LDC defends decision to graduate students without issuing final results

Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Law Development Center-LDC has defended its decision to pass out students without showing them their detailed scores. LDC is scheduled to hold its 48th graduation ceremony this Friday. However, in his communication to the students about the virtual graduation, Everest Turyahikayo, the LDC academic registrar says that they will send out the detailed scores to the student’s individual emails on June 15th 2021, four days after the graduation.

He explains that no student is expected to appear physically to check their scores due to the surge in the COVID-19 infections. However, the students have raised objection to this arrangement in accordance with rule 34(2) of passing the bar course, which required the registrar to publish the final results within three working days after the management committee meeting held on May 28th 2021.

They claim that on June 7th, the academic registrar promised to release their final results but to date, nothing has happened. They say that they were shocked to receive a communication about the virtual graduation, which is a day away without seeing their final results.

Frank Nigel Othembi, LDC Executive Director told URN in an interview on Thursday morning that results normally come out well before graduation, which wasn’t possible this time around. “Seeing results is not a precondition for graduation,” Othembi said. Adding that “We delayed processing results due to the busy academic program.”

However, the students will not have any of this, insisting that they need to know their final scores before graduation to know their fate. Allan Mwase, one of the finalists accuses the academic registrar of backtracking on his promise to provide them with their final scores.

“If this excel has been reviewed and adjusted per your promise, in relation to the 62 queries. I believe it is only right that it is shared as you have been doing. This was your promise. Words especially from your leadership ought to count for something,” Mwase said in an email response to the registrar.

Another student, Anthony Kiwuda chipped saying “We need to know our fate.” Christopher Otim, another finalist said the decision by LDC was giving the students restless nights. “Everest please, this is not right, some of my colleagues haven’t slept since the results were released please be fair,” he said.

Samuel Kalule, another finalist reminded the academic registrar to act in accordance with the set regulations. “I pray that you release the results in accordance with the rules so that everyone can ascertain his or her grades. Yosia Mwije, another student claimed that LDC is trying to change their marks to match what had been published in sections of the media indicating that 90 percent of the students had failed the final bar course exams.

“There is no need to actually cite any rule because the rules have been altered by the authors. We all know they’re trying to alter our results to match what they published,” Mwije said. With 1,474 students at the Law Development Center, only 145 made the cut, 61 from the Mbarara campus and 84 from the Kampala campus representing a paltry 9.837177748%. This means 1,329 students representing 90.16282225% failed the final exams.

LDC is mandated to provide legal education to lawyers and non-lawyers, undertake research in topical legal issues, contribute to legal reforms, produce legal publications, teaching materials and law reports, and also provide community legal services.

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