University Council in a meeting last month endorsed a senate recommendation that lecturers in clinical disciplines be promoted without the PhD requirement “because a Master’s Degree in clinical disciplines was still worldwide accepted as a terminal degree.â€
The university’s top policy and decision-making organ also dropped the PhD requirement for lecturers in visual and fine art who were recruited before 2,000 when the Mujaju Report became effective.
Sources, however, said that the university council rejected a similar request by the faculty of law. “They were told to go to the streets and open chambers if they did not want to study,†said a source.
The sources said the promotion of most lecturers in the medical school had stalled because there were no PhD programmes in their disciplines anywhere in the world.
“Most of them were forced to do PhDs in areas outside their fields yet the Mujaju Report recommended that only qualifications in one’s area of specialty should be recognised for promotions,†said the source who preferred anonymity.
The clinical disciplines exempted from the PhD requirement include anaesthesia, ear, nose and throat (ENT), family medicine or community practice, internal medicine, microbiology, obstetrics and gynaecology, paediatrics and child health, surgery, pathology, ophthalmology, orthopaedics, dentistry, nursing, pharmacy and public health.
But lecturers handling anatomy, biochemistry, physiology, pharmacology, medical illustration and limited areas in pharmacy like pharmaceutical chemistry or mathematics have not been exempted.
In a bid to improve standards, a senate committee headed by the late Prof. Akiiki Mujaju in 1999 recommended that only those with a minimum of PhD qualification should be appointed lecturers.
The Mujaju committee also recommended that only those with a PhD and a minimum of three years research and teaching experience could be promoted to senior lecturer while associate professors in addition to the PhD qualification, needed to have taught for at least eight years and had three recognised publications.
A professor, the recommendations said, needed a PhD, 10 years teaching and research experience, five recognised publications since the last promotion and supervision of at least five postgraduate students.
The other members of the committee were Dr. Oloka Onyango from the faculty of Law, Dr. N.K. Ssewankambo of the Medical School, Dr. J.C. Ssekamwa of the school of education, Dr. R.N. McNairn from the department of gender studies and former academic registrar, Dr. Mukwanason Hyuha.
However, the university council in its last meeting created multi-track promotional channels saying pegging career advancement to number of years taught was unfair to hardworking young professionals. The move is also aimed at attracting those outside the academia, but with practical experience into the university academic ranks.
“The council recognised the existence of this varied capacity and in knowledge creation foci among members of staff in the university, and in this regard decided to create a more flexible appointment and promotion with two avenues,†reads documents seen by The New Vision.
The Ordinary Track Promotion requires a number of publications plus a number of years of teaching in a position. However, the fast track promotion channel which simply requires a person to have evidence of pedagogical skills and a certain number of publications to be promoted.
Under the fast track, new entrants now only need a PhD or a Masters degree in Clinical Sciences to be appointed lecturer. One can also be appointed a senior lecturer if he or she has a PhD and eight recognised publications in area of specialisation.
Associate professors need a PhD and 11 publications while professors need a PhD and 21 publications.
For those within the university academic staff, senior lecturers now only need a PhD qualification or a Masters in Clinical Sciences, two years teaching experience instead of three and five recognised publications.
To be appointed associate professor, one needs four years teaching experience instead of eight, six new publications and successful supervision of two postgraduate students.
Professors need five years experience instead of 10, 10 new publications and supervision of three graduate students.
Ends
MAKERERE University has amended the Mujaju Report, waiving the Doctorate of Philosophy Degree (PhD) requirement for lecturers in clinical disciplines.
The university has also dropped the pegging of academic promotions to the number of years taught, effectively opening opportunities for those with the requisite qualifications but without the teaching experience to be recruited into senior academic positions.
It was observed that tagging promotions to years of service discouraged prolific young researchers and lecturers from continuous writing and publishing since such outputs would not be recognised until the required years of teaching had been completed.
The University Council in a meeting last month endorsed a senate recommendation that lecturers in clinical disciplines be promoted without the PhD requirement “because a Master’s Degree in clinical disciplines was still worldwide accepted as a terminal degree.â€
The university’s top policy and decision-making organ also dropped the PhD requirement for lecturers in visual and fine art who were recruited before 2,000 when the Mujaju Report became effective.
Sources, however, said that the university council rejected a similar request by the faculty of law. “They were told to go to the streets and open chambers if they did not want to study,†said a source.
The sources said the promotion of most lecturers in the medical school had stalled because there were no PhD programmes in their disciplines anywhere in the world.
“Most of them were forced to do PhDs in areas outside their fields yet the Mujaju Report recommended that only qualifications in one’s area of specialty should be recognised for promotions,†said the source who preferred anonymity.
The clinical disciplines exempted from the PhD requirement include anaesthesia, ear, nose and throat (ENT), family medicine or community practice, internal medicine, microbiology, obstetrics and gynaecology, paediatrics and child health, surgery, pathology, ophthalmology, orthopaedics, dentistry, nursing, pharmacy and public health.
But lecturers handling anatomy, biochemistry, physiology, pharmacology, medical illustration and limited areas in pharmacy like pharmaceutical chemistry or mathematics have not been exempted.
In a bid to improve standards, a senate committee headed by the late Prof. Akiiki Mujaju in 1999 recommended that only those with a minimum of PhD qualification should be appointed lecturers.
The Mujaju committee also recommended that only those with a PhD and a minimum of three years research and teaching experience could be promoted to senior lecturer while associate professors in addition to the PhD qualification, needed to have taught for at least eight years and had three recognised publications.
A professor, the recommendations said, needed a PhD, 10 years teaching and research experience, five recognised publications since the last promotion and supervision of at least five postgraduate students.
The other members of the committee were Dr. Oloka Onyango from the faculty of Law, Dr. N.K. Ssewankambo of the Medical School, Dr. J.C. Ssekamwa of the school of education, Dr. R.N. McNairn from the department of gender studies and former academic registrar, Dr. Mukwanason Hyuha.
However, the university council in its last meeting created multi-track promotional channels saying pegging career advancement to number of years taught was unfair to hardworking young professionals. The move is also aimed at attracting those outside the academia, but with practical experience into the university academic ranks.
“The council recognised the existence of this varied capacity and in knowledge creation foci among members of staff in the university, and in this regard decided to create a more flexible appointment and promotion with two avenues,†reads documents seen by The New Vision.
The Ordinary Track Promotion requires a number of publications plus a number of years of teaching in a position. However, the fast track promotion channel which simply requires a person to have evidence of pedagogical skills and a certain number of publications to be promoted.
Under the fast track, new entrants now only need a PhD or a Masters degree in Clinical Sciences to be appointed lecturer. One can also be appointed a senior lecturer if he or she has a PhD and eight recognised publications in area of specialisation.
Associate professors need a PhD and 11 publications while professors need a PhD and 21 publications.
For those within the university academic staff, senior lecturers now only need a PhD qualification or a Masters in Clinical Sciences, two years teaching experience instead of three and five recognised publications.
To be appointed associate professor, one needs four years teaching experience instead of eight, six new publications and successful supervision of two postgraduate students.
Professors need five years experience instead of 10, 10 new publications and supervision of three graduate students.
Ends