Makerere to query graduation list mess

Makerere University vice chancellor Prof John Ddumba-Ssentamu has once again apologised to those who missed out on last week’s graduation ceremonies after their names were not cleared in time.

In comments made at the ceremonies on Friday, the vice chancellor pledged to get to the bottom of the mess.

“We apologise to those who missed out and pledge to deal with this problem once and for all, so that it does not reoccur in the future,” he said.

Prof Ddumba-Ssentamu added that he was aware that an unspecified number of would-be graduands were not able to graduate because their colleges had not cleared them in time. The problem was most prominent in the college of Humanities and Social Sciences where some officials estimate that up to 3,000 students missed out on the graduation.

Earlier, the newly-installed chancellor of Makerere University, Prof Ezra Suruma, advised Makerere graduates to engage more in the technology and economic sectors as the two were would be the drivers of the economy in next several years.

Speaking on the final day of the 66th graduation ceremony where 14,318 students graduated with diplomas and degrees in various courses, Prof Suruma based his advice on his own situation.

“When I received my first degree in 1969, Bill Gates and Steve Jobs were young men like you are today. Google did not exist, the Internet did not exist, Apple did not exist, now they rule the world,” Suruma said.

The chancellor also told the graduates that it’s their role to change Uganda and it is prevailing situation by committing themselves to a culture of improving and rationalizing services, innovations and doing things in a different way.

He also appealed to the graduates to try all possible means to succeed.

“I appeal to you: dare to start something new, dare to create a company even if you are the only shareholder, dare to compete with giants as David did with Goliath,” Suruma encouraged.

Later, the vice chancellor, Prof John Ddumba-Ssentamu hailed students and staff from the college of Computing and Information Sciences for their continued efforts in improving the technology levels in Uganda by developing applicable solution relevant to national and international developments like in e-health, e-agriculture, e-government and e-education.

BEST STUDENTS REWARDED

The Makerere University convocation rewarded two students who were best performers; one from Makerere and the other from Makerere University Businesses School (Mubs), an affiliate of the main institution. Rashida Tabana, a student of business administration from Mubs, got CGPA 4.91 and Brian Aine from Makerere obtained CGPA 4.84 in Bachelor of Science in information technology. Each was rewarded with Shs 500,000.

The chief executive officer of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants, Beatrice Isagayite, rewarded the best student from the college of Business and Management Science, Edmund Mujema, with Shs 5 million. Mujema got CGPA of 4.42 in bachelor of commerce majoring in accounting.

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