Kyambogo university is short of nearly 70 percent of the required staff due to the limited wage bill, the council chairperson, Dr. Gorreth Nakabugo has revealed.
She revealed this as one of the key challenges facing the Institution is facing while speaking at the open ceremony of the 18th Graduation Ceremony.
She explained that they need an increased wage bill to hire adequate staff to support the university in fulfilling its mandate of providing quality teaching.
Recently, when the Nuwe Amanya Mushega-led education policy review commission visited Kyambogo university, the Vice-Chancellor, Eli Katunguka told them that the government had told them to review the structure, which they did but their wage bill was never financed.
“We have no staff and the student population is growing each year,” Katunguka noted. The engineering department was pointed out as one of the most affected. According to the recently approved Kyambogo university structure, the university now has close to 40 departments, which need 1,721 academic staff to effectively deliver their mandate.
Guidelines from the National Council for Higher Education further indicate that each department in the university should have two full professors and two associate professors, which means the institution needs at least 80 professors to be fully equipped with the human resource necessary for the Masters and Ph.D. programs.
In the same development, Dr. Nakabugo also asked the government to consider constructing a perimeter wall for the university to secure its land.
She further asked the government to renovate students’ halls of residence as well as construct more staff offices and lecture rooms to help students to learn in a conducive environment.
The State Minister for Primary Education, Dr. John Chrysostom Muyingo who presided over the event urged Kyambogo University to prioritize research in their structures arguing that this will help position students to become innovative and responsive to the changing needs of the world.
Muyingo also commended the University for hitting their biggest number of graduands ever as well as awarding at least five doctorates in philosophy, which he described as hearting warming because it reflects proof of the academic growth of the institution.
Muyingo further commended the University for continuing to support the education sector with the training of teachers for all levels of education over many years.
At least 12,080 people will graduate in various fields, and five of them will receive doctorates in philosophy at the three-day graduation ceremonies. Prof Katunguka, the University Vice Chancellor noted that this is the first time the University is graduating the largest number of students since its inception.
Of those set to graduate, 6,239 are male and 5,841 are female. The three-day graduation event will see students receive certificates, diplomas, undergraduate degrees, and graduate degrees in a variety of fields.
Today the event had only students from the Faculty of Special needs and Rehabilitation and those from the school of Management and Entrepreneurship.
-URN
