During the fifth and final session of the 73rd Graduation ceremony, held on Friday 17th February 2023, two colleges of Humanities and Social Sciences (CHUSS) and the college of Engineering, Design, Art and Technology presented candidates for the conferment of depress and diplomas in various disciplines.
CHUSS presented 2061 graduands. Of these, 23 (11 Females and 12 Males) were PhD candidates, 241 Masters (87 Females and 154 Males), 37 Post Graduate Diplomas (19 Females and 18 Males) and 1761 Undergraduate (809 Females and 952 Males) candidates.
Four students sponsored by the Mastercard Foundation received the Academic Excellence Award for their exemplary performance graduating with the First Class honors. They included Ngobi Ambrose of the Bachelor of Arts in Drama and Film with a CGPA of 4.67, Adeke Esther Lucy of the Bachelor of Community Psychology with a CGPA of 4.50, Nalughya Ritah-Bachelor of Community Psychology with a CGPA of 4.40 and Ongejuk Lolos Sereno-Bachelor of Arts Social Sciences with a CGPA of 4.40.
The college also presented the first cohort of students of the Bachelor of Chinese and Asian Studies and another first cohort of 49 officers of the Uganda Peoples Defence Forces (UPDF) from the Uganda Military Academy at Kabamba who graduated with the Bachelor of Defence Studies.
Senior Military officers from the senior command and staff college at Kimaka who came from Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda graduated with the Masters in Defence and Security Studies.
The first group of police officers sponsored by Government of Uganda to pursue the Master in Peace and Conflict Studies as well as 30 students from 17 countries from five continents in the first two cohorts of peace fellows graduated with the Post Graduate Diploma in Peace Building and Conflict Transformation.
Presiding over the graduation ceremony at the university’s Freedom Square on 17th February 2023, the Chancellor Makerere University Prof. Ezra Suruma congratulated graduands as well as parents, guardians and sponsors for endurance and support through the years .
The Chancellor decried the persistent poor performance of pupils in Universal Primary education schools which he attributed to among others weak school management, limited teacher capacity, absence of school feeding, limited parental and community participation, low financing and poor assessment methods.
Prof Suruma commended the days doctoral candidates’ works that addressed primary education. He pointed out Mr. Kamya Bazilio study on the contribution of Primary Education Policy Reforms in the development of Uganda from 1894-2019 as very helpful and promising.
“ His recommendations that government should increase funding for efforts aimed at reviewing curriculum in relation to the required skills for human capital requirement as well as increase the budget for primary education for improved education service delivery are very important for that sector”. The Chancellor appreciated,
The Chancellor also recognised the research by both Mr. George Tee Forphoh and Ms. Longba’am on conflict management in Nigeria’s Middle Belt between 1957 and 2018 as one that shows that Makerere university’s research was not only important to Uganda’s national development but responsive to challenges throughout the African continent.
Quoting the book of Psalms 124 and Deuteronomy 33:27, the Chancellor advised graduands that inspite of the suffering, many challenges and uncertain future, they should pray for the spirit of hope.
“You survived Covid 19, You survived the exams, You survived the thesis. You survived the functional fees. You survived the Land lord. You survived hunger. And here you are. The trap is broken. And you are free. You have graduated.
Go home from Makerere with hope, The Master promised sunshine after rain. The Lord who has brought you this far will carry you.
So, Carry your candle. Go light up the world. Do your part to make the world a better place. Learn to love God and to bear with your neighbour. God will carry you for the rest of your days”, The professor advised.
The Vice Chancellor’s Remarks
The Vice Chancellor Makerere University Prof. Barnabas Nawangwe congratulated the graduands upon staying focused and fulfilling the requirements for the award of the various qualifications.
Prof. Nawangwe appreciated Government of Uganda for the Research and Innovation Fund given to the university as it strives to transform into a research led university.
“ The Research and Innovation Fund, that was made possible through a Government grant of UGX 30bn annually, has transformed Makerere tremendously with very many innovations in agriculture, and food security, health, engineering, education, veterinary medicine, artificial intelligence, economics and business management”, The Vice Chancellor reported.
Prof. Nawangwe pointed out that the colleges graduating students were among the most research intensive at Makerere making a tremendous contribution in research and community outreach.
Nawangwe reported that CHUSS was experiencing a vibrant revival in research.
“Through the support of the Andrew Mellon Foundation, the college is training the next generation of researchers at PhD level. Researchers from CHUSS actively participated in finding solutions to the effects of CoVID 19 in the education system and made a number of policy proposals. The college has submitted a comprehensive memorandum to the Education Policy Review Commission”. The Vice Chancellor noted.
Prof. Nawangwe informed the congregation that the university had come up with measures to shorten the process of issuing academic transcripts. Instead of clearing with more than 10 offices, graduands will be required to clear with the university Library and the University Bursar.
To the graduands, the Vice Chancellor said they occupy a special place in Uganda’s development agenda and that country was looking forward to them to move people out of poverty.
“With the abundance of natural resources, we have no reason to continue living in poverty. We have done our best to impart on your knowledge that should enable you to face the world with confidence, to become part of the solution and not part of the problem.
We have empowered you to be critical thinkers and to be entrepreneurs and good managers of our economy”, Nawangwe advised.
The Vice Chancellor reminded graduands that success does not only come through technical skills acquired but more through soft skills of knowing that they are part of a small privileged elite tasked to move people out of poverty and hence, the need to be humane and humble with determination to succeed.
Nawangwe also implored graduands to use the degrees to change the world for the better saying, only then will they have real meaning.
“As you leave the Gates Makerere, I urge you to always be proud of your Alma Mater and be her good ambassadors. Put your trust in God and honor your parents and opportunities will be opened for you. And please, do not forget the Gates of Makerere. Remember that learning never ends and Makerere gates will always be open for you”, The Professor advised.
The week long 73rd Graduation Ceremony started on 13th -17th February 2023. A total of 13,221 students will be awarded degrees and diplomas of Makerere University. Of these, 102 will graduate with PhDs, 1,378 with Masters Degrees, 11,598 with Bachelor’s degrees, and 143 with undergraduate and postgraduate diplomas. 52% of the graduands are female and 48% male. 41 of the 102 PhD graduands and 563 of the 1,378 Masters graduands are female.