The higher education regulator says the programme can continue until 2036, despite the Pharmaceutical Society of Uganda’s withdrawal of professional recognition over staffing and departmental leadership concerns.
The National Council for Higher Education (NCHE) has insisted that Mbarara University of Science and Technology’s (MUST) Bachelor of Pharmacy programme remains accredited and can continue operating despite the Pharmaceutical Society of Uganda’s (PSU) decision to withdraw its professional recognition.
PSU announced on Monday that it had withdrawn recognition of the programme over inadequate staffing and concerns about the leadership of MUST’s Department of Pharmacy.
The society also faulted the university for failing to respond to a notice asking it to explain why recognition should not be withdrawn.
The decision raised concerns about the status of students enrolled in the programme, with PSU suspending the issuance of Pharmacy Student Numbers, recognition of internship placements and eligibility for new graduates to sit its pre-internship and pre-registration qualifying examinations.
However, in a statement issued on Wednesday, NCHE said the programme’s accreditation remained valid, faulting PSU for making the decision without consulting the council.
“The National Council for Higher Education was neither involved nor consulted in the Pharmaceutical Society of Uganda’s unilateral decision to withdraw its recognition of the Bachelor of Pharmacy programme at Mbarara University of Science and Technology,” the council said.
NCHE said the programme was first accredited in 2010 and has since been re-accredited several times, with the latest approval granted on January 30, 2025, allowing it to run until 2036.
The council said the re-accreditations had been granted in consultation with PSU, as required by the Universities and Other Tertiary Institutions Act.
Citing Section 4(i) of the law, NCHE said recognition of academic qualifications falls under its mandate. It also pointed to provisions empowering it to process programme accreditation applications in consultation with professional bodies and investigate complaints concerning higher education institutions.
The dispute partly centres on the leadership of MUST’s pharmacy department. The university’s head of department, an associate professor of pharmacy, resigned in July to take up a professorship at another academic institution.
MUST subsequently appointed a senior lecturer with a nursing background and a PhD in pharmacology from Ghent University in Belgium to lead the department temporarily. PSU questioned the arrangement, citing the need for appropriate professional leadership and adequate staffing.
In a letter dated October 20 to NCHE, MUST said it had appointed Dr Jonans Tusiimire, a pharmacist, senior lecturer and PSU president, as acting head of department for three months from October 19. The university also said it had obtained clearance to recruit or promote staff to fill substantive positions.
Despite the disagreement, NCHE maintained that the programme’s accreditation had not been affected.
“The Bachelor of Pharmacy programme at Mbarara University of Science and Technology is fully accredited,” the council said.
It added that “the teaching and learning of the Bachelor of Pharmacy programme at Mbarara University of Science and Technology should continue.”
The clarification came a day after Deputy Speaker of Parliament Thomas Tayebwa told legislators that the programme remained accredited by NCHE despite PSU’s withdrawal of professional recognition.
“The students are learning and being taught an accredited course,” Tayebwa said.
Tayebwa directed the Minister of Education and Sports to present a statement to Parliament on Thursday, October 22, after consulting the Attorney General on the respective legal mandates of NCHE and PSU.
The Leader of the Opposition, Joel Ssenyonyi, told Parliament on Tuesday that the dispute also concerned the qualifications of the person heading the department.
“If it is a question of somebody heading a department who requires a particular set of qualifications, I think that should be sorted out so that students are not in disarray,” he said.
While NCHE maintains that the programme remains academically accredited, the dispute leaves questions about the implications of PSU’s decision for students’ professional registration, internships and progression into pharmacy practice.