Victoria University students at the closed campus. Photo by Wilfred Sanya
Victoria University closes over
Anti-Gay Bill
Publish Date: Jan 08, 2013
By Francis Kagolo
Victoria University has closed down just after one year of operation, with officials blaming the development on Uganda’s Anti-homosexuality Bill before Parliament.
Victoria University has closed down just after one year of operation, with officials blaming the development on Uganda’s Anti-homosexuality Bill before Parliament.
The vice-chancellor, Dr. David Young, made the announcement during a meeting with students on Tuesday.
“Over the last few months, the University of Buckingham has been in discussions with our partners, Edulink, who own Victoria University in Kampala, Uganda, about our continued validation of some of Victoria University’s courses. We have both become increasingly concerned about the proposed legislation in Uganda on homosexuality and in particular the constraints on freedom of speech in this area,” officials said in a statement.
“In the light of this we have agreed to suspend our validation on the assurance that Edulink would produce viable arrangements for existing students on our validated courses to complete their studies. We will of course assist Edulink with any validation support needed to achieve this,” it added.
The university was opened on September 10, 2011 by President Yoweri Museveni and had admitted close to 600 students.
With seven undergraduate programmes and a Master of Business Administration (MBA), the university also offered scholarships to a number of bright students.
UK university suspends Uganda degrees in gay law row
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-20958929
A UK
university is suspending accreditation for courses at a Ugandan university, in
response to proposed legislation against homosexuality.
As such the university says it will no longer validate courses at Victoria University in Kampala.
Buckingham says it will make "viable arrangements" for existing students.
The private UK university says the decision has been agreed with Edulink, the Dubai-based owners of Victoria University.
A statement from Victoria University says that the university cannot comply with the conflicting legal requirements of both Uganda and the UK on prohibiting discrimination.
"There are fundamental differences between the two nations' respective laws regarding equality and diversity, which cannot be reconciled."
As a result the Ugandan university says the partnership with Buckingham has been suspended.
Transferring
students
The University
of Buckingham says it
will mean the suspension of accreditation for seven courses, affecting around
200 students.
The acting vice chancellor of Victoria University, David Young, says the university will continue with two other courses - nursing science and public health - which are not validated by Buckingham.
"Victoria University is making every effort to transfer students on the 'Buckingham' courses to Middlesex University Dubai, or to University of Buckingham in the UK, or to another university," says Dr Young.
Victoria University was opened in autumn 2011 by Uganda's president, Yoweri Museveni, and the university's chancellor is former prime minister of Uganda, Apolo Nsibambi.
The opening ceremony was attended by Andrew Mitchell, who was then the UK's international development secretary, and Tim Yeo MP, who has advised the university on "academic standards", according to the register of members' financial interests.
The agreement with the University of Buckingham had been seen as a way of delivering UK higher education to students in east Africa.
A growing number of universities in the UK have links with overseas universities, or else have set up branch campuses.
But the suspension of the partnership highlights the ethical conflicts that can arise when such university values are exported.
Homosexual acts are already illegal in Uganda - but the controversial proposed bill would increase the penalties.
The bill proposes longer jail terms for homosexual acts, including a life sentence in certain circumstances.
International leaders, including US President Barack Obama, have condemned the proposals.
British university cuts ties with Victoria University over gay bill
http://www.monitor.co.ug/News/National/British-university-cuts-ties-Victoria-University-gay-bill/-/688334/1660658/-/h2g23mz/-/index.html
By Monitor Reporter
Posted Tuesday, January 8 2013 at 16:47
Posted Tuesday, January 8 2013 at 16:47
A January 8 statement on the University of Buckingham’s website says it has “become increasingly concerned about the proposed legislation in Uganda on homosexuality and in particular the constraints on freedom of speech in this area.”
Daily Monitor could not immediately get an official comment from Victoria University because it’s Vice Chancellor, the only official we were told could comment about the development, was in a meeting.
Established in 2010, Victoria University is a Kampala-based university offering qualifications validated by the University of Buckingham.
The Statement in full:
"Over the last few months, the University of Buckingham has been in discussions with our partners, Edulink, who own Victoria University in Kampala, Uganda, about our continued validation of some of Victoria University’s courses. We have both become increasingly concerned about the proposed legislation in Uganda on homosexuality and in particular the constraints on freedom of speech in this area. In the light of this we have agreed to suspend our validation on the assurance that Edulink would produce viable arrangements for existing students on our validated courses to complete their studies. We will of course assist Edulink with any validation support needed to achieve this."
