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Mak holds 2016 Freshers Orientation: Tips students on academics and survival tactics

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Speaking to thousands of students during the Freshers’ Orientation held on 26th August 2016, the Academic Registrar-Mr. Alfred Masikye-Namoah urged students to embrace the 6Cs comprising commitment, communication, consultation, cooperation, coordination, and culture during their academic journey.

The Academic Registrar revealed to the new students that adherence to the 6Cs would help them to remain focused on their academic goals and as well as providing them with a platform to manage their socio prospects as they pursue their studies.

“It is important to balance academics and social life. Makerere University as a community has its unique and diverse culture. I therefore advise you to actively participate in all university programs and always make good use of your talents,” he said.

Dedicating the Orientation to the Almighty God, one of the students from the College of Education and External Studies prayed for wisdom, academic excellence, blessings in pursuit of their goals and peace during their stay at the University.

It was a splendid moment when the Head of the Department of Performing Arts and Film, Dr. Sylvia Tamusuza led the Freshers to sing the Makerere University Anthem.

The Head Undergraduate Admissions, Mr. Charles Ssentongo expressed his immense pleasure for the choice students made to pursue their university education at Makerere University. Mr. Ssentongo then introduced the University Officials to the Freshers and shared with them the chronology of administration and leadership at the great institution.

Representing the Dean of Students Mr. Cyriaco Kabagambe, the Deputy Dean of Students Mr. Stephen Kateega encouraged freshers to strictly follow the rules and regulations governing the University.“We have rules and regulations you must observe. Makerere University is a place where choices are made. Integrate and start making intelligent choices. Remain focused and know why you’re here. Safety and responsibility at individual level are paramount,” he remarked.

On behalf of Makerere University Public Relations Office, Ms. Ritah Namisango the Senior Public Relations Officer, welcomed the Freshers to Makerere University and congratulated them upon joining Makerere University.

“I thank you all for choosing to study at Makerere University. The University you have joined is committed to producing high quality and competent graduates at both the national and international levels. You are now in a place where you have a lot of freedom, but we would like you to excel in all aspects of life,” she said.

The Director-Makerere University Health Services, Dr. Margret Wandera encouraged the new students to register with the Makerere University Hospital in order to access health services. “We want to have healthy students. I therefore encourage you to report to the University Hospital for immunization and medical examination. I also urge you to maintain a peaceful and hygienic environment for better health,” she said.

Reiterating the importance of health, the Manager-Counseling and Guidance Centre, Makerere University, Mr. Henry Nsubuga said that a sharp brain is always complimented by a free and healthy mind. He therefore encouraged students to fully utilize the counseling and guidance services provided at the centre to free their mind of any problems that will deter them from achieving their academic goals and objectives.

“You should always have reasons to be happy because happy people have been found to be more productive and generate better results. We have our past, present but also the future. We have come across many students with problems from the past which have led them to poor marks and loss of concentration. We want to help you get through this. Let your past not fail your future,” Mr. Nsubuga explained.

In the same spirit, Mr. Lawrence Kavuma-the Senior Sports Tutor at the Sports and Recreation Department encouraged students to actively engage in the various sports and games activities available at the University. According to Mr. Kavuma, these activities will help students to stay physically fit and maintain an active and healthy mind. Representing the Head, Sports and Recreation Department Ms. Penninah Kabenge, Mr. Kavuma emphasized the need for students to participate in at least one sporting activity.

“Besides academics, all students are expected to take part in other activities like sports, mentorship clubs or professional societies. This creates an all round student. Come and develop your talent by being part of these activities. We have a number of games ranging from football, netball to swimming and rugby. We also have various clubs performing at national and international levels. This is such a big opportunity to our students,” The Sports Tutor highlighted.

Sensitizing students on the Makerere University Policy and Regulations against Sexual Harassment, the Acting Director, Gender and Mainstreaming Directorate (GMD) Ms. Frances Nyachwo said that counter measures have been put in place right from college level to fight against sexual harassment among students and staff. Ms. Nyachwo encouraged the freshers to join the Team no Sexual Harassment; a proactive platform created by students to enable them actively engage in creating awareness, sensitizing fellow students on the policy and regulations as well as fighting against sexual harassment actions.

