Makerere delays certificates
Dec 13, 2008
Last year, Lynn graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Information Technology from Makerere University.
By Carol Natukunda
Last year, Lynn graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Information Technology from Makerere University.
She got her academic transcript in March this year and aggressively started searching for a well paying job. But she is in a dilemma. A prospective employer cannot recruit her, unless she has her degree certificate from the university.
But the university’ certificates department has turned her away three times in a row, saying there is no materials for printing the certificates. “I am frustrated,†Lynn says, “it means I have to give up on the job.â€
The university has been turning away some graduates seeking their degree certificates, claiming they do not have paper on which to print the certificates. Instead, they are given recommendation letters explaining that the particular graduate’s certificate is still being processed.
Saturday Vision saw a letter given to one of the graduates, written by the registrar in the certificates section, Margaret Etuusa, on behalf of the academic registrar. “Her degree certificate is not yet ready, but is being processed. In the meantime, any assistance rendered to her in this connection will be highly appreciated,†the letter of November 27, reads in part.
Some faculty authorities confirmed that they had received complaints of the delayed release of the certificates. “I received a student today (Thursday) who told me that she had been referred to the faculty. But I told her to go back and ask the person who had sent her to put it in writing,†said Peace Tumuheki, the registrar at the Faculty of Computing and Information Technology.
But the Academic Registrar, Amos Olal-Odur yesterday explained that the delay was due to measures by the university to stop forgeries. An investigation by a committee of deans, last year, discovered that some officials in the Academic Registrar’s office were involved in the forgery of transcripts. The committee found that transcripts are forged in Wandegeya, on William and Nasser Roads. “We have signed a contract with a supplier who will give us a new paper with security features so that our documents are not forged,†Olal-Odur said.
The affected students, he explained, were those who graduated in September last year and January this year. “We are sorry for the delay. We assure our graduates that this will be sorted out as soon as possible,†Olal-Odur said.
Although it runs on an annual budget of $56m, the university has been rocked in a financial crisis over the years.
But Olal-Odur says the delay of certificates has nothing to do with lack of funds.
The university spokesperson Gilbert Kadilo said other than the affected programmes, the rest are receiving their certificates.
Last year, Lynn graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Information Technology from Makerere University.
She got her academic transcript in March this year and aggressively started searching for a well paying job. But she is in a dilemma. A prospective employer cannot recruit her, unless she has her degree certificate from the university.
But the university’ certificates department has turned her away three times in a row, saying there is no materials for printing the certificates. “I am frustrated,†Lynn says, “it means I have to give up on the job.â€
The university has been turning away some graduates seeking their degree certificates, claiming they do not have paper on which to print the certificates. Instead, they are given recommendation letters explaining that the particular graduate’s certificate is still being processed.
Saturday Vision saw a letter given to one of the graduates, written by the registrar in the certificates section, Margaret Etuusa, on behalf of the academic registrar. “Her degree certificate is not yet ready, but is being processed. In the meantime, any assistance rendered to her in this connection will be highly appreciated,†the letter of November 27, reads in part.
Some faculty authorities confirmed that they had received complaints of the delayed release of the certificates. “I received a student today (Thursday) who told me that she had been referred to the faculty. But I told her to go back and ask the person who had sent her to put it in writing,†said Peace Tumuheki, the registrar at the Faculty of Computing and Information Technology.
But the Academic Registrar, Amos Olal-Odur yesterday explained that the delay was due to measures by the university to stop forgeries. An investigation by a committee of deans, last year, discovered that some officials in the Academic Registrar’s office were involved in the forgery of transcripts. The committee found that transcripts are forged in Wandegeya, on William and Nasser Roads. “We have signed a contract with a supplier who will give us a new paper with security features so that our documents are not forged,†Olal-Odur said.
The affected students, he explained, were those who graduated in September last year and January this year. “We are sorry for the delay. We assure our graduates that this will be sorted out as soon as possible,†Olal-Odur said.
Although it runs on an annual budget of $56m, the university has been rocked in a financial crisis over the years.
But Olal-Odur says the delay of certificates has nothing to do with lack of funds.
The university spokesperson Gilbert Kadilo said other than the affected programmes, the rest are receiving their certificates.