Use external examiners, Biruta tells varsities

Education Minister Dr Vincent Biruta has called for peer review mechanisms and introduction of external examiners as part of efforts to improve the quality of the country’s graduates. He was yesterday presiding over the 7th graduation ceremony at Kigali Independent University (ULK) western campus in Rubavu district. At least 478 students graduated with bachelors’ degrees in various disciplines. The minister warned the graduates against sitting back to wait to be called for employment. “Now that you have acquired valuable skills which qualify you to compete on the job market, the national guiding principle is that you become job creators not job seekers,” the minister said. Dr Biruta pointed out the need for higher institutions to regularly conduct progressive evaluation exercises on their graduates so as to determine the relevance of the attained training. “Having statistics about the employment status of your former students enables you to know whether the course is still viable or relevant on the job market,” he noted. At least three women attained degrees with first class honors, including two from the department of development studies and the other from accounting department. The Founder and president of ULK Prof. Rwiganba Balinda urged the graduates to uphold professional ethics in the execution of their future duties. He reaffirmed his institutions commitment to offering quality training aimed at satisfying the population needs in various domains.

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Use external examiners, Biruta tells varsities