St. Francis School of Health Sciences will tomorrow Thursday hold its 13th graduation ceremony, with 566 students set to graduate from various health-related disciplines as the institution also prepares to transition into a degree-awarding institution.
Speaking during a press briefing ahead of the ceremony scheduled for May 21, the institution’s registrar, Immaculate Asherure said the graduates include 397 females and 169 males drawn from certificate and diploma programmes in nursing, midwifery, pharmacy, clinical medicine, medical records and health informatics, biomedical engineering, management and applied sciences.
The institution’s leadership described the achievement as a major milestone in strengthening Uganda’s health workforce at a time when the country continues to face demand for qualified health professionals.
“Our graduates are prepared enough for the community. One of our core values is Christ-centeredness and we believe they are going to serve humanity with compassion and professionalism,” officials said during the briefing.
The school also recognised outstanding academic performers from different faculties. Among the top students was Lydia Angiyo, a learner from the School of Management who attained a cumulative grade point average of 4.70.
Other best performers included Patience Nakaburwa from the School of Nursing with a 4.5 CGPA and Ismail Kasaga from the School of Allied Health Sciences who scored 4.45.
The Director of Quality Assurance and Principal of the School of Allied Health Sciences, Tonny Oyo said the institution has registered significant growth compared to last year when 386 students graduated.
“This year we are graduating 566 students, which shows tremendous growth and increasing trust in the institution,” Oyo said.
According to Oyo, the school’s success has largely been driven by investment in practical training, well-equipped skills laboratories and partnerships with hospitals across the country.
He explained that students are attached to both national and regional referral hospitals as well as health facilities in districts such as Kiryandongo, Kapchorwa, Pallisa and Kalisizo to give them broader clinical exposure.
“We emphasize early exposure to real-world clinical skills because healthcare training cannot only remain theoretical. Students must interact with patients and understand hospital environments early enough,” he said.
The institution also attributed its strong performance to qualified teaching staff and consistent performance in examinations administered by the Uganda Health Professional Assessment Board and the Uganda Vocational and Technical Assessment Board.
Tomorrow’s graduation ceremony will be held under the theme “Transforming Healthcare Service Delivery for the Betterment of Humanity.”
The ceremony’s chief guest will be Brother Dr. Deogratius Mugema, the Vice Chancellor of University of Kisubi, while Professor Chrysostom Mavili as the guest of honour.
Meanwhile, the institution announced strict health safety measures during the graduation ceremony following concerns over the Ebola outbreak in Uganda.
Management said all guests entering the venue will undergo temperature screening and sanitization to minimise the risk of infection spread during the event.
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