__________________________

By Arthur Mugisha 

Dear Editor and esteemed readers of this great newspaper, allow me to appreciate Makerere University ceremonies committee and Makerere University staff at large for handling the 74th Graduation Ceremony with excellence. 

In this shared opinion, I will highlight the innovations noticed and make some proposals to better Uganda’s prestigious University. 

According to statistics compiled by Prof. Mukadasi Buyinza the Academic Registrar Makerere University  (MakNews Magazine 2024 Page 18), the graduation that started on 29th January - 2nd February 2024 saw a total of 12,914 students graduate with various accolades as follows; PhDs 131 (47 Females & 84 Males), Masters 1,587 (700 Females & 887 Males), Post Graduate Diploma’s 156 (67 Females & 89 Males), Undergraduate Diploma’s   24 (15 Females & 9 Males), Undergraduate Degree Programs 11,016 (5,990 Females & 5,026 Males). Congratulations ladies for rising high up.   In an article in the New Vision January 30th, 2024 Page 7,  titled “Makerere’s best-performing graduands” a total of 279 students graduated with First Class Undergraduate Degrees.

This is phenomenal.  Indeed, like the First Lady Mama Janet Kataaha Museveni applauded you, Congratulations Makerere University, the alumni, the parents, government and all well-wishers. Surely, Uganda needs such brains to grow and help their country get into the middle-income status. Please Government, follow them up before the worldly, materialistic and uncultured men and women misuse these young brains in retrogression. 

Makerere University has an Institute of Open Distance & eLearning (IODeL) that was created by a Council Policy (2015).

This IODeL has the mandate to ensure all Academic Units operate using Blended Learning and Teaching (BL) but also train staff and students on Blended Learning and Teaching across the constituent colleges that make up Makerere University.

I can state without fear of conflict and contradiction that Makerere University has had visionary leadership.

This IODeL was very innovative and helpful that during COVID-19, BL and assessment were held meritoriously despite the few challenges of technology appreciation by the various stakeholders including us as parents.  

I wish to highlight the fact that this year’s graduation was highly blended courtesy of IODeL spearheaded by its Director Prof. Paul Birevu Muyinda through a multi-media team led by Dr. Godfrey Mayende a specialist in content design.

People across the globe were able to attend the entire week's ceremonies uninterrupted and even those at the graduation venue were able to enjoy the ceremony regardless of the distance and sitting space.

Technology application was its best and I found this a 21st Century graduation that was all-inclusive, innovative and worth the Institution. Bravo Academic Registrar for buying Uganda and Building Uganda (BUBU) through IODeL participation. That is the way to build own capacity. 


The graduation ceremony saw the Vice Chancellor Prof. Bernabas Nawangwe temporality leapfrog into the chair of the Chancellor given that Prof. Ezra Suruma’s term of office had expired. Prof Ezra Suruma joined Makerere in 1973 when my parents gave me the opportunity to exist and thus Prof Ezra has been Makererean for 50 years now.

What a personality! He has served in various capacities including his recent post as Chancellor 2016 – 2023 where he will be remembered for his no-nonsense approach, Godly values and pro-staff attitude in ensuring excellence at Makerere that builds for the future. In his own words, “It is very easy to conflict, it takes an extra grace to be able to say, ‘wait a minute’ can I restrain my anger and see what the problem is and how it can be resolved peacefully?” (Mak News Magazine 2024 Page 7). May Makerere leadership learn from his Godly service. 

Congratulations Prof. Bernabas Nawangwe for fulfilling your Council obligations with excellency and spearheading Makerere to this milestone.  With all staff on your side, I believe Makerere University can Better its current Best. Motivate staff further at all levels.

In the same vein, Makerere University celebrated 100 years of existence just recently in 2022. Key in the celebrations to mark this milestone was the desire for Makerere to become an all-inclusive, modern research-led University.

During this graduation, Academic Staff received the Vice Chancellors Research Excellence Awards where Prof. Moses Robert Kamya emerged the victor with 271 publications closely followed by Prof. Rhoda Wanyenze with 153 something that rhymes well with the vision and mission of the current Makerere strategic plan 2030.

During this same graduation, Convocation chair Mr. George Turyamureeba and the team organized a luncheon on each day where invited guests would have lunch with First Class graduates, the staff awardees and academic staff in the Chancellor’s procession not forgetting carefully selected administrators.

The above innovations saw many students walk away with convocation awards but most importantly dining with high-profile academics and leaders from all walks of life. Congratulations Makerere for showing the learners the value of excellence.

I suggest adequate use of the Makerere University Research and Innovations Fund to impact society. This will be possible if you mentor young staff to team up with established Professors.

I foresee an immediate mentorship program in the offing. 

I witnessed 21st Century skills being practiced especially on the level of organization and information flow. The staff, graduates and the general public received regular, well-branded and quality updates from the office of the Academic Registrar through the various communication channels.

All Makerere University students now fully appreciate the value of technology.  It was rather not necessary to walk, travel, or take a flight to Makerere in search of information. Makerere University Academic staff produced results on time, The Academic Registrars Department processed transcripts and distributed them even before graduation in a decentralized manner.

This is an amazing innovation that should be worth the name of Makerere. The mafias in the corridors of senate up to now are still yawning courtesy of good leadership provided by Prof. Mukadasi Buyinza.

I appreciate the fact that Makerere students now alumni were saved hidden costs and harassment. My son brought home his transcript a few days before graduation “Daddy, allow me to present my transcript. Has this been the practice before? How come we would hear of complications in this process? What has changed?” Bravo DVC.

Academic Affairs Prof Umar Kakumba for working closely with Prof Mukadasi Buyinza to streamline processes related to graduation. We as parents, imagine the next graduation shall be far better than the previous ones. 

Dear reader, as a PhD candidate researching on “Content Design Fit for Fifth Generation Distance Education” as a case study and PI on a multi-year project “Comprehensive Evaluation of Blended Learning Uptake at Mak” now it’s second last phase, I am aware that Makerere University has blended a number of processes (students apply online and find their admission results on the university website, they can print their provisional admission letters, they pick payment slips online, they register online, they find some courses on the University Electronic Management System with some designed content, they receive their results online).

The above areas were technical areas that at times would cause unnecessary delays and frustrations. Now that teaching and learning are blended to enable students enjoy the affordances of 5th Generation quality Education and that Results management and graduation are starting to be blended, I wish to call upon Makerere University Council to also blend in the following university service units; Dean of students office to manage its functions with utmost transparency and timeliness, university hospital to remove unnecessary lines and delays, create a Blended Learning support centre for staff and student support with 24 hour services, through IODeL and Directorate of Information Communication Technology services (DICTs) design and automate summative assessment.

Makerere as a thought leader, striving to be research-led university and a 21st Century University ought to be comparable to the most global prestigious universities. 

As a former and future parent at Makerere University, let me end by appreciating the College of Computing and Information Sciences (CoCIS) for ably transforming my son Isaac Turyatunga who eventually graduated with a First Class Degree in Computer Science with a CPGA 4.5 on Wednesday 31st January 2024.

Appreciation goes to St Savio Junior School Kisubi and Ntare School for ably providing the foundation. We build for the future.

PhD Student CEES / Almni / Researcher / Parent and Academic staff Makerere University