Student life: Is your transcript genuine?

Since Monday, I have been noticing something strange going on in our library here at Makerere. The library is now full from morning to evening. If you don’t wake up early, you are lucky to find a place. My roommate Fred spends most of his time reading in the library. He says he wants to increase his chances of passing with a good grade. Fred, like many other friends, has not been good at reading in the past. As a law student, he is supposed to read a lot but this has not been the case until early this week. Previously, Fred would spend most of his time watching English Premier Football. When there is no soccer, he would use his evening and play tennis or go swimming. All this has changed. He is now always in the library. Many students are struck by Fred’s sudden change of attitude toward books. “Forgery is going to be a thing of the past. So we need to be serious,” Fred told me when asked him this week why he was spending more time in the library. Many students are reportedly in panic following the announcement that Makerere University management would change features on its transcripts in a bid to reduce forgery. The move comes in the wake of persistent reports of people forging academic papers. Once an academic giant, Makerere’s reputation has recently degenerated. It is alleged that Makerere University had been certifying fake degree transcripts that had been bought on the streets of Kampala, a claim the management has repeatedly denied. The University plans to have more fool proof features on the transcripts. True, it is high time Makerere redeemed its image. I was in Rwanda recently and when I told a friend that I am a student at Makerere, he said: “Makerere used to be good but now it has gone down.” I returned to Kampala crestfallen. Contact: Easywilbei@yahoo.com