By Sharon Kyatusiimire
Uganda’s National Council for Higher Education (NCHE) says it has no objection to online learning, provided that the qualifications are authentic and obtained from accredited and recognized institutions.
Speaking at the ongoing 3rd International CoMMPASS Conference at Uganda Christian University (UCU), Mukono, NCHE Public Relations Officer Saul Waigolo emphasized that the Council treats online qualifications with the same seriousness as those acquired through traditional or blended learning.
“Our role as NCHE is to equate and certify academic qualifications, whether they are obtained physically, online, or through blended learning,” Waigolo said.
He explained that NCHE focuses on key factors such as authenticity, duration of study, workload covered, and whether the qualification is recognised in the country of origin.
“What we look at is the authenticity of the academic papers, the duration and study load covered, whether the qualification is recognised in the country of origin, and the entry qualifications used for admission. Whether the program is online or physical, the standards do not change,” he noted.
Waigolo, however, cautioned learners to be vigilant when enrolling for online courses, warning that some so-called online educators operate as brokers rather than genuine academic institutions.
“Learners need to be careful because some online providers are not actual educational institutions but money-making ventures. They may end up giving you documents that will not be recognised anywhere,” he warned.
Waigolo was contributing to a panel discussion focusing on approaches to be taken to promote official recognition of online learning.
During the same session, Dr. Richard Kajumbula from the Institute of Distance and E-Learning (IoDEL) at Makerere University urged online education providers to engage key stakeholders at all stages of program development to ensure recognition and credibility. He added that strong branding and proper promotion of online education products are essential for building trust and acceptance.
“Online learning providers must think about how they support and assess learners, and what policies are in place to guarantee quality and credibility,” Dr. Kajubura said.
Dr. Michael Serwornoo from the University of Maryland Eastern Shore called for the development of a national harmonized testing system to evaluate both online and traditional students fairly.
“If you have students studying online and others studying physically, there should be one harmonised testing system to assess both groups. We must move away from seeing online learning as a second option and recognise it as a viable alternative,” he said.
Earlier, while sharing Uganda Christian University (UCU)’s experience, Dr. Mary Kagoire Ocheng, the Dean School of Education, highlighted how the university has embraced blended learning through curriculum redesign and accreditation processes.
“We have carried out several curriculum reviews to embed online learning. We have also conducted extensive training and evaluations. However, we still face challenges such as resistance from some staff and the rise of AI tools, which have increased cases of plagiarism,” she explained.
Martin Kabanda, Head of Online Learning at UCU, noted that while the university has invested heavily in online systems, trust remains a major challenge.
“We have done everything necessary to embed online learning, but the issue of trust is still a concern. NCHE recognizes our programs; their main requirement is that we put in place systems that ensure authenticity of learners, such as verification and monitoring tools, which we are already using for our master’s programs,” Kabanda said.
The five-day conference is being held under the theme:
“Media, Migration & Mobility: Reimagining the African Narrative.”
It aims to explore challenges in reporting on migration and to assess the impact of online learning initiatives such as CoMMPASS.
The CoMMPASS project, now in its third year, is an online learning platform designed to empower African journalists and journalism students to report on migration and mobility with greater accuracy, ethics, and impact.Bottom of Form
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