39 inmates graduate from Mubs
Graduates of Makerere University Business School (Mubs) celebrate during the 15th graduation ceremony at the main campus in Nakawa, Kampala, on Friday. Prof Waswa Balunywa, the principal of Mubs, urged the graduands to start their own businesses, however small, other than walking the streets looking for jobs. PHOTO/ISAAC KASAMANI
What you need to know:
- Of the 1,477, at least 23 students received awards in postgraduate diploma programmes, 1,400 in ordinary diploma programmes, and 15 in certificate programmes.
- The event was virtual with only the best-performing students, invited to physically attend due to Covid-19 restrictions.
A total of 39 male inmates from Luzira Prison on Friday graduated with diplomas in entrepreneurship from Makerere University Business School (Mubs).
The graduates were part of 1,477 students who received postgraduate diplomas, diplomas and certificates in a virtual ceremony at the Mubs main campus in Nakawa, Kampala.
The Mubs 15th graduation ceremony, which the graduates attended via television and social media platforms, combined cohorts of the 2019/2020 and 2020-2021 academic years.
According to Mr Frank Baine, the Prisons spokesperson, education in cells was also affected by the Covid-19 pandemic.
“When this crisis came in, they started studying online because we now have computers. They were under the tutorship of Mubs lecturers who do this as part of social corporate responsibility (SCR),” Mr Baine noted.
The inmates who graduated include those who took part in vocational studies like crafts, tailoring, backyard gardening, bricklaying, hair and fashion, and carpentry, among others.
Mr Baine commended Mubs for the initiative and noted that acquiring knowledge on how best to manage vocational skills is what makes it meaningful for the inmates.
Graduates
Asked as to why only male inmates graduated, he said: “Education is a voluntary programme, and we don’t force them to learn.”
Of the 1,477, at least 23 students received awards in postgraduate diploma programmes, 1,400 in ordinary diploma programmes, and 15 in certificate programmes.
Makerere University chancellor Prof Ezra Suruma challenged Mubs scholars to carry out more research and draft up policy framework papers that will advise government on how to revamp the economy.
“The parish model looks like the hope for the country to overcome poverty, we should not leave this to government, let us go out there and support efforts to develop our country,” he noted.
Prof Suruma also cautioned the graduates against wasting time engaging in riots.
“Love and serve your country with humility and diligence. You are the people to change this country through innovation and you cannot waste your time on nothingness like riots,” he said.
Prof Waswa Balunywa, the Mubs principal, commended the graduands for the resilience they exhibited as the institution struggled to shift most services online during the Covid-19 pandemic.
“We have changed the way we teach mostly to the online platform. We have handled exams with several hitches, the system has often blacked out, but we thank the students for the patience. We are doing this for the first time, it has not been easy,” he said.
