Africa-Press – Uganda. Makerere University is slated to hold a hybrid graduation next week, where only undergraduate students graduating with First Class, Master’s students and recipients of Doctoral degrees will be physically present to ensure social distancing in line with Covid-19 restrictions.The Chancellor of Makerere University, Prof Ezra Suruma, will confer degrees and award diplomas to more than 11, 000 graduands during the 71st graduation ceremony of Makerere University, which kicks off on Monday.
The principal communication officer, Ms Rita Namisango, in a press statement, said the university Senate in its 169th meeting on March 24 approved the proposal from the Ceremonies Committee to host a blended graduation ceremony. “According to the standard operating procedures (SOPs) crowd gathering in one place is prohibited. It is against this background that physical attendance will only be limited to a few people,’’ Ms Namisango said.
“This is, therefore, to inform you that the 71st graduation ceremony will be a “blended” one, with a few university officials, PhD graduands, Masters graduands and First Class undergraduate graduands physically present,” she added.According to Ms Namisango, the rest of the graduands and parents/guardians will attend the event virtually. She said the event will be live on television and transmitted on all Makerere University social media platforms where students and parents will follow the proceedings.
The five-day graduation ceremony is scheduled to take place from Monday, May 17 to May 21.Before the Covid-19 pandemic broke out, each graduand would take with him or her to people (parents or guardians) to the graduation ceremony that is usually held in the university Freedom Square. In the same spirit, most of the journalists are also encouraged to follow the proceedings virtually because only a few shall be allowed to entre the university.“The mandated committee is finalising the modalities and the zoom link will be shared with journalists a few days to graduation,” Ms Namisango said.
Meanwhile, the university management has contracted six service providers to issue branded graduation gowns .The new contractors will issue gowns to about two to three Colleges to avoid delays.According to the schedule, Mmacks Investment is slated to issue gowns to Makerere University Business School, College of Business and Management Science and College of Computing and Information Technology.
Fundi Building Centre is slated to service graduands from College of Education and External studies and College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences while Gorethe Kisekulo is slated to give Directorate of Research and Graduate Training.Solana is slated to issue gowns to College of Humanities and Social Sciences and Glanock Germents will issue gowns to College of Engineering, Design, Art and Technology. ProgrammeAccording to the schedule, School of Law, College of Health Sciences and College of Natural Sciences will graduate on Monday.College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences and College of Education and External Studies will graduate on Tuesday while College of Business and Management Sciences, College of Computing and Information Sciences and College of Veterinary Medicine, Animal Resources and Bio-security are scheduled for Wednesday.
Makerere University Business School that is affiliated to Makerere University will graduate on Thursday and the ceremony will wind up on Friday with College of Engineering, Design, Art and Technology and College of Humanities and Social Sciences.
