Ministry of Education has ordered an investigation into a dispute involving government-sponsored students at Kyambogo University who say they were admitted to study Physical Education and Sports Management but graduated with diplomas in Sports Management.
State Minister for Education and Sports John Chrysestom Ogwang directed the National Council for Higher Education (NCHE) to expedite its investigation into the matter after it was raised before Parliament’s Committee on Education and Sports.
The dispute concerns students admitted to Kyambogo in 2017 through the Joint Admissions Board under a government sponsorship programme.
The former students say they were admitted to a Diploma in Physical Education and Sports Management, expecting the qualification to prepare them for careers as teachers.
But when they graduated in 2019, they were awarded Diplomas in Sports Management. Students say they were not adequately informed that the programme had changed.
The affected group reportedly included 28 students who studied between 2017 and 2019.
One of the graduates, Haruna Muwanguzi, said they applied for Physical Education and Sports Management and only discovered the change in the qualification title when they received their certificates.
The graduates say the difference has affected their employment prospects because a Sports Management qualification does not automatically qualify them for registration as Physical Education teachers.
They have since sought clarification and assistance from Kyambogo University, NCHE and other government institutions.
The graduates have also questioned why they were allowed to enrol and complete the programme if it was not properly accredited at the time.
Recent reports indicates that NCHE acknowledged receiving the graduates’ complaint and said the programme was not accredited at the time the students applied and were admitted.
However, subsequent reporting citing a July 2026 communication from NCHE says the regulator had not yet determined the merits of the graduates’ claims and had asked Kyambogo University to respond.
The regulator also indicated that Kyambogo had previously received accreditation for a Diploma in Physical Education and Sports Management in 2010 and a separate Diploma in Sports Management and Administration in 2015.
That means the precise status of the programme in 2017 and whether the students were improperly admitted remains a matter for the investigation to establish.
Kyambogo University has rejected the suggestion that students were deliberately awarded an unrelated qualification.
The university says the programme underwent a review and its name was changed to Diploma in Sports Management.
Its officials have said students were informed about the programme available to them and proceeded to study and graduate under that qualification.
The university has also argued that the students did not formally object during their studies.
This directly conflicts with the graduates’ account that they believed they were pursuing a teaching pathway and were not properly informed about the change.
NCHE investigation is therefore expected to determine which version of events is supported by the official admission records, accreditation documents and academic records.
The disagreement is not simply about the wording printed on a certificate.
A qualification in Sports Management is different from a teacher-training qualification designed to prepare someone for classroom teaching.
Education experts have pointed out that teacher training involves professional subjects such as pedagogy, curriculum studies and supervised teaching practice.
Recent examination of the graduates’ transcripts reportedly found substantial coursework in sports management and administration, while the professional education components expected in a teacher-training programme were absent.
That distinction could explain why some of the graduates have encountered difficulties when seeking recognition as Physical Education teachers.
Minister Ogwang has called for the matter to be investigated quickly and for institutions found responsible to be held accountable.
He has also proposed what he described as competence-based remediation a process aimed at ensuring that any solution takes into account what the students actually studied and the skills they acquired.
That could prove important if the investigation finds that the students were affected by an administrative or accreditation failure.
Rather than simply changing the title on their certificates, authorities may have to determine whether additional training, certification or another remedy is required.
Parliamentary committee had summoned Kyambogo University officials to explain the circumstances surrounding the disputed qualifications.
Instead, he delegated two junior officials to attend on his behalf.
The absence comes at a sensitive moment for the university, with MPs seeking explanations about decisions taken nearly a decade ago and the effect they have had on the affected graduates.
For the graduates, the problem has continued long after they left university.
They say the qualification they received has not opened the professional opportunities they expected when they accepted government sponsorship.
The dispute also raises broader questions about programme accreditation, university admissions and how changes to academic programmes are communicated to students.
If a student is admitted under a government-sponsored programme, they would reasonably expect the qualification advertised and the qualification ultimately awarded to correspond.
NCHE investigation is now expected to establish what happened to the 2017 cohort.
Until questions are answered, it would be premature to conclude that the university deliberately issued invalid certificates or that the students knowingly enrolled in an unaccredited programme.
What is clear is that a group of government-sponsored graduates has spent years seeking clarity over a qualification that they say has affected their careers.
