Scholars tip University of Rwanda to succeed

The merger of seven public universities and institutions of higher learning to form one public institution of higher learning, the University of Rwanda, sounds like an irrational idea to some section of the public.Critics say the merger will create a ‘white elephant’ where bureaucracy would be the norm and researchers’ flexibility to innovate and take initiatives undermined.But listening to what many experienced academics in the country have to say on the merger, it is almost on the bet to say their view is probably what pushed the country’s top leadership to go ahead and dream, design, and create the University of Rwanda.The scholars see the University of Rwanda as one, bigger, stronger and classy institution that is expected to provide quality education not only for Rwandans but also regional and international students.Senator Chrysologue Karangwa, a former rector of both the former National University of Rwanda (NUR) and Kigali Institute of Science and Technology (Kist), lauds the new university as an institution that will bring both human and material resources that were scattered in various institutions under one entity and have them operate efficiently to implement a similar policy.“The principle is itself good because it helps to overcome many challenges. The overall advantage is to have one policy for all public universities,” Karangwa said, explaining that qualified lecturers will no longer be scattered in different institutions but will work together under one college.Bringing faculties and researchers from different institutions under one roof in specialised colleges will also help to harmonise research and work, especially with foreign partners, Karangwa said.His view is shared by Prof. Silas Lwakabamba, the Minister for Infrastructure, and another former rector at both NUR and Kist.Prof. Lwakabamba, who has earned a reputation in Rwanda for developing higher learning by attracting funding for infrastructure development, said the University of Rwanda will be a great advantage.“Rwanda has limited resources and you don’t want to scatter them. We were duplicating our efforts in almost everything at smaller universities. You need to be visible and the University of Rwanda will drive the position of our higher education to a totally different level and working with other partners will be more efficient,” he said.Prof. Lwakabama said the university will be able to attract more resources and provide a better quality of education by using its size to strike better procurement deals in technology and infrastructure, produce more academic papers, and use combined efforts of professors to run more higher education and specialised programmes.The cautionary tale in the mergerThe University of Rwanda currently comprises seven campuses that correspond to former public universities and institutions of higher learning. They are; NUR, which was the largest public institution of higher learning with 11,256 students; Kist, the Institute of Education (KIE), the Institute of Agriculture and Animal Husbandry (ISAE), the School of Finance and Banking (SFB), and the Higher Institute of Umutara Polytechnic.The seven campuses have two transitional years to complete the process to integrate into the University of Rwanda, essentially sending their students and academic staff to study and work from six colleges that are affiliated to the new varsity.They include the College of Education, College of Science and Technology, College of Arts and Social Sciences, College of Business and Economics, College of Agriculture, Animal Sciences and Veterinary Medicine, and the College of Medicine and Health Sciences. How to transform the former organisations into one united university without ending up with a bureaucratic mess is what seems to puzzle some observers.Prof. Reid E. Whitlock, a retired former rector of SFB, said the university would succeed because of the quality of people who were appointed to lead it.“My concern is that already-complicated and time-consuming administrative processes will be made even more so by the addition of additional approval and coordination layers at the vice-chancellor and deputy vice-chancellor levels. I know Dr Pudence Rubingisa (new University of Rwanda deputy vice-chancellor for finance and administration) well and had the great pleasure of working with him earlier in his career. I trust his skill and judgement. If streamlining is possible, he will achieve it,” Prof. Whitlock said in an e-mail correspondence.The academic said the Minister for Education, Dr Vincent Biruta, the Board and the principals at the University of Rwanda will have a major challenge to commit adequate funding to the university by eliminating legal bottlenecks and allow viable private business subsidiaries attached to the university as well as prod instructors to conduct rigorous and relevant research projects.Senator Karangwa warned against any attempts by leaders of the colleges under the university to consider themselves as former rectors of the merged universities.“They need to understand that they are working under one management. Working together as one will help them to deliver the objective of the new university,” he advised.Prof. Lwakabamba agrees with both the caution and advice shared by Prof. Karangwa.“Each institution has its own culture. It will be very important to try and make sure that staff members see themselves as integrated under one institution,” he said.The law establishing the University of Rwanda, which was published in the official gazette this month, states that the university’s mission is to deliver quality education and develop innovative teaching and research meant to address the problems of the population, the students, the nation, the region and the world.