The Makerere University School of Public Health (MakSPH) in collaboration with the Ministry of Health (MoH)-Uganda, World Health Organisation (WHO)-Uganda, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)-Uganda and the African Field Epidemiology Network (AFENET) has organized a Public Dialogue on the Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) scheduled to take place on Friday 13^th March 2020 at the Imperial Royale Hotel, Kampala from 2:00 to 5:00pm.

Theme: COUNTRY PREPAREDNESS TO PREVENT, DETECT AND RESPOND TO THE CORONAVIRUS DISEASE (COVID-19) EPIDEMIC

Objective of the Public Lecture of the Public Lecture:

To contribute to COVID-19 Preparedness in Uganda through;

1. Providing a platform to educate the general public on the strategies the country is implementing to prevent, quickly detect and expediently respond to the COVID-19 global epidemic in Uganda
2. Providing a platform to educate the general public on what they should do and what they should not do to prevent themselves and others from getting infected with the COVID-19 virus
3. Generating potential insights and garnering support from academia and the general public and other key stakeholders to strengthen national preparedness to the COVID-19 global epidemic in Uganda

Speakers will include:

• Minister of Health, Uganda
• World Health Organization Representative to Uganda
• Dean, Makerere UniversitySchool of Public Health

Basic protective measures against the coronavirus:

1. Wash your hands frequently with soap and water or use an alcohol based hand rub.
2. Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth. In addition, cover your mouth and nose with tissue when coughing and sneezing.
3. Maintain a safe distance between yourself and someone who is, sneezing and or coughing (at least 1 meter).
4. If you have a fever, cough and difficulty in breathing, seek medical care immediately.
5. Clean and disinfect frequently touched surfaces such as doorknobs/handles, car doors, elevator buttons etc. daily with regular household disinfectant or soap.
6. All people coming from countries affected by corona virus disease should follow the guidance given by health workers at the airport and other border entry points.

Contact Information:

Doreen Tuhebwe, MakSPH, Email: dtuhebwe[at]musph.ac.ug
Elizabeth Ekirapa, MakSPH, Email: ekky[at]musph.ac.ug
Mr. Atek Kagirita, MoH, Tel: +256-782-909153
Dr. Allan Muruta, MoH, Tel: +256-772-460297

source; http://news.mak.ac.ug/

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There are varieties of residences like the hall, hostels and rentals that a student can choose to live in but also there factors that need to be considered before a place can be taken on.

Student’s behaviour

“Joining the university and living on my own, drafting my own rules had me feel like an independent woman who had gotten to the world I always wanted to be in little did I know that my parents were going to dictate on the place I would live in,” says Martha Acham who is pursuing a post graduate at UMI.

Her mother Evelyn Acham, says she knew the kind of person her daughter was that is the reason as to why she chose for her right from the university to where she would reside.

Knowing that my daughter was the wild type I decided to take her to Uganda Christian University where I was sure she would be tamed and I made sure she slept in the school halls for the rest of her stay there,” says Acham.

“University as an environment welcomes students from all walks of life but knowing what to take up and what to leave should be the key things that a student should make a choice on. Sometimes that place the child chooses to live in determines their behaviour,” says Ali Male, a counsellor at A-Z counselling centre.

Area safety

Looking at area safety, Abdul Mazinga, caretaker of rentals at Kikoni a surburb at Makerere University says many people are afraid of living in rentals but sometimes they are safer than the other residentials.

“The main determinant of safety in a place is usually the surrounding environment and the people residing in the neighbourhood because safety begins from the occupants around,” says Mazinga.

Surveying a place before you settle for it is something that Mazinga says the students should do before they settle in a place.

He says it is very dangerous to deal with brokers who are not honest because all they need is someone to occupy a room so that they can be paid their commission.

Convenience

He further says safety comes with the convenience of the place and accessibility because a place that is hidden usually harbours criminals who may cause harm to the students.

“The accommodation should also be near the university so that the student is saved from incurring costs and reaching the university premises late for lectures,” advises Acham.

Stuart Oyesigye, a lecturer at Kyambogo University says much as most Universities do not have the evening programme, for a student who studies in the evening it is important for them to live within the university preferably the university halls so that they are sure of being safe.

