Editor, We are reacting to the article published in your newspaper The New Times No 2702 of 28th March 2012 which was entitled "NUR Lecturers protest over delays in clearing arrears”, in which some facts were distorted.

It is true that NUR is experiencing tight budget constraints following the cutting down the financing of public high learning institutions by the GoR. 

We would like to refute through your newspaper the allegations made in this article, that as result of those financial difficulties NUR is facing, "Last year, a number of lecturers did not really cross – check students’ dissertations”. The so-called NUR lecturer continued saying that "some [lecturers] claim there was no reason to continue putting in more hours on students memoirs yet the university seemed not bothered to clear the debts”.

The same "lecturer” who refused to disclose his or her names states that "Many of us just attributed marks basing on how they appreciated students in class, not on what they wrote in their dissertations”.The Academic and Research Staff Association of NUR hereby refutes all above mentioned allegations, as they do not depict the true values of NUR lecturers and are far from the reality.

Though we have serious doubt whether the person who said that is an NUR academic and research staff member, we think that someone who can adopt such irresponsible behaviour in fulfilling his or her duties as a result of difficulties faced by his or her institution is not worth of being an educator, leave alone a university lecturer.

NUR lecturers have continued fulfilling their duties diligently and making sure students get as high quality education as allows the prevailing learning environment.  Moreover memoirs marking are not done by one lecturer. The NUR academic quality manual stresses that normally a memoir is evaluated by two examiners, one being the supervisor and another a senior lecturer whose specialisation matches with the topic of the dissertation.

The latter is the chair of the panel. In case there are irreconcilable differences among the panel members, a third examiner shall be appointed. As these procedures are normally applied in all NUR teaching units, they serve as safeguard against such an irresponsible behaviour as alleged in the article.We take this opportunity to assure all parents, stakeholders and partners that NUR Research and Academic Staff members are striving for quality education and cannot be discouraged by difficulties the institution and the country are facing. Done at Butare on March 29th, 2012Dr. Charles KARANGWAChairpersonAcademic and Research Staff Association - NUR