The Independent Uganda: You get the Truth we Pay the Price
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Team Uniform Limited, a company contracted to supply patented Makerere University Graduation gowns is furious over non-payment of arrears.
The contractor has written letters to the institution’s officials in charge of the Ceremonies complaining that there is no communication as to when payments will be made.
With just a week to the graduation slated to take place from 14th to 17th January 2020, Uganda Radio Network has established that the contractor has not been paid a balance of 75 million shillings for gowns of the 69th Graduation ceremony. The firm is paid around 900 million per year for the gowns.
More than 13,000 students are expected to graduate at the 70th graduation ceremony. The institution 2018 adopted a mandatory fee of 98,000 shillings paid by all students for a patented University gown. Unlike previous years, students are expected to only use the exclusive Makerere University graduation gown.
According to Alfred Masikye Namoah, the Makerere University Academic Registrar, every first-degree graduand pays a mandatory graduation fee of 208,000 shillings inclusive of 98,000 shillings as graduation gown fee. The fees include 10,000 shillings for convocation, 40,000 graduation fees, 30,000 transcript fee and another 30,000 as certificate fees before he/she can be allowed to graduate.
Most of the students who are supposed to graduate say they were told the gowns were not ready as of Monday, January 6, 2020.
Connie Nabwire, a student of Master of Arts in International Relations and Diplomatic Studies says that she was told to return on Thursday.
Graduation ceremonies at Makerere University have evolved in different phases over time. Until 1999, the graduation ceremonies were held in one day.
From October 2005 to September 2007, the ceremonies were held on two consecutive days and then for five days from 2008 to 2012.
This rise in the number of days has been largely attributed to the increasing number of academic programmes and graduands.
Each year, Makerere University spends approximately 770 million shillings as graduation costs. This amount, however, is less compared to the amount of money paid for the ceremony by each graduand.
Last year, during its 69th graduation ceremony, Makerere University raised a total 534 million shillings from the 13,350 graduands where each was contributing 40,000 shillings. This left a deficit of more than 200 million shillings.
The university in an attempt to cut costs in 2015, during its 65th graduation ceremony cut the graduation days to three days. This reduction however according to the Professor Patrick Mangeni-led-Ceremonies Committee of the university created a logistical dilemma and led to a decision to increase to four sessions from 2013 to date.
The graduation schedules are based on the number of graduands per College with a target of 3,000 to 3,500 graduands per day.
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