Makerere’s week-long graduation kicks off

Makerere University has kicked off its73rd graduation ceremony that will take a week for all to graduate.

In the week-long ceremony, a total of 13,221 graduands, 6,809 of them being female and 6,412 males will receive degrees and diplomas in various disciplines whereas 102 will be graduating with PhDs as the numbers have kept growing over time.

On Monday the university graduated students from the college of health sciences, college of natural resources and the school of law.

While officiating at the opening ceremony the Education minister Janet Museveni asked the University Management to raise the standard of Makerere University to include equipping the students in the fight against societal evils, the fight against sexual perversions, HIV/AIDs, and corruption.

“I invited the council, as I now invite you, our graduands and parents, to join me in the fight against moral decadence in our society. I appeal to the staff, students, and all stakeholders of our premier university, to participate in this campaign code-name Makerere says no to HIV/AIDS and corruption,” Mrs Museveni said on Monday.

The vice chancellor Prof. Barnabas Nawangwe said the university is committed to strengthening research and innovation, adding that the research and innovation fund has transformed Makerere tremendously.

He added that the university now has many innovations in agriculture and food security, health, engineering, education, and the social sciences that are already changing the lives of people.

” Beyond the 826 grants issued by Makerere University research and innovations fund to date, we have taken a strategic decision to use part of the funding to support PhD research grants. This is in line with government efforts to develop Uganda’s knowledge economy. We are hopeful that this will help unlock the potential of Makerere to more substantively contribute to national development,” Prof. Nawangwe said.

The vice chancellor for the University of London, which is Makerere’s mother university, Prof. Wendy Thomson was among those graced the 73rd graduation at Uganda’s oldest university.

She told the congregation that the University of London still cherishes its relationship with Makerere from way back when Makerere was still its affiliate college.