Only PHDs, Masters to attend 71st Makerere grad ceremony

📌 To attend MAK GRADUATION 👩‍🎓 – May 17-May 21
✅ PhD Graduands (108)
✅ Masters’ Degree Graduands (1,160)
✅ First Class Honours Degree Graduands

☑ TOTAL 12,550 graduands  (51% female & 49% male)

Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT, MAK & URN |  It is a new normal at Makerere University this year with Coronavirus SOPs fully observed. There will be no parents ululating and proudly walking with the children up and down the hill, and follow up graduation parties that have come to characterize a Makerere University graduation week

The 71st Graduation Ceremony May 17 to May 21 will be a “blended” one, with a only few university officials, Ph.D graduands, Masters Graduands and First Class undergraduate graduands will physically be present in the Freedom Square. The rest of the graduands  will attend virtually.

It will be live on television and transmitted on all Makerere University social media platforms.

The Chancellor, Prof. Ezra Suruma will confer degrees and award diplomas to 12,550 graduands; 6,433 (51%) female and 6,117 (49%) male.

Zoom link for Mak 71st Graduation Ceremony. This is therefore to
request you to share the zoom link below with Staff, Graduands, Parents,
Alumni, Friends, Media and Well Wishers who would like to attend via
zoom:https://t.co/zE5odP3bhW

WE BUILD FOR THE FUTURE pic.twitter.com/ZiZNZwsB4U

— Makerere Law School (@MakerereLaw) May 16, 2021

Of these, 108 will be conferred upon PhDs; 38 (35.2%) female and 70 (64.8%) male, while 1,160 will be conferred upon Masters degrees; 434 (37.4%) female and 726 (62.6%) male. 115 (33 – 28.7% female and 82 – 71.3% male), 11,151 (5,919 – 53% female and 5,232 – 47% male) and 16 (9 – 56% female and 44% male) candidates will graduate with Postgraduate Diplomas, Undergraduate Degrees and Undergraduate Diplomas respectively.

CLICK: Makerere-71st-Graduation-Ceremony-Statistics

Reactions to first Virtual ceremony

Following the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic, several universities have held virtual graduation ceremonies. These include Uganda Christian University, Mbarare University of Science and Technology, Islamic University in Uganda and Busitema University.

A cross section of students of Makerere University have however expressed unhappiness to the week’s first-ever virtual graduation ceremony.

Although the graduands agree that holding a physical graduation is a threat to their health, the virtual ceremony has cut short their expectations.

Nankya Zena, who will graduate with a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Commerce from Makerere University Business School says that it is sad that her parents and friends will not be present to celebrate her success. Zena says that her friends and relatives had planned to accompany her to the ceremony.

Nakiggude Jamila pursuing a Bachelor in Business Administration notes that it is unfortunate that the ceremony will be conducted virtually. She says that she will miss the physical graduation because it would have been the last time to meet her former classmates.

Alex Arinaitwe from the School of Psychology says that the virtual graduation has saved him the costs of acquiring a graduation gown.

“Right now I find acquiring a gown a luxury. It wouldn’t be necessary for me to wear it at home. Let me just wait for my transcript,” he says.

The Graduation schedule 

DATE: MONDAY, 17^TH MAY, 2021

• College of Natural Sciences
• College of Health Sciences
• School of Law

DATE: TUESDAY, 18^TH MAY, 2021

• College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences
• College of Education and External Studies

DATE: WEDNESDAY, 19^TH MAY, 2021

• College of Business and Management Sciences
• College of Computing and Information Sciences
• College of Veterinary Medicine, Animal Resources and Bio-security

DATE: THURSDAY, 20^TH MAY, 2021

• Makerere University Business School

DATE: FRIDAY, 21^ST MAY, 2021

• College of Engineering, Design, Art and Technology
• College of Humanities and Social Sciences

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SOURCE: Makerere University