General
Mak & UNISA Discuss International Collaboration & Joint Academic Interests
On Thursday 2nd November 2023 the Acting Vice Chancellor, Prof. Umar Kakumba hosted a delegation from the University of South Africa (UNISA) led by Prof. Tennyson Mgutshini, the Executive Dean, College of Graduate Studies and Prof. Thenjiwe Meyiwa, the Vice-Principal: Research, Postgraduate Studies, Innovation and Commercialisation. They were accompanied by Dr. Maxwell Otim Onapa, the Director Science Research and Innovation at the Science, Technology, and Innovation Secretariat-Office of the President (STI-OP).
Welcoming the delegation, Prof. Kakumba shared that Makerere had in 2022 completed year-long celebrations of 100 years of existence, during which the University renewed her commitment to serve community. He pointed out the large volume of research produced by Makerere that is slowly but progressively penetrating the community, with the aim of rallying behind Government programmes aimed at fostering transformation of society as evidence of this.
The Acting Vice Chancellor nevertheless emphasized that the University is earmarking a lot of knowledge translation initiatives with the aim of impacting policy and practice with well-researched evidence. This, he noted is undertaken through ten colleges, 30 Schools, 115 Departments, various research centres including African Centres of Excellence and various other research units.
On behalf of UNISA, the head of delegation Prof. Mgutshini noted that at 150 years of age his institution is the premier institution in South Africa with over 370,000 students, and graduating over 54,000 annually. In terms of diversity, UNISA students originate from 110 countries, with the majority belonging to Southern African Development Community (SADC) and other African countries, an attribute that contributes to the diversity of campus culture and research produced.
Additionally, more than 40% of the students study on part-time basis, with females constituting 70.7% of the population. UNISA’s strength as an open, distance and e-learning (ODeL) university accords students the flexibility to study as they pursue their careers, resulting in 62% of students being between twenty-five and thirty-nine years of age.
Prof. Mgutshini further shared UNISA’s ten catalytic niche areas, which act as research priorities and areas for scholarly collaborations. He particularly highlighted three; Aviation and Aeronautical Studies, Health Studies/Medicine, and Feminist, Womanist, Bosadi Theorizations as areas the institution is keen to address due to longstanding gender inequalities, racial divisions and the absence of communities of practice. The other seven catalytic niche areas are; Marine studies, Automotive, Energy, Space study and Square Kilometer Array, Fourth Industrial revolution and Digitalisation, Natural Sciences (Biotechnological studies), and Student Support and Co-Curricular activities.
Discussing international collaborative activities and academic areas of interest, the head of delegation expressed UNISA’s readiness and willingness to share best practices in ODeL, given the institutions substantive Learning Management System (LMS) and its rich collection of resources developed over the years. He further cited conducting collaborative multidisciplinary research projects, joint publications and joint academic meetings, joint conferences and symposia producing conference proceedings as some of the low-hanging fruits. Equally emphasized was the co-development and facilitation of research development and enhancement of programmes as a way of sharing best practices in building student entrepreneurship capacity and entrepreneurial activity in research.
Contributing to the discussion Prof. Thenjiwe Meyiwa explained that UNISA has been able to achieve high female enrolment thanks to comprehensive female student enablement programmes that start right from National Policies and trickle down to Colleges and individual performance plans. Programmes also support academic and administrative staff to undertake their Masters and PhD studies with annual awards for the best performing, youngest woman graduate, and other categories.
Discussing the way forward, Prof. Mgutshini proposed three members of delegation led by Makerere Alumnus, Prof. James Wabwire Oguttu to thresh out the finer areas of collaboration, and act as contact persons on the UNISA side. These were matched by nominations of six Makerere staff by the Acting Vice Chancellor.
The Makerere nominees will be led by Prof. Kikooma Julius and will include; Dr. Godfrey Mayende-Deputy Director IODeL, Prof. Bruno Yawe-Deputy Principal College of Business and Management Sciences (CoBAMS), Prof. Pamela Khanakwa- Dean, School of Liberal and Performing Arts (SPLA), Mr. Hudson Musoke-Director Legal Affairs, and Dr. Julia Kigozi-Dean, School of Food Technology, Nutrition, and Bioengineering.
General
Makerere University and Xiangtan University Advance Strategic Partnership in Chemical Engineering
Makerere University and Xiangtan University are set to update their close to 20-year academic partnership, with a new focus on launching a joint Master’s degree program in Chemical Engineering and expanding student and staff exchange initiatives.
The commitment was reaffirmed during a recent visit by a delegation from Xiangtan University to Makerere University headed by Professor Dingyu Ou, in the company of Mr. Tang Fei and Professor Gilbert Gumshabe, the Chinese and Ugandan Directors of the Confucius Institute at Makerere University respectively.
While addressing the delegation, Professor Nawangwe highlighted that this initiative is part of a broader strategy to diversify academic offerings and contribute to national development through training in Chemical Engineering. Through this new initiative, the University will better prepare graduates for the petrochemical industry and support the country’s industrial growth.
The Vice Chancellor appreciated that the proposed collaboration aims to address Uganda’s growing need for industrial expertise, particularly as the country develops its petroleum sector. The two universities here are working toward a 1+2 training model, which will enable Makerere students to gain practical experience and access advanced laboratory facilities at Xiangtan University.
Professor Nawangwe further reiterated that “our relationship with the people of China, not just for Makerere but also for a big part of Uganda, has been opened wider by the establishment of the Confucius Institute, considering that many other collaborations like one being discussed now have come through this collaboration.”
The head of the Xiangtan delegation, Professor Dingyu Ou, expressed appreciation for the meeting, and acknowledged the history between the institutions. “As mentioned, we have a very long relationship and a very stable friendship between our two universities.”
Professor Ou extended appreciation for the support provided to the Confucius Institute at Makerere, the care shown to his colleagues, and looked forward to the successful start of the Chemical Engineering collaboration.
Assuring the delegation of Makerere’s readiness for the collaboration, Ms. Hawa Ndagire Kajumba the Lead, Partnerships and Stakeholder Engagement, Makerere University Advancement Office, aligned with the Vice Chancellor’s emphasis of University goal to have both theory and practice imparted to the students.
She said “the curriculum of the university and Uganda as a whole is moving towards competence-based education training to ensure students are equipped to demonstrate those skills in the actual field, particularly regarding petroleum exploration.”
Ms. Ndagire Kajumba also emphasised a shift in strategy for the partnership office, saying, “we are moving away from just signing MOUs that collect dust, and moving towards those that are more collaborative to benefit our faculty and students, just like this one.”
Professor Gilbert Kumushabe aligned his remarks with those of the Vice Chancellor and Ms. Ndagire Kajumba, and described the method used at Xiangtan University as “actually competence-based teaching.”
Based on his recent visit, Prof. Gumoshabe shared that students in China are divided into groups with dedicated teachers to perform practical, hands-on work beyond the theoretical lecturers. He expressed gladness that the same was being adopted for the Ugandan context.
Both institutions are now working to finalise the specific agreements for the joint degree and exchange programs. Beyond academic training, the collaboration will advance cultural and professional exchange.
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