Don’t over-emphasise academic transcripts â€" Prof. Kajubi
Jan 15, 2008
THE forgery of university academic transcripts will reduce if Ugandans focus on students’ creativity and pay less attention to academic transcripts, a senior educationist has said.
By Raymond Baguma
THE forgery of university academic transcripts will reduce if Ugandans focus on students’ creativity and pay less attention to academic transcripts, a senior educationist has said.
Prof. Ssenteza Kajubi, a former vice-chancellor of Makerere University, also said forgery of Makerere academic transcripts is magnified because the whole world recognises Makerere as the most prestigious institution in Uganda.
“Ugandan society is sick with the diploma disease. We worship exams and the diploma. We ignore the essential things and stick on pieces of paper, thereby forcing people to forge them,†Kajubi said.
“A child who remembers that (John) Speke reached the source of River Nile in 1862 is expected to be cleverer than one who knows how to make a chair,†he said.
“In countries like UK and USA, mental ability is important but there is also emphasis on good communication skills and interpersonal relationships, which cannot be included on paper.
Kajubi said forgery of documents was affecting the entire Ugandan education system, including secondary schools.
The practice of ranking schools by the Ministry of Education and Sports, basing on the performance in national exams, was contributing towards cheating in exams, Kajubi said.
He said universities should establish links with employers when developing curricula so that students are taught issues that are relevant to the job market.
THE forgery of university academic transcripts will reduce if Ugandans focus on students’ creativity and pay less attention to academic transcripts, a senior educationist has said.
Prof. Ssenteza Kajubi, a former vice-chancellor of Makerere University, also said forgery of Makerere academic transcripts is magnified because the whole world recognises Makerere as the most prestigious institution in Uganda.
“Ugandan society is sick with the diploma disease. We worship exams and the diploma. We ignore the essential things and stick on pieces of paper, thereby forcing people to forge them,†Kajubi said.
“A child who remembers that (John) Speke reached the source of River Nile in 1862 is expected to be cleverer than one who knows how to make a chair,†he said.
“In countries like UK and USA, mental ability is important but there is also emphasis on good communication skills and interpersonal relationships, which cannot be included on paper.
Kajubi said forgery of documents was affecting the entire Ugandan education system, including secondary schools.
The practice of ranking schools by the Ministry of Education and Sports, basing on the performance in national exams, was contributing towards cheating in exams, Kajubi said.
He said universities should establish links with employers when developing curricula so that students are taught issues that are relevant to the job market.