Universities should maintain high standards

The idea that someone should have two principal passes to join any university in Rwanda is a well intentioned one and timely. The Rwanda education has been undergoing several reforms all aimed at improving both quality and quantity (access). However we need to understand that the system still retains a pyramid structure where more participants in the education system are at the bottom of the pyramid while the top tends to have less. This is not a mistake. At the professional levels at the top, quality becomes more of a concern than ever and that is why we cannot fault the education ministry officials for being strict on the implementation of policies. Universities do not operate on ‘elimination’ agenda of retaining the best and kicking out others. Universities are research and facilitation centres that seek to see to it that whoever joins can leave with a qualification. The gate keeping for those joining university should always be stricter than for those joining secondary universities do not operate on ‘elimination’ agenda of retaining the best and kicking out others. We therefore have to understand why the Ministry and National Council for Higher Education would prefer strict entry requirements that can meet the general standards of universities in the region and the world over. Higher education is not for all but for those who meet the set requirements for joining and are willing to work hard and meet the requirements needed to qualify for a certificate at the end of the day. There can and should be no shortcuts when it comes to admissions to universities since they are supposed to be centres of academic excellence and research.