He further says students who live in the halls have more focus in studies than those who live outside the school premises because they do not have things destructing them, they can easily access libraries, classes and have discussions at any time without worrying of getting home.

Hostel rules

Axam Kayiiwa, a custodian at Lavante Hostel at Kikoni, Makerere says every hostel should have rules that the residents need to abide to before they occupy the room.

With rules in place, the student gets to know what they expect while in the residence and they decide whether to stay there or not.

“Most students prefer staying in hostels with no rules because they want to do whatever they like but what they do not know is that they are doing a disservice to themselves,” says Kayiiwa.

Number of room occupants

Kayiiwa says this is something that most freshers do not mind about because all they need is a room but this determines what kind of life you will be living while in that place.

He notes that more than two occupants comes with a lot of influence and discomfort because everyone comes from a different place with their own behaviour that you either adopt or decide to tolerate.

Meals

“This is only found in – which is a place that most students do not want to live in because of the rules but what they do not know is that they pay little and benefit a lot like they never go to bed on an empty stomach because food is provided for them,” says Oyesigye.

He says having food while at the university is one of the things that make life comfortable for a student who has to do a lot of research and reading.

Sanitation

Keziah Namubiru, a student at Cavendish University says sanitation is paramount when it comes to any accommodation she can take up.

“It is something that the girls need to cautious of because they are vulnerable and can catch diseases whose treatment takes a lot of money that a university student cannot constantly afford,” says Namubiru.

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Major Naomi Karungi courtesy Photo

31 year old, Naomi Karungi was on a Training Mission when the helicopter Jet ranger AF302 crashed.

According to UPDF spokesperson Brig. Richard Karemire, the jet AF 301 was on a training mission when it crashed on a hill.

Karungi joined the army after completing her degree in Social Work in Economics at Makerere University. Following the completion of her cadet training, she joined flight school at Soroti Flying School. She later rised to the rank of Major in the army and was a trusted pilot who flies helicopters.

Major Naomi Karungi life

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HRDs during press conference

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University has a lot of protocols that have to be followed when it comes to student selection comes and it is up to the student to make it easy for them to get into the system.

Annet Asekenye, a customer care personnel says when she applied to join the university, she nearly lost hope when she saw that her name had not appeared in any of them.

On consulting with her uncle who was a lecturer, she realised that all the courses she applied for were way too above the points she had. Luckily for her, he directed her on how she was to go about it that is when she was able to join Uganda Christian University which took her in.

A picture of Makerere University students dressed in their graduation gown

“Being the first child in the family, I lacked career guidance and ended up doing a course I did not like so after graduating, I worked for some time and went back to study the course I wanted,” says Asekenye.

Why students may fail to get admission

William Tayebwa, head of department of Journalism and Communication at the School of Languages, Literation and Communication at Makerere University says the main reason as to why students fail to get an admission to the university is because they do not properly calculate their points before submitting the forms.

“It is on rare occasions that the students completely fail to get an admission because they have more than one choice of courses that the university has to use to allocate courses for the student so instead of getting the first choice they may end up being given the second one,” says Tayebwa.

An image of sample of an admission letter

Tayebwa says failure to get the course even when you have the points is because some times the number of students is too high so they will use the major subjects to determine who stays and who is dropped to another course.

He notes that to be on a safer side when you are given another course, the best thing to do is take the admission and then appeal when within the two given weeks so that you can be reconsidered.

Stuart Oyesigye, a lecturer at KyambogoUniversity says failure to completely get an admission is as a result of misguidance because this requires expertise if they are to get what they need.

Rebecca Atim, a registrar at Makerere University Business School says before a student applies for a course, they should ask for the form that has cut off points so that they can know what exactly they are doing.

She further says consultation will save a lot because when you get proper career guidance, then you will know what course is suitable for you and what is required for you to get what you need.

The alternatives

“Failure to get the admission should not be the end of the road for the students because there are other alternatives you can venture in and still be successful without having to go to the university,” says Oyesigye.

Contrary to what Oyesigye says, Tayebwa advises the students to try other universities that have many intakes so that they can be able to do the course they need or they can wait to apply again in the next academic year.

Oyesigye says a student can also opt for other learning institutions because they too have good services to offer and after their study at the institute, they can upgrade in the University of their Dreams.

