There is pressure among the Second Year journalism students following the display of ‘provisional’ results for the News Reporting, Writing and Production course unit.

The results that were displayed on 22nd November jolted students into action as many were yet to make the pass mark just two weeks to the end of the semester.

Under code JCO 2103, the course module is assessed progressively throughout the semester. Students are required to write and publish at least eight news stories on the department students’ page, Journalism@Mak. Each of the eight stories is graded out of 12.5 to make 100%. 

This was communicated to students at the beginning of the semester. But the students thought it was a joke to have the eight stories published so as to have a pass mark since they thought they had different course works that would earn them marks. As they came to realize on November 22, this is not the case.

After the results were displayed on the notice board, the students have now resorted to writing the stories so as to make it to the pass mark. It is like the semester is just beginning and writing stories is now part of life of many students.

Nakawuki Winfred, a second year student, says she never thought of this last minute pressure. By November 22, she had only two stories published and now she is struggling with the course unit which is consuming all her time yet she has examinations to do.

“After getting my two stories published, I thought I would add up the course works we did in class and get the pass mark but that is all impossible. Here I am, looking for stories. But why me all the time,” she exclaimed.

The lecturers informed the students early enough to work upon the stories but the students thought it was a joke. At least 20% of the class of 120 students has hit the required minimum number of stories.

End of Semester One examinations commenced on Monday, November 19, and students are expected to be reading for other course units which are examinable, unlike JCO 2103 which is assessed progressively.

Lunkuse Rashida, another student who by the time the results were displayed had published only three stories, has now managed to submit three more stories in the struggle of getting the minimum. She also wishes the results were displayed earlier.

“I wish I had got this courage and power to write these stories before. I would have already published the stories needed. I will fill their (lecturers’) emails with my stories until I get the eight needed. These lecturers would have already showed us these results, at least I would have got the power a long time ago,” she says

From the displayed results, some students have published more than eight stories. Though they have the pass mark, some of them are still writing so as to improve their skills. For those withmore than eight stories, lecturers will select the best eight.

Mutaawe Dan Bosco, a day student who has eleven stories published, says it was better doing the stories then than now. "At the beginning of the semester, it was easy to write the stories since we were not as busy as we are now,” Mutaawe explained.

This course unit is meant to help the Journalism students to develop their news reporting and writing skills.

The lecturers, John Baptist Imokola and Wilson Akiiki Kaija, set November 30 as deadline for submitting stories.