Education Ministry Ordered to Clarify MUST Pharmacy Programme Dispute

The Deputy Speaker of Parliament, Thomas Tayebwa, has directed the Minister of Education and Sports to present a statement on Thursday clarifying the dispute over the professional recognition of Mbarara University of Science and Technology’s (MUST) Bachelor of Pharmacy programme. 

The directive follows concerns that conflicting positions taken by the National Council for Higher Education (NCHE) and the Pharmaceutical Society of Uganda (PSU) could leave students and graduates uncertain about the validity and professional recognition of their qualifications. 

While communicating to plenary on Tuesday, Tayebwa asked the Minister of Education to consult the Attorney General and requested the Attorney General’s presence in Parliament on Thursday when the matter is discussed. 

Tayebwa said he had received numerous calls from concerned MUST pharmacy students following reports that the PSU had withdrawn recognition of the university’s Bachelor of Pharmacy programme with immediate effect, citing Section 22(2) of the Pharmacy and Drug Act. 

However, Tayebwa said the Executive Director of NCHE had informed him that the programme remained accredited for another four years. “The students are learning and being taught an accredited course,” Tayebwa told Parliament, questioning how a professional body could withdraw recognition from a programme accredited by the national higher education regulator. 

He added that NCHE had accredited the programme in consultation with relevant stakeholders, including the PSU. Tayebwa warned that conflicting mandates among regulatory and professional bodies could undermine public confidence in university education and leave students uncertain about whether their qualifications would be recognised upon graduation. 

“I remember when they were withdrawing the one for Dental at Makerere University, and it’s the learners and parents who pay a very heavy price,” he said. 

He noted that students enrol in university programmes based on accreditation granted by the institution legally mandated to regulate higher education, arguing that disputes between oversight bodies should not leave learners bearing the consequences. 

Tayebwa urged the Education Minister to establish the respective legal mandates of NCHE and PSU, particularly regarding the authority to accredit academic programmes, withdraw accreditation and determine the professional recognition of graduates. 

The Leader of the Opposition, Joel Ssenyonyi, said the PSU’s concerns appeared to extend beyond the programme’s accreditation to the qualifications of the person heading MUST’s pharmacy department. Ssenyonyi said he had seen a letter from the professional body alleging that the department was headed by someone who lacked the required qualifications. “What they are saying is that it is headed by a nurse,” he said. 

He argued that if the dispute concerned the qualifications of the department head, the matter should be addressed urgently rather than leaving students and graduates in uncertainty. 

Ssenyonyi said current students feared the implications of the dispute, while graduates were concerned that questions surrounding the programme could affect the credibility and recognition of their qualifications. 

“If it is a question of somebody heading a department who requires a particular set of qualifications, I think that should be sorted out so that students are not in disarray,” he said.

The Minister of State for Education and Sports Peter Ogwang pledged that the ministry would present the requested statement on Thursday and investigate the leadership of MUST’s pharmacy department. 

Government Chief Whip Jane Ruth Aceng, however, cautioned against portraying nurses as unqualified professionals, emphasising that nursing is a recognised medical profession with opportunities for career advancement into senior clinical and academic positions. 

Tayebwa clarified that Ssenyonyi had been relaying concerns attributed to the PSU rather than disparaging nurses. “No one demeaned a nurse,” Tayebwa said, explaining that the issue was whether the professional body required the pharmacy department to be headed by a pharmacist rather than a nurse. 

He reiterated that the dispute highlighted the need to clarify the boundaries between the mandates of higher education regulators and professional bodies.