General
Makerere Hosts the 2024 Campus France Education Fair
On 7th March 2024, Makerere University hosted the second edition of the French Study and Campus Fair under the theme: unlocking opportunities in the vibrant world of French education and employment. The one-day event was organized by the French Embassy in Uganda, in conjunction with Makerere University as the host. The event that was structured in three moderated sessions attracted the participation of eight French Universities and more than twelve Ugandan Universities including; Kyambogo University, Uganda Christian University, Mbarara University of Science and Technology, Islamic University in Uganda, Clarke International University, Uganda Management Institute, Cavendish University, Kampala International University, and the International University of East Africa among others.
In his welcome remarks, the Acting Vice-Chancellor Prof. Umar Kakumba welcomed the delegation and thanked the French Ambassador, H.E. Xavier Sticker, for his unwavering passion in strengthening cooperation between Ugandan and French Universities, especially in the areas of education, research, and innovation. He further noted that the participation of the eight French Universities was a perfect demonstration of opportunities that will facilitate the movement of students between the two countries.
“I am pleased that we are gathered here today at a time when Makerere recently took a new strategic direction that will see it become a research-led University in the region and the world. In so doing, the University developed and passed a comprehensive policy on the internationalisation of our Academic programmes. The fruits of these efforts are being supported through the existing programs like the Erasmus+ Mobility Programme hosted at our International Relations Office” Prof. Kakumba said.
To highlight the achievements of Makerere University in its journey of 100 years, Prof. Kakumba shared with the audience a five-minute video clip, featuring the Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Barnabas Nawangwe narrating major breakthroughs in research, technology, innovation and teaching.
Speaking at the event, H.E. Xavier Sticker commended and appreciated the Makerere University Management, for their continued support to activities of the Embassy such as hosting the Career Fair. He noted that the presence of representatives from the various universities in Uganda and France was a definite sign of more collaborations and partnerships to come. He challenged the French schools in Kampala to seek more partnership opportunities with Ugandan universities.
“As the French Embassy in Uganda, I wish to commend the eight French universities and the higher education institutions of Uganda that have come here today. This means that for Ugandan students, job applicants, and people who are interested in exploring international avenues in building their career, today is the day of those opportunities,” Ambassador Xavier Sticker said.
He added that the Embassy will assist in availing information on all the internship opportunities and graduate training programs for Ugandan students, especially those who are interested in pursuing education in France.
In the realm of university collaboration and partnerships, France has welcomed more than 4,000 students this year, marking a significant milestone in international education partnerships. However, the statistics reveal that only a modest number of 69 students from Uganda have participated in the French higher education network across 74 public universities. Despite this, France stands out for its distinctive grande écoles, which offer specialized education paths to many African Universities.
Representing the Ministry of Education and Sports of the Republic of Uganda, the Spokesperson Dr. Mugimba Dennis reiterated that the Ministry is intentional in supporting research efforts in Higher Education. He added that Makerere University has benefited significantly from the Government’s research and innovations fund allocations. He encouraged the representatives of other Universities present to prioritize postgraduate research programmes that will in the long run address skills shortages, especially in STEM fields and their sub-specialties like medicine and agriculture.
The 2024 Campus France Education Fair was concluded with a dinner organized and hosted by the French Ambassador at his residence in Nakasero. Participants from the Academia, France Alumni Association in Uganda, and members of Diplomatic Missions in Uganda, graced the event.
By Moses Lutaaya
The Directorate of Graduate Training (DGT) has in collaboration with Centre for Teaching and Learning completed the training of the first cohort of Graduate Supervisors.
Participants were academic staff from two colleges namely, College of Engineering, Art and Design (CEDAT) and the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences (CAES).
The three-day training that took place at the Telepresence Centre, Senate Building ended on Friday 20thJune 2025.
In his closing remarks to the participants, the Director of Graduate Training Prof. Julius Kikooma said, “This is the first cohort we are working together with the Center for Teaching and Learning to put together continuous professional development Program so that we are able to enforce the new teaching and learning policy.”
He said that before lecturers are allocated students for supervision, they must first go through this form of formal teaching and learning training to equip them thoroughly with certification required of supervision of graduate students.
“We are coming up with process to ensure that the certificates earned by participants allow you to supervise graduate students. This is the direction of the university and we must ensure that such trainings are concluded and completed successfully by all participants”, Prof. Kikooma.
“We can only have you certified upon completing all the exercises in the training process. This is when you will be eligible to receive the work load for supervision”, He added.
“This training of Supervisors is going to be continuous so that all academic staff in colleges and schools are equipped. This first cohort is going to be our building block to the future trainings in the colleges.”
With such capacity building trainings, Prof. Kikooma said that the university is on the right path to achieving its targets in the new strategic plan of increasing the number of graduate students while progressively reducing the under graduate students.
He further hinted that, “We are in the process of writing a curriculum on this, which will be presented for approval before it is rolled out.”
He echoed all participants to share the knowledge they have acquired adding, “Share all you have learnt, do not keep it. Be open minded, have proper communication channels and the sky will be the limit for you.”
Dr. Robinah N. Kulabako, The Head of Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at CEDAT welcomed the training adding, “This training is very pertinent. I have had the opportunity to supervise Masters and PhD students for over 15 years and I must say that the need to be subjected to this training cannot be over emphasized because there is need to learn, unlearn and relearn many aspects involved in the supervision process.”
She added, “We are moving towards knowledge-based supervision rather than experience-based supervision. This means we must be informed and equipped to be able to advise, guide and mentor to be able to lead a successful supervision journey for both supervisor and supervisee.”
Dr. Andrew Gilbert Were – a lecturer at CEDAT and a participant said, “It is important that all supervisors of graduate students receive this certification from Makerere University through a systematic training process that enables them to attain diverse skills to facilitate learning of graduate students from diverse cultures and with unique set of circumstances.”
“This training is long overdue. In fact, it was an oversight that we could be allowed to supervise students without undergoing supervisors’ training.”
Dr. Dorothy Ssebowa, The Director Centre for Teaching and Learning support- CEES said, “The training this time round has had a mix of early career professionals including Lecturers, Supervisors and Professors share experiences. We have learnt a lot more from experienced supervisors who have shared practices on how they have done supervision over the years.”
“The knowledge and experience-based approaches have made this collaboration very active, interactive and learner centered which has resulted into a collaborative learning from the interdisciplinarity of staff from CEDAT and CAES. The issue now is to continue with professional development across all levels.” She added.
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