She urged freshers to join their fellow students to support the zero-tolerance to sexual harassment campaign and help the University to create an environment that respects and protects the rights of all its members.

Equipping students with security tips, the Makerere University Chief Security Officer, Mr. Jackson Mucunguzi warned students against unlawful acts which could incite violence within the University. He advised students to shun theft, forgery, impersonation, sexual immorality and gambling, saying that such criminal actions are very disgraceful. Afande Mucunguzi also discouraged students from engaging in strikes and advised them to always use dialogue to settle disputes.

He cautioned the students on the rampant conmen within the University who may exploit them of their property and money.  “Avoid fortune tellers and money lenders. Avoid keeping large sums of money and housing strangers in your places of residence. Be a police yourself before police comes in, report criminal cases to police officers and in case of any information required of you, be responsive,” he said.

On behalf of the students’ fraternity, the Acting Guild President, Mr. Jothan Burobuto called upon students to actively participate in leadership and students’ social affairs when he said, “the Guild Cabinet is here to serve you. Do not hesitate to approach us when you are in need. Participate in the guild activities; we need a new generation of smart and intelligent students to lead when we are gone.  I therefore implore you to take part in the leadership roles as we build for the future.”

After an interactive Question and Answer session involving Makerere University Management and students, Rev. Canon Amos Turyahabwe, Chaplain of St. Francis Chapel-Makerere University closed the orientation with wonderful prayer. He humbly asked God to grace and bless the students as they pursue their respective courses. He also advised the students to seek God’s guidance through prayer and make good use of their time at the University.

The Emcee, Ms Ritah Namisango thanked the Makerere University Ceremonies Committee for organizing a successful orientation.

Elias Tuhereze

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Special Exam Results -Diploma in Performing Arts 2025/26

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The results for the 2025/2026 special entry examination for the Diploma in Performing Arts held on Saturday 17th May, 2025. Candidates who scored a final mark of 50% and above passed the Examination and have been recommended to the university’s Admissions Committee for consideration.

Mak Editor

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Mature Age Scheme Exam Results for 2025/2026

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The Office of Academic Registrar, Makerere University has released full results for the Mature Age Entry Scheme Examinations for the Academic Year 2025/2026 held on Saturday 14th December, 2024.

The Candidates who scored a final mark of 50% and above passed the examination and have been recommended by the Pre-Entry & Mature Age Committee to the University’s Admissions Board for Consideration.

The Aptitude Exam  Results for 2025/2026 Academic Year released in February 2025 can be found here.

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Call for Application: 2025 SNRM session 4 Summer School

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Participants in focused group discussions. Leiden-Delft-Erasmus East Africa Research Network (LEARN) in collaboration with the Urban Action Lab at Makerere University a workshop to deliberate strategies for mitigating the impacts of climate change in urban centres in the East African Region, Theme: “Resilient Urban Futures: Adapting Livelihoods to Climate Change”, 4th-5th September 2024, School of Public Health Auditorium, Kampala Uganda.

Context:
Natural resources in Africa are being depleted at an alarming rate due to several factors, including unsustainable human activities, climate change, and population growth. A primary condition of sustainable development is to ensure that the pressures do not exceed the environmental limits, and that demand for the resources does not exceed levels that can be sustainably provided by nature. Therefore, there is a pressing need for transformative, systems-thinking approaches and tools that can tackle the diverse challenges facing these systems. In Africa, this need is compounded by a lack of data and monitoring, which significantly hinders sustainable decision-making.

Investing in young scientists who are committed to take lead in sustainable management of Africa’s natural resources is very important. Capacity building of young scientists will enhance their knowledge and skill on sustainable natural resources and their involvement for implementation of the sustainable development goals (SDG’s) in Africa. To this effect, SNRM summer schools have been implemented in three sessions in 2019, 2020, and 2022 with support from Volkswagen Foundation; to build a critical mass of skilled and competent young natural resource scientists in Africa through training, capacity building and mentorship. Session 4 (2025) will target competent young scientists (MSc and PhD students) in Africa and Germany to further develop their knowledge and skills in systems thinking, advanced data collection and analysis, and application of emerging digital technologies such as Artificial Intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML), internet of things (IoT), and embracing transdisciplinary approaches. In addition, we include an ideation workshop where students can work on real problems to come up with solutions for sustainable transformations in natural resource use.

