Fortunate Ahimbisibwe
4 June 2008
Kampala — THE education ministry has sent the names of students admitted under the district quota system for screening in their districts of birth. The lists were sent this week with strict instructions to double-check if the admitted students were genuine, a ministry official said yesterday.
"It was discovered that candidates had in the past presented false documents to the admissions board. The verification exercise will take two weeks," the official added.
Under the scheme, initial consideration is given to students who sat their A' level examinations in their home districts.
If no one qualifies, or all the slots are not filled, then other students who hail from that district but sat the examinations from elsewhere are considered.
About 900 students will be admitted on the programme introduced two years ago. Each district is allocated about 10 slots. Priority is also given to bright students from underprivileged families.
The Cabinet recently reviewed the guidelines so that the less privileged districts could allocated more slots under the scheme.
Last year, over 300 students were disqualified from joining public universities on the district ticket after it was discovered that they had submitted forged papers.
The ministry discovered that close to 50% of the students, some of them foreigners, had handed in fake documents to the universities admissions board.
The students forged birth certificates to gain admission even when they are not born from the students under which they were admitted.
Unscrupulous students usually opt for districts like Bundibugyo, Kabarole, Kapchorwa, Pader, Kaberamaido, Kabong and Katakwi, where few or no students are eligible to join the university.
Higher education state minister Gabriel Opio ordered an investigation which resulted into the expulsion of 30 students from Makerere University.
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