The cries of graduates had turned the crowded corridors of the Senate building into a refuge for the frustrated and perhaps the most hated place at Makerere University.

But this part of the campus is no longer as loathsome as it was once imagined, at least not to the extent Catherine Atukunda found it yesterday.

Clutching her transcript, Ms Atukunda, 24, stared pointlessly into space, as if wondering what to do next. She now had a lot of time on her hands, having planned to spend at least a day battling hard to get the document she needs to apply for a job. "I was shocked," she said. "I didn't even spend half an hour. I was so impressed, and I am grateful."

As Ms Atukunda told her story, several other Makerere University graduates patiently took turns picking their documents, a process that seemed at odds with the stereotypical image of long lines, sweaty clients and agitated officers. It was a sign of the times that the corridors of this once-dreaded place were almost empty.

Queues history

"Lines are history," said Senior Assistant Registrar Frederick M. Kyazze, who heads the transcripts and examinations division. Mr Kyazze pointed to empty shelves as proof of the existence of a computer-rich system that got rid of tattered paper files. "Where are the files? Gone, gone, gone," Mr Kyazze said. "We acquired more computers and were able to improve and adhere to the system."

According to an official analysis of the transcript processing system, at least 88 percent of all the transcripts from the January 2009 graduation are ready. And at least 63 per cent of all the transcripts -- 12,346 students graduated in January -- had already been printed by July 2009.

"We have full control of the system," said Peter Kayonde, a systems administrator. "We have full control of results."

To be efficient, the authorities said, a lot of pressure was put upon the faculties and schools, which were often accused of delaying to submit students' results and, in some cases, submitting the wrong ones.

"That explains the absence of crowds in the corridors and the disappearance of complaint letters in newspaper columns," said Mr Kyazze, who now tells a joke about why he should buy a bike and ride it in the empty corridors.

But the efforts to reform the process have not been matched by an equivalent response from graduates.

Ms Atukunda came to pick her transcript nearly a year after graduating. Her transcript had been one of thousands of uncollected academic documents, some going as far back as 2004, even though the authorities now encourage graduates to pick their academic documents as soon as possible.

Mr Kyazze, noting that the acidity from years of negative publicity could take years to clean, said the office's allegedly bad reputation may have stuck deep. "It takes time to change the mindset of the people - to tell them that there are good things here," he said.