General
The 64th Mak Graduation-A ceremony of Firsts
"The 64th graduation ceremony is unique in three ways: One, for the first time, students from Somaliland who have been pursuing their studies from Sheik Technical Veterinary School with support from the College of Veterinary Medicine, Animal Resources and Biosecurity (CoVAB) are receiving diplomas of Makerere University in absentia. We congratulate the College for this initiative. Second, 67 of the pioneer students at our Jinja Campus will receive degrees in Information Technology, Business Administration and Development Studies. Of the 67, four [4] will receive first class degrees. We congratulate the pioneer students, the Coordinator of Jinja Campus, Professor J. B. Nyakaana together with his team. Third, ten [10] pioneers of the Female Scholarship Foundation [FSF] who benefitted from tuition waiver offered by the University are graduating. The Female Scholarship Foundation was established in November 2010 and as a sign of commitment and ownership, Makerere University offered 20 scholarships per year in form of tuition waiver starting with the academic year 2010/2011. This is a gesture of our social responsibility and efforts to ensure equitable access to higher education in Uganda,” he emphasized.
As part of the highlights for the day, the Department of Performing Arts and film (PAF) and the Uganda Police Band gave energetic performances that saw some parents join them to dance in the Freedom Square.
The highly colourful 64th graduation ceremony is organized by the Makerere University Ceremonies Committee, under the leadership of Assoc. Prof. Steven Nyanzi. Previous successful graduation ceremonies have been organized by the same committee. 
By Gerald Ochwo
On 25th March 2025, a delegation of Registrars from Mbarara University of Science and Technology (MUST) undertook a benchmarking exercise at Makerere University, with a specific focus on the latter’s pioneering efforts in academic records digitalization. The delegation, led by Dr. Dickson Kalungi, Ag. Deputy Academic Registrar was received by Mr. Charles Ssentongo, Deputy Academic Registrar in charge of Admissions and Records Division, who represented the Academic Registrar (AR), Prof. Buyinza Mukadasi.
The visit was prompted by Makerere University‘s trailblazing achievements in digitalizing academic records, as exemplified by the Digitalization of Academic Records Project (DARP). This initiative has been instrumental in creating a centralized, digital one stop repository of all University’s academic records, thereby enhancing the efficiency, accuracy, and security of academic records management.
In his welcoming remarks, Mr. Ssentongo conveyed the Academic Registrar’s message and highlighted Makerere University‘s efforts to digitalize all its processes and records. He further noted that the university is intentional about creating a digital ecosystem that makes academic records retrieval easy and efficient.
“As a university, we are now intentional with the digitalization of all our processes including, digitization of our manual records that date as way back as the inception of Makerere University. Currently, the DARP project as gone as far as creating a one stop center for both Academic document verification and certification, whereby our former graduates, will only need to access the online verification and certification portal and submit their documents without necessarily having to travel many physical distances to Makerere University” Mr. Ssentongo remarked.
In his appreciation remarks, the MUST head of delegation, Dr. Dickson Kalungi, thanked the Academic Registrar for honoring their request to come and learn from the best practices that exist at Makerere University and particularly commended the Department for the great steps and strides made in pioneering modern Academic records storage management systems.
“I want to sincerely thank the Office of the Academic Registrar for sparing time and organizing this meeting. As a University, we have embarked on a transformative change drive whereby we intend to automate all our registry processes including, the management of Academic Records. The DARP project at Makerere University, has been one project where we draw a number of lessons and we are eager to go and implement some of the best practices we have observed here today”
Conclusion
The benchmarking exercise undertaken by Mbarara University of Science and Technology demonstrates the significance of Makerere University and particularly, the Office of the Academic Registrar’s achievements in academic records digitalization. The DARP project serves as a model for other institutions to follow, highlighting the importance of investing in digital solutions to enhance the efficiency, accuracy, and security of academic records management. It further demonstrates the university’s commitment to sharing knowledge and best practices with other institutions. Makerere University‘s efforts in digitalizing academic records have set a high standard for other universities to emulate, and the DARP project is a shining example of innovation and excellence in academic records management.
Gerald Ochwo is the Liaison Officer, Office of the Academic Registrar
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