_{By Ochwo Gerald}

The Office of the Academic Registrar on Tuesday 21^st July, 2026, hosted a delegation from Gulu University on a benchmarking visit aimed at learning from Makerere University‘s long-standing experience in the administration and management of Mature Age Entry Examinations.

The Gulu University delegation was led by Dr. Helen Christine Amongin and included: Dr. Simon Peter Alarakol, Deputy Dean, Faculty of Medicine; Dr. Emmanuel Okurut, Deputy Dean, Faculty of Law; and Mr. Paul Oboke, Principal Assistant Academic Registrar (Admissions).

The delegation was received on behalf of the Academic Registrar, Prof. Buyinza Mukadasi, by Mr. Thomas William Baguma, Principal Registrar and Personal Assistant to the Academic Registrar. Also present were Mr. Simon Musoke, Head of Mature Age Examinations; Mr. Ochwo Gerald, Liaison and Communications Officer; Ms. Ssozi Priscila, Ag. Head of the Transcripts Section; and Ms. Assumpta Tushabirane from the Ceremonies and Certificates Section.

The Mature Age Scheme promotes inclusivity by catering for candidates who can meet admission requirements but are not be eligible to apply under the Direct Entry Scheme. To be eligible for Makerere’s Mature Age Entry Examinations, candidates must be at least 25 years old before 1^st August of the year the exam is offered. The Scheme is open to Ugandans, East Africans and International applicants.

Ochwo Gerald is the Communications & Liaison Officer, Office of the Academic Registrar, Makerere University

College of Health Sciences Quality Assurance (QA) Training in Assessments, Pedagogy and Competence Based Curriculum Held 18–19 June 2026 at Esella Hotel.

 Pedagogy, Assessment and Supervision Training Workshop

The College of Health Sciences has embarked on the journey to improve the teaching, assessment and preparation for the adoption of the competence-based curriculum.

The training was held on 18-19 June 2026, at Esella Hotel, Kira, the training targeted the teaching assistants, lecturers’ senior lecturers’ key administrators and some PhD fellows, generally the early career academic staff that are yet growing in the ranks.

Objectives

• Equip participants with modern pedagogical approaches for effective teaching and learning.
• Review and harmonize assessment strategies to ensure quality and fairness in academic evaluation.
• Enhance supervisory competencies for guiding graduate students in research and academic progress.
• Foster collaboration and shared experiences among facilitators, supervisors, and administrators.

The key focus areas for the training

• Guidelines in Assessment & Course Outlines- Dr. Cyprian Misinde -Chief Quality Assurance Officer.
• Competence Based Education and Assessment- Dr. Mike Kagawa
• Advancing continuous improvement in teaching, learning through teaching styles -Dr. Ssebowa Dorothy.
• Teaching methods Knowledge production and acquisition- Dr. Peter Ssenkusu
• Graduate Supervision Challenges and Opportunities- Prof. Grace Ndeezi.
• Competence Based Curriculum in line with the NCHE- Dr. Innocent Besigye.
• Feedback mechanisms in training- Dr. Irene Rebecca Namatende.

Key Outcomes for this training

• The participants gained the understanding of learner-centered teaching approaches and pedagogical principles.
• Acquired new skills supervisory skills, particularly in guiding research and addressing student challenges.
• Consensus on adopting standardized assessment tools across graduate programmes.
• Practical exposure to teaching models and interactive learning methods.
• Development of action plans for continuous professional development in pedagogy and supervision.
• The participants also acquired more skills in line with the competence-based curriculum as required by the National Council for Higher Education.

During the Discussion Key important Questions emerged as follows:

1. Who supervises the supervisor?
2. What is the difference between notion hours and contact hours?
3. The 60/40 way of assessments—can it be independent for every course unit taught or allocated differently?
4. How do we manage difficult supervisors?
5. How do we Coerce PhD students to be fully involved in departmental activities without them feeling Coerced?
6. How much time do we need to prepare for the review of the programmes in line with the competence-based curriculum as required by the National Council for Higher Education (NCHE) and the World Health Organization (WHO)?

