General
EAIHESD holds first UNESCO-IIEP graduation
The International Institute for Educational Planning (IIEP) was created by UNESCO in 1963 in Paris, France, with a Mission-To strengthen the capacity of countries to plan and manage their education systems. It is supported by grants from UNESCO and by voluntary contributions from Member States and others.
The International Institute for Educational Planning (IIEP) was created by UNESCO in 1963 in Paris, France, with a Mission-To strengthen the capacity of countries to plan and manage their education systems. It is supported by grants from UNESCO and by voluntary contributions from Member States and others.
It also aims to meet the needs of countries in the development of their education systems by:
- Training planners and managers in skills to analyze and plan, manage and implement, monitor and evaluate.
- Supporting institutions and improving administrative routines, organization, leadership skills.
- Fostering an enabling environment through policy forums, international co-operation and networking.
To date, more than 5000 experts and education officers have been trained by IIEP and the first batch of ten graduates from the Makerere chapter were hosted to a certificate award ceremony at the Makerere University Guest House yesterday evening.
On behalf of his fellow graduands, Mr. Cuthbert Mulyalya appreciated the Ministry of Education & Sports and the Assistant Commissioner, Education Planning, Mr. Godfrey Dhatemwa in particular for selecting their lot to be the pioneers of the course. He also thanked Mr. John Wabwire , Director, Planning & Development Department (PDD), Makerere University and IIEP Country coordinator for facilitating excellently during the 9months course. He acknowledged that after receiving this training, the participants were better equipped so solve Education Planning tasks in the Ministry hence less funds would be spent on hiring consultants.
Mr. John Wabwire, The National Coordinator IIEP and Director PDD thanked participants for staying the 9months course, which started in October last year. He appreciated their diligence throughout the course, despite the busy working schedules.
He noted that the African Chapter consists of six countries namely Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, Ethiopia, Ghana and Malawi and the focus of this chapter is to provide the tools to improve planning, policy analysis and management processes in Africa. The training programme explores fields such as statistical tools for educational planning, the educational planning cycle, strategies and policy options, projects, budgets, and monitoring and evaluating educational quality and access. The course’s simulation & choices module was undertaken in Ethiopia, where a regional workshop to share participants’ experiences was also held.
Despite the challenges of time constraints on the parts of the participants, Mr. Wabwire commended them for coming second overall in Africa, where they were beaten to the first place by Malawi by a 0.5point difference. He thanked the sponsors for funding the course and choosing Makerere University through the East African Institute of Higher Education Studies and Development (EAIHESD) as hosts for the training programme.
Dr. David Onen, who spoke on behalf of the Institute’s Acting Director, noted that the programme was received with open arms at the Institute and appreciated the vote of confidence in Makerere University and EAIHESD in particular by choosing it to host the programme. He noted that the course provided an avenue for capacity building for the staff of EAIHESD as it lent a hands-on approach to the training programmes already being offered at the Institute. He then thanked Mr. Wabwire for ably facilitating at EAIHESD and the Ministry of Education and Sports for opening the door to the programme to be held at Makerere. He echoed that Uganda as s whole stood to benefit immensely from this programme and requested the Country coordinator to enable the pioneers complete further training, beyond the Certificate level. He then introduced Dr. Augustine Ezenne from the University of West Indies, Jamaica, who was visiting EAIHESD.
Mr. Godfrey Dhatemwa, Assistant Commissioner, Education Planning in the Ministry of Education and Sports , who represented his Permanent Secretary thanked the National Coordinator and participants for attending the training programme. He acknowledged that as an Assistant Commissioner for Education Planning, his Department stood to benefit the most as a good number of his staff had attended the inaugural training.
He opined that the programme will continue to build a skilled stock of Education Planners in Uganda and as such, Makerere University should be encouraged to partner more with IIEP to offer custom training programmes that are fit for policy makers. The custom programmes should be shorter and more intensive, seeing as we are dealing with employed participants. Mr. Dhatemwa challenged the National Coordinator and all stakeholders present to lobby for Makerere University to host the Regional Training Center (RTC) as India does for the Asian region. He challenged the participants to apply their newly acquired knowledge to improve the Education Planning sector and expressed his gratitude to UNESCO and IIEP in particular, whose impact has been greatly felt in the Ministry of Education and Sports. Mr. Dhatemwa then proceeded to hand over certificates of participation to successful graduands.
