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{
    "id": 95121,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/95121/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 194,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Dr. Khalwale",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 170,
        "legal_name": "Bonny Khalwale",
        "slug": "bonny-khalwale"
    },
    "content": "Thank you Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir. Mr. Chanzu, thank you for allowing me to second this very important Motion. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, what was the reason why it became necessary that students should join our universities privately? The Parallel Degree Programme was a product of innovative thinking where lecturers realized that the real reason why students were missing access to university education was a very stupid thing called bed capacity in the halls of residence. Students would qualify and then the number was usually more than the bed capacity in the halls of residence. So, they opened up and said, “Let us bring this module” that they called Module II. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, if indeed, that was the mischief that we were trying to cure with this innovation, then we should accept today that the beds that were a problem have now been provided by those parents and guardians of students in Module II Programme. It therefore means that there should be no reason why students in Module II should be paying a figure that is far removed from what their counterparts in the Regular Programme pay. It is important that this Motion goes through. Even as it goes through, I have no doubt Members will support it. We need to ask the Committee of this House and senior officers in the Ministry of Education to work with the university lecturers to see the best way in which they can structure this Parallel Degree Programme because every time I think about it, I see three things. Parallel Degree Programme is now encouraging class society at the university. This is because they are the children of the rich who miss out on getting direct entry into the university who end up being admitted on Parallel Degree Programme. You find students who attained a mean grade of C+ are now at the university on Parallel Degree Programme and those who missed out with B- and did better than them are at home or studying junior courses. It means that we are going to encourage a class society where only people from the well-off families are the ones who will have access to university education. The second risk I see with the Parallel Degree Programme is the issue of nepotism. You find that when the Head of Department of a particular faculty at the university or a senior lecturer or even in some cases the Deputy Vice-Chancellors themselves tend to unfortunately help some of the people from their families to have access to this particular programme. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, along with that risk of nepotism, you have, of course, the risk of tribalism. There is also the issue of frustration. It is very frustrating that a student who scores a mean grade of A- in his examination and then this student, for arguments sake, applies to be admitted for a degree which is very competitive like medicine or engineering. He or she misses the chance and then is admitted for a general degree. However, his or her former classmate, who he or she defeated in examinations; but because this former classmate got a B, he or she ends up being admitted to study very attractive degrees under the Parallel Degree Programme. There is this frustration and I believe this adds to part of the tension that we find in the university between the children who are on Regular Programme finding it difficult to accept those on Parallel Degree Programme. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, I would like to comment on the issue of standards. If we are not very careful about Parallel Degree Programmes in this country, we risk compromising the standards of education. The older Members of Parliament who are in this House will remember when we were at the university, it was very normal at the end of an academic year for you to find a group of students who had been referred to do examinations. They are then unable to proceed with you to the next academic year. You could also find, at the very worst, those who are discontinued all together. The only reason why this used to happen is because the children who are being referred or discontinued had not been able to attain the minimum grade required to promote a student. These days, so as to give way to Parallel Degree requirements, this has been changed and now a child who deserves to be referred in an examination - I hear - is allowed to be promoted to the next academic year. While in that academic year, he can wait and sit for that paper as he continues."
}