Graduates will be awarded degree certificates in less than three weeks after publishing the final list, the University of Rwanda (UR) has pledged.

The pledge comes after cries by recent graduates who missed out on opportunities due to lack of degree certificates. They claimed that since their graduation in November 2019, some had lost chances of employment and scholarships.

As a response to the claims, the university explained the causes of the delay, apologized to the victims and promises to start distributing degrees by the end of this January.

But why the long wait?

Approval of graduating students

Since the 2013 merger of government’s higher learning institutions, it has been the norm to deliver diplomas days after graduation.

UR’s Deputy Vice-Chancellor in Charge Institutional Advancement, Dr Charles Murigande, said that holding the graduation ceremony one day after the Board of Governors confirms the list of graduands as one of the major reasons.  Another reason is the last-minute financial clearance by finishing students. According to Murigande, there are two conditions to make the graduation list: fulfilling academic requirements and clearing all financial debts owed to the university.

UR’s Deputy Vice-Chancellor in Charge Institutional Advancement, Dr Charles Murigande cheers on graduates during the graduation ceremony at Huye Stadium. / Sam Ngendahimana

Some students are not able to fulfil the latter in time – some even clear their debts just a few minutes prior to the graduation ceremony and others are completely unable and are obliged to wait for the next graduation, a year later!

"This does not give us time to print the degree certificates and be able to distribute them at the graduation ceremony as some universities do elsewhere in the world,” he observed.

Printing degrees in Rwanda rather than in Europe

UR has been issuing degrees printed in the United Kingdom but has this year decided to print them locally. The transition played a role in stretching the usual period of degree issuance.

"We found the locally available but imported paper used by Rwanda Polytechnic and Rwanda Education Board to be of low quality in terms of high-security features compared to the degree certificates we are used to give to our students. And that would not be well received by our graduates.”

As a result, the university ordered high quality papers from its UK printing contractor. The shipment will arrive next week and degrees will start to be printed then – a change that means a "same high-quality paper and security, a slightly lower cost, and control of our data,” revealed Murigande.

In the meantime, UR avails academic testimonials and transcripts to fill the gap. Talks with the Ministry in charge of Public Service and Labour are underway to ensure that employers accept the documents which have as much legitimacy as the diplomas.

"It is really unfortunate for these institutions to take the drastic decision of rejecting the testimonials we issue to our graduates without consulting us,” said the former Foreign Minister in reference to some public and private institutions who turned down diploma replacements.

"These bodies should respect our words and stamp irrespective of the quality of the paper they are on.”

However, the university finds it unfair for students who clear their financial debts or fulfil the academic requirements for their degrees shortly after graduation to wait for the next congregation, as has been the practice. Thus, it is deploying a way of helping those students graduate at the very fulfilment of due requirements. UR has decided to change the wording of degree certificates, delinking the date of award from the date of the graduation ceremony. If one completes degree requirements soon after graduation for example in January 2020, there is no longer a need to wait for a degree certificate dated November 2020 (the month of the next annual graduation ceremony), but will get a degree certificate as soon as they clear financially.

The degree certificate will state that  "  ‘name of student’  was awarded the Master/Bachelor’s degree of ..’ academic programs by the Order of the Academic Senate and approval of the Board of Governors of the University of Rwanda of ‘date’ "

Some CMHS graduates will sit council exams in March

UR has also committed to engage concerned institutions to bring back lost chances to the table for those who were affected by the delay.

For instance, medical graduates from UR – College of Medicine and Health Sciences who missed ‘council’ – an exam to obtain a licence – last December will have another chance in March to sit the exam.

"UR cares for its students and we are pained by the delay in distributing the degrees. We do apologize for the inconvenience this may have caused and wish to assure that future generations will get their degrees timely now that they are going to be printed in Rwanda,” concluded Murigande.