Why Kyambogo is laying off over 150 staff members

Over 150 people are set to lose their jobs after the Senate, through the academic registrar, phased out tutorials and all teaching assistants at Kyambogo University in Kampala.

The decision has left the already understaffed faculties in panic and confusion. They have had limited time to plan for how to handle the heavy load that the assistants have been carrying.

In contrast, the students' population has surged to over 32,000 this year. "Senate agreed to phase out tutorial assistants with effect from semester two, this academic year (2019/2020)," reads the letter signed by Annie Begumisa, the academic registrar. Begumisa advised lecturers to conduct tutorials within the scheduled three hours of teaching per course unit per week.

It is expected to be a big load for the lecturers, who also run the university's day and evening programmes plus study centres.

TUTORIALS
Tutorials are where after a lecture has been delivered, students recede in small groups to discuss and make presentations under the guidance of the teaching assistant. In the area of humanities, students conceptualise ideas and research them in deeper perspective.

Tutorials give students hands-on activities in a micro-teaching, which is an essential element. Dr. Kuloba Wabyanga, the head of the department for religious studies and philosophy, decried the move. "It is a time bomb bound to explode on this institution and cause untold disaster. Kyambogo is known for producing quality professionals, especially teachers because they go through tutorials," he said.

According to Kuloba, it has also been an encouragement to students to work hard with the hope that they can be retained as teaching assistants.

TEACHING STAFF SPEAK OUT
Vincent Masete, a teaching assistant at the faculty of arts and social sciences, said teaching assistants do more than conduct tutorials. They invigilate examinations, mark and compile results and assist in other administrative work, such as report writing.

Dr. Robert Ojambo, the head of the history department, said the decision will have worse effects than the aims it is intended for. He appealed to the Senate to be considerate to these young people who survive on the little they are paid.

According to Kuloba, it is difficult to find people with masters degrees and PhDs in the traditional subjects, unless one is pursuing a career path like these assistants. He referred to the three teaching assistants who have just completed their master's degrees in his department and have already been given loads as assistant lecturers.

Ojambo and Kuloba argued that budgetary issues should not affect the university's cardinal job of delivering teaching and learning. "It is delusive to say that tutorials are not cost-effective. Departments have budgets and tutorials are cost-related to salaries and wages," Ojambo explained.

Kuloba blamed the decision on the opinion of one of the top administrators, who thinks that tutorials are useless because she does not understand how they work. Dr Kenneth Bamuturaki from the department of performing arts called the senate's decision unfortunate.

He said the university setting is multi-layered with the senior people at the top, to teach using the lecture method. It is the teaching assistants who help to break down concepts to students. So, phasing them out is inappropriate because it demands a restructuring of the lecture method.

Without the teaching assistants, some students will find it difficult to cope with the pace of study activities. Another lecturer, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said: "Tutorials and teaching assistants are held in many international universities such as Cambridge, Oxford, and Harvard."

"A teaching assistant is paid sh25,000 per session, while part-time lecturers get sh45,000 and above,"Kuloba said. "A lecturer must have a doctorate in the field of teaching and research, while an assistant lecturer should hold a master's degree," he added.

Kuloba explained that a course unit with 1,000 students needs 20 tutorials because each tutorial cannot exceed 50 students. "A lecturer cannot meet all those groups on top of his mandated load," he said. "Most departments are operating as per the 2004 structure, which recommended that every department gets 19 members of staff. Now, almost 20 years later, we are still under the same structure.

Some staff have died, retired or resigned, but these have not been replaced,"Kuloba said. But the director of Human resource, Richard Manano, refuted the claims, saying lecturers who die, retire or resign are always replaced.

WHAT STUDENTS SAY
Students expressed outrage about the changes and said they would agree on the way forward when they return for the next semester. Abbey Byekwaso, a student representative, said the decision mainly affects students, who are the biggest beneficiaries of teaching assistants.

"We shall not bargain. I will stand with all the honourables to fight this decision and save the image of Kyambogo. Senate has to explain to us," Byekwaso said. Samuel Jacob Asaku, a student coordinator, said the move was demoralising.

"I have been working so hard, hoping to be retained as a teaching assistant next year. I will stand to oppose the decision," he said. Phoebe Kyomuhendo, a class co-ordinator said: "I am afraid the uniqueness of Kyambogo as a great institution will die with this decision."