Like earlier on highlighted, there is a faction of students of Uganda Christian University (UCU) that wanted that the take home examinations be maintained and proceed as had been scheduled.
Those student today started a petition on Avaaz.org, a space for community petitions. In the petition, “Students to continue with the Take Home Examinations as provided for by the university”, has already almost gained the target number of 2,000 signatures. So far 1,163 signatures have been collected by press time.
In the petition, the author only identified as Henry D, says that some of the students want to proceed with the take home examinations.
“The issue at hand is that students from Uganda Christian University want to sit take home examinations.” the description reads. “These take home exams give us students the opportunity to get done with the previous semester”.
They also emphasis that the pandemic has caused a lot of uncertainty of commencement of businesses or university programmes and that the take home examinations “will render much relief”.
If the requisite signatures are collected, the author of the petition hopes that it will be presented before the students, the Parliament of Uganda and the Minister of Education.
Should be noted that earlier on, students who were opposed to the take home examinations also started a similar petition to have the exams cancelled. Whether that petition was influential in impacting the cancellation is hard to prove.
The fate of the examinations seems to have been sealed already with the ministerial cancellation and the subsequent statement by the university. Students that support the take home examinations wait to see if their petition will have any force of influence on the people in power.
Below is the link for the petition;