The Gulu University Chancellor, Professor George Openjuru Ladaah, has challenged public universities to center learning programs based on market demands.
Openjuru noted that while President Museveni has been prioritizing science-based learning programs, arts programs, too, have equally high demands in the job market. Illustrating with Development Studies, Openjuru observed that such academic programs are popular and cannot be phased off.
“Because of their popularity, we can’t drop them. We fear public outcry. You drop a popular program like that; they land on you with many complaints,” Professor Openjuru observed. He said, “We aren’t against the President promoting Sciences, but do you want to listen to the President or do you want to listen to the customers. We are between a rock and a hard place.”
Openjuru noted that the university is noticing a growing number of students shifting from arts programs to science-based programs. Apart from those pursuing Education, subjects like Christian Religious Education, Economics, and History are being dropped, he observed. Science-based programs that previously had between 2 to 5 students now attract between 40 and 50 students each academic year.
“I want to agree with the President that Science is paying big and the number of students who are shifting keep increasing, but let the market dictate our programs,” Prof. Openjuru added. He was addressing the media on Wednesday, November 26, 2025, ahead of the 21st graduation, which will see 1,431 graduands pass out on Friday, November 28, 2025.
The university has, for the first time, moved its graduation from January to November to avoid political disruptions as the country heads to polls next year.
He observed that late graduation by public universities affects opportunities for graduates, as their peers from private universities have already entered the job market. “In January, February, there will be elections. When elections are done, governments are dissolved, formation of new governments. Ministers are changed and all those kinds of things. We didn’t want to get into those changes which are coming because it may disorganize us,” he stated.
Early graduation is also intended to place graduates on the job market sooner, as the university will issue transcripts on the day of graduation. The University Deputy Vice Chancellor in charge of Academic Affairs, Professor David Okello Owiny, commended parents for supporting the children to complete their studies. However, he noted that the graduation venue is limited to 5,000 guests, including the President, ministers, and partners, with each graduate allowed two guests.
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Of the 1,431 graduates, 908 are male and 523 female, signifying a drop from 1,753 students who graduated the previous year. Thirteen students living with disabilities—seven males and six females—are part of the cohort, and the number of first-class degrees has dropped from 57 in 2024 to 54 this year. Gulu University will also graduate 11 international students, including nine from South Sudan, one from Kenya, and one from Benin.
At least five PhD students will also graduate, four from the Faculty of Agriculture and Environment and one from the Institute of Peace and Strategic Studies. Established in 2002 to transform Northern Uganda’s education landscape, Gulu University has graduated over 28,000 students and currently has around 7,000.
During the 2020 graduation ceremony, President Museveni encouraged the management to tailor academic programs to science, and over the years, he has strongly advocated for innovations premised on scientific learning.
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