Several university officials have vowed that that they will extend the registration deadline to June 30, 2020, and no further extension will be made. The decision has been reached in a bid to give students more time to decide their options ahead of the Public Universities Joint Admission Board (PUJAB) plan to hold the selection of government sponsored students this week.
Information reaching Campus Bee indicates that students who will miss out on government university sponsorship for the 2020/2021 academic year have a two week’s window to find alternative options.
According to Prof Umar Kakumba, the Deputy Vice-Chancellor in-Charge of Academic Affairs at Makerere University, the initial private scheme undergraduate application deadline of June 12, 2020, will be extended by 18-days. He is hopeful that the extension period will favor students who wish to join Makerere University in case they had missed out.
“That time is enough. When the list is released, we expect those who will have missed out but wish to study at Makerere will be sending in their applications within the given days,” Professor Kakumba revealed.
Gulu University Vice-Chancellor Prof George Ladaah Openjuru, says there will be no further extension of the private undergraduate application deadline beyond June 30.
“That is the limit. Those who are serious can use that time to make a decision. I know that by now, they already have an alternative and when the list is out, they will just take action, that is when they are not selected,” Professor Openjuru said.
Regarding the same matter, the Soroti University spokesperson Hassan Nyene revealed that the university has already extended the admission deadline thrice since April to create time for students who miss out on government sponsorship.
“Our (Private scheme undergraduate’s) deadline is June 15, but of course after the selection, we will have to extend for the fourth time although the period might not be so long but we are sure that the few students who will be left out will use the given time,” Nyene noted.
It is worthy noting that students usually apply for government sponsorship through the Public Universities Joint Admission Boards while in their senior six. Those who score above the cut off points wait for the government sponsorship list before they decide their next course of action depending on the results from the selection exercise.
Due to COVID-19 lockdown, several students in rural areas have complained over lack of internet connectivity which is likely to make them miss out on the private sponsorship as well.
Jolly Uzamukunda, the Commissioner in Charge of Higher Education in the Education and Sports Ministry says the admission process should hold on until the ministry issues guidelines and new education calendar in a bid to support support students who cannot access internet in rural areas.
“I understand that these are autonomous bodies. But we cannot be discussing admission right now. We even don’t know what will come later. I think the selections can be done but admission should be left open until we are certain about the future. Normally there are application deadlines because we know the opening dates,” Uzamukunda said.
