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12,000 fail to get Mak transcripts

Makerere University graduands jubilate over their success in January. PHOTO BY DOMINIC BUKENYA

What you need to know:

Cause. Sources say the delay is as a result of a leadership crisis but the vice chancellor says they were overwhelmed by the demand

Kampala.

At least 12,000 Makerere University former students have not received their transcripts three months after they graduated in January.

Sources close to the university administration in the academic registrar’s office, who requested anonymity in order to speak freely, told Daily Monitor that the institution has a management crisis with no leadership to demand employers to do their work.

For instance, they said their office was furnished with results after graduation in January, which made it difficult to process the transcripts on time.

In the past, results of students would be fed into the system by October so that printing of verified students’ results starts immediately.

During Prof Venansius Baryamureeba’s era (former vice chancellor), students would walk away with their transcripts on graduation day. But according to the sources, data started trickling in January when the demand was already high.

“There is a problem and a big one. Only 3,000 transcripts have been issued for about 15,000 students who graduated in January. We should have started printing as far as October but we couldn’t since we had no verified marks. We have resorted to a hand and pick printing instead of concentrating on one course or college. This is going to take us a long time,” the source said.

“Lecturers and administrators are reluctant in doing their work... If it was Prof Baryamureeba, I am sure it would not be like this. For him, he had no business with people who didn’t do their work in time and inconvenience others in the long run. He would come for you individually.

Right now, the people who failed to submit marks should have answered. I think they feared him ... It could explain why he was pushed out,” the source added. However, Prof John Ssentamu-Ddumba, the Vice Chancellor, during an interview said the delay was due to an overwhelming number of students who came at once to pick their transcripts.

He, however, didn’t give an explanation why this was so, but added that the academic registrar’s office had increased the number of people working in the transcripts’ office to reduce the burden.

“It is not true that the responsible offices didn’t have results for students. Transcripts are printed after graduation. The delay in issuing the transcript was because of too much demand. The academic registrar has put there more people to respond to the needs of the students,” Prof Ddumba said.