Makerere, Kyambogo lecturers fail to show up for physical classes

Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Lecturers at Makerere and Kyambogo University failed to show up for sessions today, leaving students stranded.

Tertiary institutions opened their gates to students on Monday after months of closure following the outbreak of Covid-19.

When URN visited the two institutions, most of the lecture rooms were empty with students spread all over the college compounds at Wifi spots attending online lectures.

Students that came expecting physical lectures were found roaming around their lecture rooms uncertain of what was going on as their lecturers had not communicated. Only three physical classes were ongoing at the department of chemistry and the college of humanities and social sciences.

Emmanuel Olwenyi, a student pursuing Bachelors of Science with Education at Makerere University, said that he was expecting to have a presentation at 8:00am as informed by the lecturer, but by 11:00am, the lecturer had not turned up.

Bernard Musamba, a first-year student pursuing Bachelors of Science in Conservation Biology noted that he was waiting on communication from his lecturer who had not turned up for the session as yet.

The absence of lecturers at Makerere seems to have affected final year students more than other students. According to the issued circular, final year students at Makerere will sit for their examinations after the two weeks of physical lectures.

Proscovia Mukoda from the College of Humanities and Social Sciences, notes that lecturers’ failure to show up for physical lectures is terrible since examinations are round the corner. She says that they have not covered anything in the past month.

“Some lecturers have never taught us anything listed on the course outlines. We have barely covered 50 percent of the required content, what are they expecting us to do,” says Mukoda.

It was not different at Kyambogo University where several students were seen stranded in a lecture room puzzled on what to do. Some of these were from their homes upcountry hoping to look at timetables within the campus.

However, Prof Elly Katunguka, the Kyambogo University Vice-Chancellor notes that the university management has issued a communication to the deans of students in different faculties to make sure that physical teaching and learning activities for the selected groups of learners start without delay.

Prof Katunguka says that given the disruption of COVID-19, the limited time allocated to different groups of learners should be utilized to the fullest.

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URN