Muyingo shocked by LDC over online lectures

The education state minister for higher education has expressed surprise at the move taken by the Law Development Centre to bar students from sitting final exams on grounds that they missed the online lectures during the COVID-19 era.

The Law Development Centre recently disqualified over 50 students for having failed to attend online lectures. The students have been barred from sitting term three examinations and been directed to repeat next year, if still interested.

But the state minister for higher education Dr John Chrysostom Muyingo said the matter has not yet been officially brought to the attention of the education ministry.

"We did not imagine that LDC would take such a move, following our earlier guidance to them," Muyingo said on Thursday, November 12. "However, if there are complaints, we will investigate the matter and guide on how the issue can be resolved," Muyingo told New Vision in a phone interview.

The online classes had been initiated as a stop-gap measure by the LDC to lecture during the ongoing COVID-19 era.

Initially, the education ministry in June this year ordered LDC to stop administering online lessons after MPs expressed concern that the electronic learning platform was likely to disadvantage some students who may not have the infrastructure to access these services.

Later, the LDC was cleared to conduct lectures online, by the National Council for Higher Education; much as at that time, some students had already missed out some lectures.

The LDC administration, in a new move, has now directed that whoever did not attend all the lectures, has to be discontinued, unless they submit a convincing written explanation.

Subsequently, about 50 were barred from sitting exams. LDC said those who missed some lectures would not be allowed to sit third term exams, which would have guaranteed them to proceed to clerkship.

The LDC has asked the affected students to re-apply and repeat the academic year. In the letter to students, the school says: "The Board of Examiners held a meeting on November 4, 2020, to consider the eligibility of Bar Course students of 2019/2020 Academic Year, to sit Third Term Examinations."

"Some of the students," the communication read, "we found ineligible as provided under Rule 4(11) of the rules governing passing of Bar Course 2019 and shall not be allowed to sit exams for the third term."

This rule says: "A student who fails to meet attendance requirements in any teaching week of a term fails the term and shall not be allowed to undertake any assessment in the term, including examinations nor to progress to the next term."

The students can opt-out of the course, or if interested re-apply in the subsequent academic year to repeat the nine-month course.

However, some of the students have vowed to appeal the decision of the school. The centre this year charged each student sh5m as tuition for the Bar course.

This excludes the money for the hostel. Recently, the LDC announced that any person intending to enrol at the Law Development Centre to pursue postgraduate studies for the award of a law practising certifi cate, will be required to make an undertaking to study online.

The LDC, in its call for applications to the Bar Course in August this year, in its first intake call for the 2020/2021 academic year, said only applicants, "Willing and able to undertake online distance learning should apply for admission". Everest Turyahikayo, the academic registrar, said: "The Bar Course may be conducted online or with a blend of both online and physical learning in accordance with the guidelines issued by the National Council for Higher Education and the rules for passing the Bar Course."