The long awaited graduation ceremony of the 18th batch of students in the University of Buea is finally here. Business men and women in the municipality have been keeping their fingers crossed, waiting to make profits in this “dry” period of the year.
Graduation ceremony in the University of Buea has always been one of the greatest events that have attracted a large crowd from all over the country to the Town of legendary Hospitality. Buea again is flooded with people from all over the country, who have come to witness the “send-off” of some students who before now were supposed to have graduated. No doubt, this celebration were to be in December 2013 as it should have been, but the President’s visit to the South West to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of Cameroon’s reunification and independence, which was considered a must celebrated event in commemoration to the reunification and independence of the two Cameroons in 1961, saw the renovation and construction of structures in Buea and UB in particular therefore made the graduation ceremony to be pushed till further notice.
It would’ve been very difficult to have a large populace in Buea in December amidst all the preparations to the celebration of the 50th anniversary of Cameroon’s reunification. It should be noted that this is not the first time graduation ceremony is taking place in a different month apart from the month of December. This graduation comes just at a time when most parents were not expecting its postponement to a further date, leaving them incapacitated to afford for the event. Speaking to Mr. Ndive Charles Njie, a parent to one of the potential graduates, says he had lost all hopes if graduation were still to take place and for that reason did not allocate or prepare anything for “Graduation”.
Speaking to Dr. Njapba of the Admissions and Records office in the University of Buea, he ascertains that this is a perfect month to schedule graduation reason being that, December as festive period comes with a lot of stress with Christmas, and New Year expenditures which coincided with the graduation ceremony thereby leaving some parents to spend more.
Taking into consideration the abrupt nature of the graduation, most students having collecting their attestations have left the country while others who are yet to collect them decry the fact that there is no money to afford for celebrations and cocktails. It should however be noted that Graduation has never had a fixed date for the singular reason that it is only after the minister of higher education has approved the date for the ceremony that it is carried out.
Okere Brandy, a Potential graduate in the Department of History complain that this Graduation in March do not meet their aspirations because it doesn’t represent the grandeur that use to accompany the event when it is done in December, and holds the view that parents like his, always prepare their budget for the celebrations but the time gap to the graduation is too short.
Businessmen in Buea will experience an economic augmentation this month. Canopies, chairs and halls will be rented, thereby augmenting their revenues. . Businessmen were disgruntled in December when they heard that graduation had been postponed to a further date because stocks that would have been sold for graduation like chickens did not give enough sales. Andouba Atali, a student and businessman says when students are around; sales are high especially during the period of graduation.
Some students argue that the only reason why they will take on this graduation is just to wear the robe like others have done in the yester years in order to fulfill the course of history.
According to Dr. Njapba, it would be better if subsequent graduation ceremonies are done in March in the sense that students, who still owe first semester courses, can take the courses during the first semester exams so that they can join their counterparts graduate in March.
