By Kefa Senoga
Uganda Christian University (UCU) has held its first physical pre-entry examinations for applicants wishing to pursue three of the courses it offers at the undergraduate level. Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, for the past three years, UCU has conducted virtual pre-entry exams for the Bachelor of Laws, Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery, and Bachelor of Dental Surgery.
The examinations for the School of Medicine and that of Surgery were conducted from April 10-14 at the UCU School of Dentistry in Mengo, Kampala, while the students intending to pursue a course in law sat their examinations at the UCU Main Campus, in the Janani Luwum Dining Hall from April 17-21.
UCU’s pre-entry examinations consist of both oral and written tests. The written examination is intended to test the candidate’s level of comprehension while the oral test is done to evaluate the confidence levels and the oratory skills of candidates.
Ninsima Dorothy, one of the students who sat the pre-entry examinations for the admission into the Bachelor of Laws, said the oral interviews give UCU an edge over other law schools. She reasoned that students who are not as effective in written presentations also have the option of the oral interviews to make their case. Ninsima wants to follow in the footsteps of her sister who also pursued a Bachelor of Laws at UCU and “performed quite well.”
Kamya Joel Jessy also sat the pre-entry exams for the admission into the Bachelor of Laws course. The former student of St Julian High School Gayaza, near Kampala, lauded UCU for setting a “feasible and practical” test which “fitted well in his level of understanding.”
“They asked for my take on divorce, marriage and foreign aid,” he explained, noting that the questions were mainly testing one’s level of general knowledge and current affairs.
Speaking to the applicants before they wrote the tests, Dr. Mutesasira Davis, the Dean of the UCU School of Law, informed them that it is not necessary for one to be coached before they sit the pre-entry exams as he allayed any fears the students could have had, especially those who had not had any form of coaching.
Asaph Elly Munyigwa, the president of the UCU Law Society, noted that in pre-entry examinations, candidates are asked about what’s happening in their societies. “You cannot desire to pursue a Bachelor of Laws course if you don’t even know who the current Chief Justice of Uganda is,” he warned.
Munyigwa said for the written exam, the candidates were given one-and-a-half hours to take the test, which consisted of questions with multiple choice answers. “There were 30 in number and each question carried two marks.”
Munyigwa said more than 800 students turned up for the pre-entry examinations, and that 150-200 of them were examined every day.
According to Munyigwa, the good performance of UCU alumni in the recently released examination results for the Bar Course at Uganda’s Law Development Centre for the academic year 2021/22 attracted more students to express their desire to join the School of Law.
The Law Development Centre offers a contemporary Post-Graduate Diploma in Legal Practice, which is the Bar Course, and its acquisition is mandatory before anyone practices law in the country.
In the most recent results of the Bar Course, of the 20 First Class graduates, nine, including the top four, are UCU alums. UCU alum Emmanuel Okia emerged the overall best student with a grade point average of 4.90 out of 5.0. Other UCU alums Shamira Kitimbo garnered 4.80, Reagan Ahumuza got 4.75 while Jemimah Jehopio scored 4.70.
Addressing the students who sat the pre-entry exams for the Bachelor of Laws course, Christa Oluka, the UCU Director of Director of Admissions and Student Records, said the university has a special law school where the staff and the students are always engaging each other.
Mukibi Lawrence William, the student leader at the UCU Medical School, said more than 320 students sat for the UCU School of Medicine and dentistry pre-entry exams. However, only 68 were selected for both courses, with Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery taking 50 of those chosen.
Ayero Claire Nono, a former student of Uganda Martrys Namugongo, near Kampala, passed the pre-entry exams. She said she enjoyed the oral part of the exams because it offered her an opportunity to physically interact with the panel. She said now that she has joined the university, she looks forward to qualifying as a doctor with a foundation anchored on Christian values.