Click here to view the full Concept Note of the programme
The Makerere University Vice Chancellor, Prof. Barnabas Nawangwe has today, Friday, 26th June 2026 handed over the CCE (Complex) Hall of Residence Site to National Enterprise Corporation (NEC) Managing Director and CEO, Lieutenant General James Mugira for renovation and overhaul works. The UGX 12billion Government of Uganda-funded works, expected to be completed within a year, are the fourth project to be undertaken by NEC. They were preceded by; construction of the University Perimeter Wall, Renovation of Lumumba Hall, and Renovation of Mary Stuart Hall.
NEC’s Record Lauded
Prof. Nawangwe in his remarks at the handover ceremony lauded these projects. “The quality of work done by NEC makes us proud because we can finally say that we have Ugandans who can do the things, which we previously depended on foreigners to do.” He therefore thanked the Government of Uganda for fully funding the projects and the First Lady and Minister of Education and Sports, Hon. Janet Museveni, whose visit set the renovation projects in motion.
The Vice Chancellor added that as the Alma mater for most members of both the Contractor and Project Management Teams, this was a moment of great pride as their expertise and skills have saved the country billions of taxpayers’ money. “Thank you for being patriotic”, he commended.
Prof. Nawangwe concluded by noting that CCE Hall, by virtue of its location, provides a first impression of Makerere University as a whole. He therefore urged the contractor to ensure that upon renovation, CCE Hall would create a memorable and lasting first impression, exceeding even that of the renovated Mary Stuart Hall.
A Project Fueled by Nostalgia
Speaking of impressions, Lt. Gen. Mugira, with nostalgia recalled that close to 42 years ago, he not only attended his first lectures in Hall 1 of the CCE Complex but also, on a more personal note added, “my wife was a resident, and so I have every motivation to put in a lot of effort and make sure that I deliver more than was done with Mary Stuart and Lumumba.”
He therefore extended heartfelt appreciation to his Alma mater Makerere University for the trust and confidence bestowed in NEC, which underscored their ability to deliver. “Trust is earned through performance, through integrity and consistency, and your decision to engage us motivates us to work even harder to exceed your expectations.”
In his remarks, the Deputy Vice Chancellor (Finance and Administration) Prof. Henry Alinaitwe reechoed the need to ensure that the project is executed with adherence to the cost, quality, specifications and safety related issues as earlier shared by the Acting (Ag.) Chief Engineer of Estates and Works, Eng. Ezra Sekadde.
“NEC has already demonstrated this (with previous projects), and that is why we have all the confidence that you can deliver this project within 12 months” remarked Prof. Alinaitwe. He equally lauded the Project Management Team (PMT) led by Arch. Dr. Kenneth Ssemwogerere whose supervision ensures timely project completion.
Relatedly, Arch. Dr. Semwogerere was on 25th June 2026, the eve of the handover, promoted to the rank of Associate Professor, a milestone Prof. Alinaitwe attributed to his track record as Head of PMT. He therefore, on a light note, urged him to keep up the good work as this could equally contribute to his promotion to the rank of full Professor.
Also present at the handover ceremony was the Principal, College of Education and External Studies (CEES) Prof. Anthony Mugagga, whose unit will be greatly affected by the renovations. He nevertheless welcomed and reiterated his full support for the project, noting that just as renovation of Lumumba and Mary Stuart Halls had resulted in many alumni revisiting, the CCE Complex would upon renovation attract former residents and teaching professionals to give back or forge new partnerships.
Student Welfare at the Forefront
On her part, the Dean of Students Dr. Winifred Kabumbuli lauded the renovations of Halls of Residence as a clear demonstration of Government’s dedication to the improvement of student welfare, and creating an environment conducive for nurturing responsible citizens who can contribute to national development. She pledged her Office’s and the Student Leadership’s readiness to ensure that the renovated facilities used responsibly for the benefit of future generations.
As a resident of the recently renovated Mary Stuart Hall, 92nd Guild President H.E. Kadondi Gracious could not help but appreciate how impactful the renovation of CCE Hall would be to student welfare. “The female students will be very excited (to occupy CCE Hall) but the male students will be left complaining – so we shall be expecting more renovations, not just for the female but also the male students,” she amiably concluded.
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