KIGALI - FORMER students of the National University of Rwanda (NUR) who graduated on March 12 this year say they have missed several employment opportunities because the university has not released their academic papers.

According to the former students, the university had promised on the graduation day to release their academic papers within a fortnight. But a month after the graduation, NUR hasn’t given the students their papers.

The students told this newspaper that those who pass job interviews cannot get the jobs since they don’t have academic papers. A total of 1291 graduated in various faculties.

A female former student complained that she had got a job but upon presenting the "To whom it may concern” letter from the university, the employer turned her down.

"Imagine a situation when you have completed studies but the university refuses to release your papers,” the angry lady who declined to be named complained.

Another revealed that he had even got chances to go for Masters Programmes but could not proceed since nobody could take him on when he does not have any document.
"It’s very sad because this was a big opportunity that I missed. The university is insensitive to pur plight,” he said.

"The school told us to pay Rwf15,000 for the certificates and the academic transcripts. We paid all the money but the university keeps giving us baseless excuses,” another former management student protested.

When contacted for a comment on Friday, NUR’s Vice Rector in charge of academics, Martin O’Hara, said he was aware of the problem and the university was working hard to "sort it out.”

He said the University delayed to release the certificates because its procurement department had not got someone to print the students’ certificates.

"But since Thursday), we started printing the certificates and within a few days, the administration will be able to issue them to the students,” O’Hara explained in a telephone interview.

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