Organizers: Leibniz Universität – Hannover (Germany), University of Antananarivo, University of Abomey Calavi (Benin), Makerere University (Uganda), University of Ghana (Ghana), University of Parakou (Benin), The Technical University of Kenya, with financial support from the Volkswagen Foundation (Germany).

Venue and dates: Nairobi, Kenya, 16-28 November 2025

Target: MSc and PhD students, early in the program of less than 35 years of age from any university/research institution in either sub-Saharan Africa or Germany with an interest in natural resources management.

Participants and Scholarships: The course is fully funded and open to 20 MSc and PhD students from Africa, and 5 from Germany. Funding will cover the costs of air ticket, accommodation, meals, visa, and transportation. However, participants will cover the cost of their travel health insurance.

Topics

SNRM Summer School Session 4: Transformative pathways in biodiversity management and conservation.
This summer school is designed to deliver four modules over a two-week period. The modules are designed to enable the students to acquire new ways of designing data collection protocols and analysis for transformative sustainable natural resources management.

Module 4.1: Data collection I
Skills in data collection for a transformative and sustainable management of natural resources (water, wildlife, forest, land, livestock, crops) monitoring and data collection techniques; remote monitoring tools, earth observation system data, e.g. satellite data sources, LIDAR, and UAV aerial images. Collect and analyse In-situ data on biotic and abiotic parameters, map and analyse data using R or Google Earth Engine, field data collection and retrieving data from online databases.

Module 4.2 Data management and processing
Introduction to tools and methods of managing large and diverse data sets of natural resources such as time series, spatial, directional, and multivariate data. Practicals will include data storage, organization and conversion into various formats using databases such as PostgreSQL and statistical programming software such as R and Python; scripts.

Module 4.3 Ecological monitoring, modelling and management
This module aims to teach participants how to anticipate and validate trends that can be observed in various ecosystems. Lectures include ecological monitoring and its design; population monitoring studies; metrics in population monitoring; methods for monitoring and assessing marine ecosystems; human ecology to socio-ecological systems; climate change impact of ecosystems; suitability assessments; overview of the principles underlying wildlife monitoring and prediction systems for climate change adaptation. Practicals will include field data collection (individual and group); ecological data analysis using R or PAST; modelling and experiencing the behaviour of complex systems using Vensim.

Module 4.4 Natural habitat restoration ideation lab
This module is designed to spur students’ innovation and creativity, and to help students comprehensively identify interdependencies across the 17 SDG goals. Participants will be trained on ideation processes for solutions and intervention for transformative natural resource management. They will work collaboratively in small groups on case studies and develop pathways of transformative sustainable natural resource management. Examples of projects include forest (mangrove) ecosystem and habitat restoration, improved technologies for agricultural production, nature-based solutions for improving water quality, and reversing land degradation.

Language: The course will be delivered in English. Participants are expected to be fluent in writing and speaking the English language.

How to apply

Applicants are kindly requested to fill in the application form available from https://snrmafrica.com/ and submit the following documents in English through the system.

  • a curriculum vitae (maximum 2 pages)
  • a letter of motivation (maximum 1 page)
  • a confirmation of university enrolment
  • a reference letter from the academic supervisor
  • project summary of MSc/ PhD project (1 page including objectives, methodology
    and key findings or expected outcomes).

Important dates
Application deadline: 30th June 2025.
Announcement of accepted applicants: 15th August 2025.
Confirmation of attendance by selected participants: 12th Sept 2025.
Summer school held: 16 – 28 Nov 2025.

Further information is available from

The secretariat info@snrmafrica.com
Dr Lydia Olaka lydiaolaka@tukenya.ac.ke
Prof. Dr. Hartmut Stuetzel stuetzel@gem.uni-hannover.de

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