Use external examiners, varsities told

Education Minister Vincent Biruta has called for peer review mechanisms and introduction of external examiners to improve the quality of graduates.Dr Biruta was, yesterday, presiding over the 7th graduation ceremony of Kigali Independent University (ULK) western campus in Rubavu district.Some 478 students were received bachelors’ degrees in various disciplines. The minister advised the graduates not to sit back and wait to be called for jobs. “Now that you have acquired valuable skills which qualify you to compete on the job market, the national guiding principle is that you become job creators,” he said.The minister pointed out the need for higher institutions to regularly evaluate their graduates to determine the relevance and credibility of the attained training.“Having statistics about the employment status of your former students enables you to know whether the course is still viable or relevant on the job market,” he said.At least three ladies, including two from the Department of Development Studies and the other from Accounting, walked home with First Class honours.The founder and president of ULK, Prof. Rwigamba Balinda, urged the graduates to exhibit and uphold professionalism.

National

Use external examiners, varsities told