Universities’ policy
Makerere University John Ekudu, the dean of students at Makerere, says the university is a secular institution and cannot give special privileges to students from any religious background.
Makerere University John Ekudu, the dean of students at Makerere, says the university is a secular institution and cannot give special privileges to students from any religious background.
“You can opt out but no one will stand in for you, the missed exams become a retake to be done at a later date. We shall have exams on all days of the week,†Ekudu says. Makerere University regulations say the institution is secular and it does not give special preference to students of any particular denomination.
Students joining the institution are informed that university programmes are conducted seven days, (from Monday to Sunday), which are all official working days. The university is made up of students and members of staff from various religious backgrounds, hence it may not be able to re-schedule or cancel lectures or examinations to meet the interest of a particular religious group.
Staff and students are expected to conduct or attend lectures and exams at scheduled times and days. Requests to accommodate a student’s religious creed by scheduling tests or exams at alternative times are not entertained.
Students who miss exams or tests based on religious creed, should inform their respective deans as soon as the timetable is published, preferably two weeks before exams to avoid being categorised as absent without justifiable cause. The university urges students to respond to the academic work in the faculty/school/institute even if it takes place on the respective days of worship.
Ekudu says although the problem is not new, it does not have an impact on the way the university runs its exams. It is only the Seventh Day Adventist students who have raised complaints over exams on their day of worship.
In spite of the complaints, Ekudu maintains that academic policy has to be strictly adhered to. Pushing one paper on the timetable to another date could mean an overhaul of the entire calendar. Universities invest a lot of time, drawing up to three drafts of a time table, before a final one is issued. This makes it highly unlikely that it would be altered to cater for a few students at the expense of the entire exam process.
Kyambogo University
Kyambogo has the same policy like Makerere. It runs a seven-day teaching or exams programme. Just like any other institution, there are always students complaining, especially the Seventh Day Adventists. However, this has not changed the university’s policy.
Kampala International University
Prof Muhammad Ndawula, the vice-chancellor, Kampala International University (KIU), says the university does not compromise on the issue of academics to meet people’s religious interests. He says although the university does not normally conduct exams on weekends, they do not encourage Seventh Day Adventist (SDA) students to miss lectures on Saturdays.
“SDA students questioned us about the issue of attending lectures on Saturdays but we told them the choice was up to them, to choose between attending lessons or missing out.
“We always orient the Muslem community here to observe Friday as a normal day. In between studying they can spare time for prayers,†Ndawula says.
Islamic University In Uganda (IUIU)
The Islamic University does not bend the academic rules in favour of religion. The teaching or examination time tables are not scheduled according to religion but according to the university calendar.
“Even on Fridays, we sit exams. The only difference is that we are cautious not to do them during the time of prayer, 1:00-2:00pm. We have never received complaints from students,†says a university official.
He clarified that the university has none-Muslim lecturers who conduct exams on Sunday’s and Muslim lecturers who conduct exams on Fridays. The Islam-founded university seems to take an unusual stand to education vis-a-vis Islam.
The university conducts exams on any day except on Idd or other public national holidays. Mouhamad Mpezamihigo, the vice-rector in charge of academic affairs, refers to a verse in the holy Quran, which says that when a call for prayer is made, you should abandon whatever you are doing and go to the prayer place and offer your prayers. But once the prayer is done, you must get back to work.
“We have had problems with SDA students. We usually advise them to take up evening programmes because exams are set according to the university programme. Exams for evening courses are done in the evening and those for day courses are done during the day,†Mpenzamihigo clarifies.
The Adventist church has a fixed stand on the issue, while other religions seem to be slightly liberal. The Adventist Union has a policy through which it lobbies faculties and deans not to set exams on Saturdays.
“Sometimes we have succeeded in requesting that our students be given the exam on a different date. In cases where it has not worked, some students have missed exams while others have been suspended.
“You can opt out but no one will stand in for you, the missed exams become a retake to be done at a later date. We shall have exams on all days of the week,†Ekudu says. Makerere University regulations say the institution is secular and it does not give special preference to students of any particular denomination.
Students joining the institution are informed that university programmes are conducted seven days, (from Monday to Sunday), which are all official working days. The university is made up of students and members of staff from various religious backgrounds, hence it may not be able to re-schedule or cancel lectures or examinations to meet the interest of a particular religious group.
Staff and students are expected to conduct or attend lectures and exams at scheduled times and days. Requests to accommodate a student’s religious creed by scheduling tests or exams at alternative times are not entertained.
Students who miss exams or tests based on religious creed, should inform their respective deans as soon as the timetable is published, preferably two weeks before exams to avoid being categorised as absent without justifiable cause. The university urges students to respond to the academic work in the faculty/school/institute even if it takes place on the respective days of worship.
Ekudu says although the problem is not new, it does not have an impact on the way the university runs its exams. It is only the Seventh Day Adventist students who have raised complaints over exams on their day of worship.
In spite of the complaints, Ekudu maintains that academic policy has to be strictly adhered to. Pushing one paper on the timetable to another date could mean an overhaul of the entire calendar. Universities invest a lot of time, drawing up to three drafts of a time table, before a final one is issued. This makes it highly unlikely that it would be altered to cater for a few students at the expense of the entire exam process.
Kyambogo University
Kyambogo has the same policy like Makerere. It runs a seven-day teaching or exams programme. Just like any other institution, there are always students complaining, especially the Seventh Day Adventists. However, this has not changed the university’s policy.
Kampala International University
Prof Muhammad Ndawula, the vice-chancellor, Kampala International University (KIU), says the university does not compromise on the issue of academics to meet people’s religious interests. He says although the university does not normally conduct exams on weekends, they do not encourage Seventh Day Adventist (SDA) students to miss lectures on Saturdays.
“SDA students questioned us about the issue of attending lectures on Saturdays but we told them the choice was up to them, to choose between attending lessons or missing out.
“We always orient the Muslem community here to observe Friday as a normal day. In between studying they can spare time for prayers,†Ndawula says.
Islamic University In Uganda (IUIU)
The Islamic University does not bend the academic rules in favour of religion. The teaching or examination time tables are not scheduled according to religion but according to the university calendar.
“Even on Fridays, we sit exams. The only difference is that we are cautious not to do them during the time of prayer, 1:00-2:00pm. We have never received complaints from students,†says a university official.
He clarified that the university has none-Muslim lecturers who conduct exams on Sunday’s and Muslim lecturers who conduct exams on Fridays. The Islam-founded university seems to take an unusual stand to education vis-a-vis Islam.
The university conducts exams on any day except on Idd or other public national holidays. Mouhamad Mpezamihigo, the vice-rector in charge of academic affairs, refers to a verse in the holy Quran, which says that when a call for prayer is made, you should abandon whatever you are doing and go to the prayer place and offer your prayers. But once the prayer is done, you must get back to work.
“We have had problems with SDA students. We usually advise them to take up evening programmes because exams are set according to the university programme. Exams for evening courses are done in the evening and those for day courses are done during the day,†Mpenzamihigo clarifies.
The Adventist church has a fixed stand on the issue, while other religions seem to be slightly liberal. The Adventist Union has a policy through which it lobbies faculties and deans not to set exams on Saturdays.
“Sometimes we have succeeded in requesting that our students be given the exam on a different date. In cases where it has not worked, some students have missed exams while others have been suspended.