He says much as people have not yet adjusted to the idea of having vocational training, it is one of the options that leaves you room to study while in the field and at the end making money that you can put together so that you can pay your tuition in a university of your choice.

A student can also take on a short course while waiting for the next academic year, the student may take up a short course which will add on to what you will be studying in future.

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Poetry has been looked at as an old fashioned art that most students term as boring, a mentality that has to be changed if the students are to take part.

Nowadays poets have come together to put their art out to the public. Most of which are known as poetry nights which are themed basing on the information to be put out for the audience consumption.

Looking at the word poetry, it is all about words that are written and recited an act that makes most poets think widely because they need to pour out their heart to those listening.

Apart from the commercial poets, students too need to develop that art and nothing other than constant recitals and practice can help.

In the recent days, it has been made better because there are competitions that are organised by an organisation known as teen Poetry Slam, Uganda and this has students take part and win prizes something that has motivated the students to take part.

Agnes Bwesigye, a Literature and English teacher at Ishaka Adventist College, says poetry is beautiful but it is unfortunate that people have not fully embraced it.

She has hopes that with the innovativeness that has been attached to the millennial poetry, people are going to embrace it and more meaning will be got out of it compared to what was initially there.

She says she is impressed with what is there nowadays because the children tell and enjoy conveying their messages to the people who are listening.

According to Ivan Agaba, a poet and student pursuing a bachelor of Education in Literature at Makerere University says it takes passion for one to embrace poetry and once this happens, then there will be no turning back for the student.

 He says sometimes the students do not have prior knowledge to what poetry is and how it has evolved for the better so they tend to think that it is just something they find on paper, read the questions and answer.

“It is a brain booster that enables the students think because in most cases people who write poems need to be creative and think so as to write a poem that will be captivating to those reading and listening,” says Agaba.

He advises students not to only to recite but also be creative and act out what you are trying to convey because poetry involves many things.

Student’s take on poetry

Ryan Ejoku, a student at Turkish Light Academy says poetry is one of the platforms that you can use to express how you feel without being crucified by those listening.

“Expressing yourself comes hand in hand with confidence which not just anyone possesses but for a poet, this is a must have before you step the stage otherwise you will make blunders,” says Ejoku.

He urges teachers to interest their students to explore different skills because there is a lot to gain like you can get opportunities, get certificates that can be used for future reference and also motivation from the audience.

More to that, he says students should use the poetry platform for portraying your creativity in interesting ways and this comes with no limits or censorship in what you say.

“Sometimes we have issues that are pressing us but we cannot openly speak out our emotions due to fear of facing the consequences so we end up using poetry to let out our feelings,” says Ejoku.

 “With poetry,  I have the urge to always speak out because I may not be speaking for myself but another person in the crowd and words always live within a person who finds interest in them,” adds  Ejoku.

He says he personally was not interested in poetry but watching good poets made him love it and also start writing which exposed her to research because her always carried out research in every field he was interested in writing about.

Word from a poetry slam judge

Murray Shiraz Batanda, a poet, spoken word coach Teen Poetry Slam Uganda says today it is expressive poetry which is very much different from what is there and this engages people.

“It is picked up from ancestry and it is basically story telling which deserves an assertive tone to pass it through to the audience so that they can enjoy and understand,” says Batanda.

He says with poetry, you can inform people and also educate the community which is easier because people will listen regardless of the topic.

He further says poets use it as a safe media to tell their stories because it is a proper outlet of of letting out their views.

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Lubogo while in parliament on Tuesday raised a matter of national importance in which he demanded to know what plans the government has to address the issues raised by the teachers in public universities.

“The strike is increasing the cost of maintaining students who aren’t learning. Some of these children are from poor families because they have to spend money to continue surviving. It also has an effect on the academic ranking of universities in this country as I speak, Makerere University which used to be the fifth on the African continent has dropped from fifth to about 16th,” Hon Lubogo noted.

At the beginning of this academic year, Last week, academic and non-teaching staff from all public universities in the country decides to go on site down strike until the government releases all due and outstanding funds for their salary enhancement amounting to Shs150Bn.

Rebecca Kadaga who is the Speaker of Parliament Rebecca Kadaga directed the Minister of State for Higher Education, John Chrysestom Muyingo to today 14^th August 2019 update Parliament on the alleged strike of staff in public universities.

