news TRUSTED NEW
Post Views: 2
BY WILBER MUHWEZI KASIBANTE[MK]IN BUSHENYIwww.mknewslink.com ——As 1844 graduates graduated at Kampala International University (KIU) leaders openly challenged the government’s newly proposed medical training and internship policies, warning that forcing universities to retain medical students for six years will disrupt higher education.
The remarks were made during the university’s 33rd graduation ceremony, where key stakeholders called for a policy rethink on medical internships, taxation and health insurance.
Speaking at the event, KIU Vice Chancellor Prof. Muhammad Ngoma expressed concern over a Ministry of Health directive requiring universities to keep medical students for six years until they complete their internships.
“’We ask the government to rethink the medical training policy especially where the ministry requires as Universities to keep the medical students for six years in Universities. Our Chief Guest, universities have a five-year curriculum for medical training so if the ministry asks us not to graduate medical students until internship, we shall have a problem because we don’t have a curriculum for six years as Universities. Or curriculum ends at five years and after five years we should be able to graduate them. So we appeal to the government to leave internship the way it has been,” Prof. Ngoma stated.
Beyond medical training, the KIU top brass lobbied for structural economic reforms. Prof. Ngoma urged the state to introduce a special tax regime for higher learning institutions to boost research, infrastructure, and innovation.” We also appeal to the government to think of a special tax regime for higher institutions of learning because they play a very big role and elsewhere they have a special tax regime and this is also what we are advocating for because we have to support research, infrastructure, innovations and create a good learning environment,” Prof. Ngoma appealed to the government.Supporting the Vice Chancellor, the Chairman of the KIU Board of Trustees, Al Hajji Dr. Hassan Basajjabalaba, vowed to lead a delegation to negotiate the policy with President Yoweri Museveni.Dr. Basajjabalaba criticized ongoing attempts to scrap allowances for medical interns, noting that a previous presidential intervention had saved 50 percent of their original UGX 2,000,000 monthly stipend.“Now I think they want to abolish it completely, which is wrong. Kenya has over 6,000 internship students and they are paid. In Uganda, we have about 2,000,” Dr. Basajjabalaba said.Dr. Basajjabalaba also accused some officials of trying to protect public institutions at the expense of private universities. He noted that if the government’s goal is quality control, it should introduce pre-entry exams before internship, similar to the process used in pharmacy training.On regional health competitiveness, Dr. Basajjabalaba pointed out that Uganda remains the only country in East Africa without a national medical insurance scheme.He warned that private investors will continue to withhold funding from the healthcare sector until a comprehensive insurance policy is established.Representing the government, the 2nd Deputy Prime Minister and Chief Guest, Hon. Dr. Chrispus Kiyonga, attributed high graduate unemployment to poor course selection.“Unemployment among young graduates is because they select courses that aren’t marketable,” Hon. Kiyonga said.He urged future students to target high-demand fields like artificial intelligence, machine learning, dental science, cyber security, and digital forensics.Hon. Kiyonga defended the National Resistance Movement (NRM) administration, stating it has created a peaceful, investor-friendly environment with adequate electricity and infrastructure.He challenged the new graduates to adapt to a tech-driven economy and avoid reckless lifestyles.“I urge the graduates to refrain from reckless and dangerous lifestyles such as drunkenness and sexual promiscuity. It will be a great disgrace if you waste your lives after such sacrifices have been made,” Kiyonga advised.The graduation also celebrated individual triumphs. Choda Raphael Daniel, who emerged as the overall best student, attributed his success to resilience and passion.‘’Why I managed to become the best student is that I always applied resilience in work as I always worked hard to make sure I achieve the best for my life. I also want to ask students out there to always work hard and give it all in everything that they do and have passion because this is what they need,’’ Choda noted.Meanwhile, Rubirizi assistant Resident District Commissioner (ARDC) Rwamutojo Duglas and Mr. Nicholus Nuwagiira Mbarara RDC, who was among the graduates, thanked President Museveni for inspiring them with hard work and pledged to use their academic advancement to intensify the fight against corruption33RD KIU GRADUANDSDICKENS COWBOY, FRIENDS GRADUATEHON. HAJJI IDD BASAJJA MP BUSHENYI ISHAKA MUNICIPALITY ATTENDED THE GRADUATION
Source link
