Some of the degree programs currently being taken by thousands of students in various universities have been rendered useless by The Commission for University Education (CUE).
The commission rejected a total of 133 courses which have a cumulative enrollment of 10,000 slots in various varsities.
The shock findings emerged after the CUE audited universities last year in readiness for the 2019 placement.
The audit also exposed how universities, in their haste to mint cash from huge enrolment, misrepresented their capacity, both in resources and teaching staff.
What is worrying most is that, there are students enrolled in these programmes who might be forced to discontinue their studies due to mistakes that are not of their own making. Again, the graduates who might have finished studying these “useless” programmes, might be slapped on the face as their academic papers will not be recognized in the job market and they could end up jobless.
Vice Chancellors (VC) have accused CUE of being irrational as most of the programmes are already being taught. They complained that the drastic action will set students against the universities.
“These programmes have students studying in higher classes. Why is CUE trying to set up universities against students? This is unacceptable. There are better ways of engaging universities,” said a VC whose programmes have been affected.
CUE Chief Executive Officer Mwenda Ntarangwi sought after addressing the situation that has gripped the institutions, saying the commission is still engaging the affected universities.
“This is still an ongoing process and we are in consultation with universities,” said Prof Ntarangwi.
Audit data reveals that CUE has slashed nearly 30,000 slots from the universities.
The report shows that all the public and private universities declared available capacity of 163,925 for the various courses but after a rigorous assessment on their capacities, only 134,075 were approved.
MPs have called an urgent meeting this Friday to discuss the status of higher education, including the challenges of unaccredited programmes.