However, Hon Muyingo told Parliament that the Ministry was aware of the impending strike and says that there is an ongoing meeting in state house Entebbe to address the matter and has promised to address the country on the outcomes of the meeting.

 ‘It is true staff of academic and non-academic public universities have threatened to put down their tools as I talk right now, there is an important meeting taking place in State House trying to devise ways and means of addressing this issue and as soon as the meeting is done, the country will be informed’, the minister said.

Dr Grace Lubaale, Chairperson Forum for Academic Staff in Public Universities (FASPU), insisted  that their planned strike would proceed as earlier planned until government releases all the money the staff are demanding in arrears and due payments.

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Tabaro was welcomed by the Chairperson of Makerere University Council Mrs. Lorna Magara on an event that took place on Friday 9^th August 2019.

The event was attended by representatives from Makerere University Academic Staff Association (MUASA), Makerere University Administrative Staff Association (MASA), National Union of Educational Institutions (NUEI) and members of Makerere University Public Relations office.

Justice Tabaro who is in his retirement as the high court judge was appointed by the Chancellor Prof. Ezra Suruma for a four-year term (May 15th 2019-15th May 2023).

Justice Tabaro’s appointment is in line with section 56(1) (a) of the Universities and Other Tertiary Institutions Act (UOTIA), 2001 as amended. Tabaro takes over office from Mr. George Omunyokol whose term ended on 20th March 2019.

In his speech after being appointed, Justice Tabaro paid tribute to the outgoing Chairperson Mr. George Omunyokol and to Mr. Didas Nkurunziza who chaired the pioneer tribunal. He also promised to deliver with justice during his terms in office.

“It is difficult enough to judge the general public, but it is also problematic when the top intellectuals are the litigants and the onerous task to resolve the disputes falls upon unfortunate mortals like me or to my two predecessors. Today, we are talking of about 36000 students hence we should assume that issues that arise here on campus concerning students, academic staff, administration and support staff are enormous. However, that is not to say that we should fold our arms in despair or lamentation,” he said.

“It is only axiomatic that if the tribunal acts impartially transparently without fear or favor, the whole university community will be the beneficiary as this will create a peaceful atmosphere, conducive to the generation of knowledge for the good of Uganda and the benefit of the whole university community and future alumni,” he added.

Meanwhile, the Chairperson of Makerere University Council Mrs. Magara congratulated Justice Tabaro upon his appointment also emphasized the role of a tribunal in a society.

“As a tribunal, you have the mandate to hear and decide disputes and bind disputants. It goes without contestation that tribunals are very important part of the legal system where the rule of law and human rights are upheld”, she said.

Other three members of the new Tribunal also were also sworn in on Friday.They include; Prof. Ben Kiromba Twinomugisha -Representative of University Senate, Dr. Phiona Muhwezi Mpanga- Representative of MUASA, and Dr. Ronald Kakungulu-Mayambala-Representative MUASA.

Justice John Patrick Mashongo Tabaro served in the Judiciary for over 36 years. He started as Magistrate in 1976; rising through the ranks to become a Constitutional Court Judge, Acting Principal Judge among other roles.

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Among the 22% that passed, 378 sat on direct entry, 42 were on degree entry while 27 were on diploma entry.

The list pinned at Makerere University shows that from 2,080 candidates who sat pre-entry exams, only 447 students passed and 1633 failed. The percentage of students who failed goes to about 78%.

All students who are willing to take the course of Barchelors of Law are bu the University required to sit for the pre-entry exams.

The pre-entry examinations involve areas such as reading and comprehension skills; language skills; numerical skills and logic; general knowledge and analytical writing skills.

However, Makerere University Academic Registrar said that students who got 50% and above qualifies to join the University in the next academic year.

 “The candidates who scored 50 percent and above passed the examinations. The successful candidates who may be interested in studying Bachelor of Laws under private sponsorship should apply for Day or evening before the deadline of 30th April 2019,” Alfred Masikye said.

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The scheme was advertised in January 2019. You can access the admission for Makerere University and Makerere University Business School by clicking on the categories below.

DOWNLOADS & ESSENTIAL ATTACHMENTS

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