MAKERERE: Makerere University students set to graduate in January 2019 will enter the job market directly if plans by the institution mature to issue their original and certified copies of transcripts at the same time ahead of graduation dates.
Prof Barnabas Nawangwe, the Makerere University Vice Chancellor said giving graduates their original transcripts on graduation day is what the institution ought to do as a world class university adding that the development is aimed at avoiding inconveniences to students after graduation.
“Management has decided that in future students will be issued with original and certified copies of transcripts at the same time upon graduation to avoid inconveniences to students,” Prof Nawangwe said.
However, Prof Nawangwe also said that for the success of this initiative students will pay a small fee yet to e established to cater for the service.
Prof Nawangwe said the process will also reduce cases of complaints from students who graduate and take long to receive their academic papers which also reduce their chances of accessing jobs as well as extortion from the transcripts section staff.
Original and certified copies of the transcript are vital requirements for one to get a job today as well those who desire to pursue more studies.
Last year, the university started providing transcripts to students before and on graduation days and according to Prof Nawangwe, the set targets were achieved and the process is set to be improved and continued for the following graduations.
“We hit our target in January as students who had cleared walked away with their transcripts. This will continue for the following graduations,” Prof Nawangwe added.
Issuance of transcripts at Makerere is done after students have cleared to all the necessary offices at the university including that of the university bursar.
But according to students, the clearance process is lengthy and so tiresome as many officials take long to enter their offices while others are reportedly impolite to students.
Abraham Kaggwa, a former student of Makerere University said the clearance process should be looked into by the university, as students walk for months just to get stamps to their clearance papers.
“At my school [human nutrition] don’t call it a walk over, I walked for months just to get a stamp of the college bursar and until when they have cleared you , the university bursar cannot clear you. It’s very lengthy I tell you,” Kaggwa said.
However, students wondered how the initiative will be possible following late submission and uploading of their marks online yet the academic registrar’s office needs at least two months to verify the uploaded marks for students’ transcripts to be printed.
Previous final year students would finish their examinations and wait for graduation week to make final clearances and get their transcripts months later.