By Asenath Were
The school of education has registered the highest number of first-class degrees in the second part of the 23 graduations that took place at Uganda Christian University (UCU) on October 28. This includes the best student and the highest number of first-class degrees.
1570 students, including 828 women and 742 men, graduated during the second of the 23 graduation ceremonies, and 36 of them earned first-class degrees.
According to Dr. Mary Kagoire, acting dean of the School of Education, this success was made possible because of the curriculum, which was reviewed and is competency-based.
As a school, their teaching focuses on the learner, and they follow it up with a lot of learner support in terms of using very rich, student-centered approaches.
“Every learner, as far as education is concerned, has the ability to perform, and so we are able to get the best out of every student because of the techniques.” She said.
Kagoire said that the lecturers facilitate learning in a competence-based approach, and as a result, the student’s potential is maximized, hence giving them the highest number of first classes.
The fact that the majority of these students are already teachers in the field helps them to benefit. They are easily involved; they understand what brought them there, and they can learn effectively when facilitated.
She said that the curriculum has also played a big role in helping the students excel because it integrates modernity, Christian faith, and integrity, so students are prepared not to learn things for the sake of learning but to see value in what they are learning.
“That alone enables them to concentrate because they know they are not learning just for the sake of learning; the knowledge they are acquiring is for them to be stewards in the community, so as a result, they study with a vision, a mission to make a difference in the community.” Kagoire said.
The students are able to attain higher levels because they are facilitated by motivated staff that know why they have to train the teachers to that level.
According to Kagoire, they give hands-on experiences to these students, which helps them get the practical bit of it. It also enables the teachers to compare what they do in class with what they do on the field.
She applauded the university for its eLearning services that facilitate long-distance learners because, thanks to eLearning, they are able to continue with them through online classes and allow the lecturers to follow them up.
Joseph Omonya, the assistant registrar, attributes this success to the students of education and applauds them for exhibiting this level of excellence, for sitting down and concentrating so as to excel, which has opened avenues before them.
Omonya said that through this excellence, the students get opportunities for sponsorship and jobs because first-class students will always have preferential treatment as they go out into the job market.
“I am sure that a first-class student will always have preferential treatment, so if a company is advertising for jobs and says we need a good degree and someone has an excellent degree, they will have the upper hand. It will help us get so many people out there into employment. He said
To the university, these first classes mean a lot because they act as marketing strategies for the university since these very students act as our ambassadors out there as excelling students.
Omonya added that the education program benefits from a 35% waiver on tuition that also includes the social sciences and agricultural sciences so as to encourage more students to enroll in the program.
Robert Cadribo, the overall best student with a CGPA of 4.86, said that before attaining this, he used to undermine himself in public, but this has boosted his confidence and he now sees himself as somebody.
To him, with God everything is possible because he never imagined himself finishing school, much less with a first-class degree, but he did, and for that he is thankful to God.
Cadribo said that the one thing that he did to excel was to sacrifice all and give his books the best attention, which is a rare practice with so many students.
“Sacrifice yourself, time, and everything for your studies, because I see this as unusual, but I truly see that I sacrificed myself, time, and everything for my studies.” Cadribo said.
He commended his lecturers and administrators at UCU, who gave him inspiration and encouragement through the Christian values they instilled in him.
