The National Council for Higher Education has embarked on a process of vetting the standards of several public and private institutions of higher learning. According to the council, the vetting process is aimed at checking if institutions comply with the law governing higher institutions of learning. “We have started paying visits to different institutions to check on their operations are in accordance to the law.,” said the council’s Executive Director, Prof. Geoffrey Rugege. A report which The New Times has obtained indicates that out of 11 private universities operating in the country, five have been accredited while six operate on provisional licenses. Operating on a provisional license implies that such universities are not empowered to award Degrees to students upon completion of their studies until they are accredited. Among the six, one, the Kagbayi Catholic University (UCK), has since been vetted by the council but it is still pending approval from the ministry. Others that are expected to follow suit is the Kibungo University for Agriculture and Technology (UNATEK) and the Ruhengeri-based Education Institute (INES). The other universities still operating on provisional license to undergo vetting include Kigali Institute of Management (KIM), Rwanda Tourism University College (RTUC) and Ruli Nursing College which are operating on a conditional provisional license. The vetting process also is aimed at assessing the qualification of the institutions’ academic staff, infrastructure, and level of research, curriculum and management. Ends
