The National Council for Higher Education (NCHE) has granted permission to Victoria University to continue implementing the Emergency Open Distance and e-Learning system and to also conduct online examinations.

“I am pleased to inform you that after due consideration, the National Council for Higher Education has granted you permission to continue implementing the Emergency Open Distance and e-Learning system and to also conduct online examinations for only programmes accredited by the National Council for Higher Education for twelve (12) months,” Rev Canon Kagume said in the 10th September letter to Victoria University vice chancellor.

The Rev Canon was responding to an ‘application for renewal of permissions to implement emergency open, distance and e-learning (OdeL) and request for permission conduct online examinations’.

Since the break out of COVID-19 leading to the closure of schools in the country, Victoria University turned to the internet to teach their learners and since then they have excelled at it and have now become the premier training site for tomorrow’s health professionals.

“Victoria University’s dedication to cutting-edge research, technology and collaboration with leading professionals enables our Health Science Faculty to provide one of the finest learning and teaching environments in the nation,” Victoria University Vice-Chancellor Dr. Lawrence Muganga recently said.

He added: “Victoria University carries state-of-the-art Health Science Laboratories designed to transform health science education in Uganda with some of the most comprehensive health science education facilities in the country.”

Meanwhile, there are 21 other universities in the queue awaiting clearance.

The first to be cleared (by mid-last month) were Victoria University, ISBAT University, Cavendish and the Law Development Centre.

The NCHE through the health ministry in July issued guidelines for Higher Education Institutions (HEI) to roll out the distance and electronic learning.

The guidelines are part of measures to ensure that teaching in higher education institutions continues despite the closure of educational institutions to prevent the spread of COVID-19.