London, Jan. 21, 2021 (AltAfrica)-Rwanda says graduates from three private universities in the country are academically substandard and warned public institutions against hiring them

According to the Ministry of Public Service, “these graduates will have to repeat some specific courses before they qualify as employable in public institutions, while those already in employment have been given a grace period of one year to do so”

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The universities are; the Protestant Institute of Arts and Social Sciences (PIASS) and the Catholic University of Rwanda (CUR) which are both based in Huye District, and the Uganda-based Cavendish University.

The affected graduates are those who pursued the degree in education, some of whom are already teaching in different government schools.

In an interview, Rose Mukankomeje, Director General at the Higher Education Council said graduates from PIASS and CUR failed to complete the list of courses regarding program specifications that are required by her institution.

In particular, she noted that students from the two local institutions did not complete academic internships which are a necessity to join the job market.

In a letter shared with a Rwandan leading online news website, The New Times, the Minister of Public Service and Labour, Fanfan Rwanyindo Kayirangwa said that no public institution should hire graduates from these universities.

“Graduates from the Protestant Institute of Arts and Social Sciences and the Catholic University of Rwanda (who are already working) should be given a one year grace period to complete the [required part of the] course or be suspended,” the letter reads.

Henceforth, “no public institution should hire graduates from the two universities.”

Besides the two universities, Mukankomeje pointed out that Cavendish University is not accredited in Rwanda, adding that qualifications from the institution cannot be accepted anywhere in the country.

Alternatively, she called upon the affected students to enroll in local universities, citing that her institution has engaged universities that offer similar courses.

Ordinarily, students who graduate from universities outside Rwanda, apply for recognition of their qualifications (equivalence) from HEC, before they can start working.

While there is no official record of the total affected graduates, information from PIASS indicates that at least 900 graduates have been left stranded.

However, according to Mukankomeje the move is part of the stringent measures that are imposed on all higher learning institutions and investors in the sector to ensure that the quality of education is not compromised.