Why are non-MUK graduates discriminated against?

Some companies discriminate against job seekers who are not from Makerere. We have many other universities in the country training people in different skills, yet students from there do not get opportunities. What can the HR departments do to ensure equal opportunities for people from all universities? George

Dear George,
Makerere University is Uganda’s largest and oldest institution of higher learning in Uganda. Therefore, with a rich history, coupled with the Makerere’s alumnae who have gone on to dominate the political, economic and social landscape of East Africa, it is not surprising many organisations still prefer to employ its graduates. It is arguably the benchmark for university education in Uganda.

On the other hand, the liberalisation of higher learning has witnessed the mushrooming of a number of substandard universities whose products are suspect and many organisations do not believe that their products will deliver value to their brands. Some universities have simply turned former secondary schools into universities with the sole aim of cashing in from the crave for paper qualifications by both students and parents, instead of imparting knowledge, and skills.

However, its also true that a number of graduates from other universities (both public and private) have been able to shine in many organisations and institutions where they have been deployed and gone on to positively impact the political, economic and social landscapes with distinction. Therefore, it is self-defeating for recruiters to use being an alumni of Makerere as a sole selection criteria to source for talent. Organisations that make that mistake risk losing out on talent that has been produced by other universities. Organisations/ recruiters should ordinarily look for people with proven skill sets.
Reputable HR departments always employ tested resourcing methods of searching for talent.

Moses Ssesanga
Head Human Resource
NMG - Uganda
[email protected]