The Federation of Kenyan Employers has warned that they will not accept any graduate who attends a virtual graduation ceremony, saying that the online ceremony produces half-baked graduates.
In what turns out to be a major blow to Covid graduates, the body of employers said that true graduates are those who have attended a physical graduation and felt the power being bestowed on them physically.
“We want graduates who have struggled to clear with the universities, paid a premium fee for a torn gown, suffered ferrying a bus of villagers to see the University and have them seat outside the graduation venue because it is always full. We want those who have fought to get the graduation booklet, or even those who edited their copies because their names were missing.”
The concern from employers is genuine. Research has shown that sitting in a graduation ceremony and listening for hours to speeches that you do not care about or waiting for your single name to be read in 0.13 micro seconds produces a lot of patience. Better still if they do not read the names but just mention the serial numbers.
Besides, virtual graduations are taking a toll on employers, especially those producing fake plastic flowers and those shiny things they put on your neck during the graduation ceremony.