More than 2500 students have been cleared for graduation at KIU. This is the 16th graduation ceremony to be held at KIU main campus, Kansanga. Of these, 39 percent are female and 61 percent are male, leaving a disproportion between male and female graduands. Foreign students constitute 20 percent of the graduands and the 80 percent are Ugandans. 37 students will graduate with first-class degrees. KIU has two graduation in a year, one in November and another in June. This means that the students who miss out on the graduation in November will have to wait for the next graduation in July. The chief guest is the H.E Etubom Nya Eyoma Asuquo the Nigerian Ambassador to Uganda.
Asked why there are few females on the graduation list, Dr. Mouhamad Mpezamihigo, the Vice Chancellor said that although there is no data to explain the attrition rate of female students in the university, there could be many factors responsible for this. Professor George Nasinyama the Deputy Vice Chancellor, Research, Innovations and Extensions also agreed with his boss that the number of female to male students cannot be same. “Others universities also have the same problem of having more male students graduating than their counterparts, the females,” prof. Nasinyama said.
“There may be a failure to pay fees or social factors like pregnancies during studies. However, the university is planning to keep many students in schools through giving bursaries,” Dr. Mpezamihigo told a press conference in his office on November 15.
Many students do not make it to the graduation list due to many factors, ranging from, failure to clears fees, failure to have all the results, among others. Dr. Mpezamihigo, however, added that graduation does not mean that one must have zero balance only. “The student must have passed exams. There are many students with zero fees balance but with academic challenges,” he said.
Many graduands could not hold back their excitement. Mr. Daniel Tumwine, a graduand with a Bachelor’s degree of Mass Communication said: “This is the best moment I have in life. I had to pass through a lot to be in the graduation list. There have been challenges of missing marks and so on.”
Ms. Nashra Nakawoya another graduand with a Bachelor’s degree of Mass Communication said she almost missed graduation. “I am speechless. Am very excited about this graduation. I did not know I would graduate because a lot of challenges with my dissertation. My supervisor disturbed me a lot to the extent that I had to change to another supervisor,” said Nakawoya.
By Shafiiru Mwesigye