We truly thank the facilitators and the participants who made this training very informative and enlightened.  We also appreciate the Principal/Deputy CHS, the Chief QA Officer, Makerere University and the University Management for the enormous support and for making this activity possible.

The Deputy Vice Chancellor in charge of Academic Affairs (DVCAA) Prof. Sarah Ssali on 15^th July 2026 commended the Research and Education Network for Uganda (RENU)’s Industrial Trainee Program, describing it as the perfect hands-on intervention for the future workforce. She made the comments while on a guided tour of RENU’s on-campus Lab facility where ten undergraduate students from Makerere and other Universities are undergoing a two-month practical training.

Origin of tour

The tour was prompted by a 24^th June 2026 meeting with a RENU delegation led by CEO, Mr. Nicholas Mbonimpa, aimed at broadening the existing partnership with Makerere University beyond internet service provision to supporting teaching, learning and research activities. During the said meeting, Prof. Ssali expressed Makerere‘s desire to produce graduates that are not only academically grounded but also cognizant of the needs of the job market.

In his response then, Mr. Mbonimpa expressed RENU’s readiness to continue advancing digital transformation through advancing resilient connectivity, research infrastructure, and innovative initiatives that enhance teaching, learning, and research. He shared that the Senate Building’s computer network had been revamped in line with advancing resilient connectivity, and the initiative would be expanded to the College of Engineering, Design, Art and Technology (CEDAT) buildings and other premises subsequently.

The RENU CEO further highlighted that resilient connectivity forms a good basis for the proposed Open Radio Access Network (RAN) Architecture deployment set to be done within six months, so as to boost training of students in 5G and other technologies. Other initiatives discussed included training staff and students on acquisition of Open Researcher and Contributor ID (ORCID) to improve visibility of their publications and research output. 

Training Program Lauded

Addressing student interns during the 15^th July guided tour, the DVCAA who was accompanied by the 92^nd Guild Speaker Rt. Hon. Trevis Mutatiina Muhwezi urged beneficiaries to harness all the technical and social opportunities accorded by the Program. “Not all students in your respective academic programmes had the benefit of being exposed to this kind of training so please make the most of it and utilize skills gained here beyond the classroom setting”.

The 2026 Industrial Trainee Program is equipping students with skills on how to diagnose and repair ICT equipment based on old and disused stock.

Prof Ssali was also toured the makerspace where solar-powered routers are manufactured and deployed to extend internet connectivity to both rural and urban locations. In 2023, RENU partnered with Mesh++, a Chicago-based connectivity solutions manufacturer, to manufacture solar-powered internet routers in Uganda. Since inception, over 200 units have been manufactured and deployed across various sites in Uganda, while over 80 units have been shipped to various African countries such as Malawi, Rwanda and South Sudan under the RENUMESH Technologies joint venture.

Partnerships Inspiring New Prototypes

The RENU CEO nevertheless pointed to a long turnaround time for shipping parts from the U.S. as one of the drawbacks hindering the product’s rapid deployment. As a result, RENU, in response to the Ugandan Government’s call for import substitution and local capacity development is developing a solar-powered internet router with some of the components sourced from Ugandan companies Innovex and Chloride Excide.

“Innovex will supply the Internet of Things (IoT) component to help RENU remotely monitor and control the router while Chloride Excide will provide the batteries” Mr. Mbonimpa explained. He added that some of the current lot of trainees were already running simulations on the prototype and proposing how the device can be further refined so as to increase its portability and reduce its price.

A call for Expansion

At the conclusion of the tour, Prof. Ssali who commended the use of modular Ugandan components for the prototype thanked the RENU team to exposing students to real-world technological deployments. She nevertheless urged the CEO and his team to expand the program’s intake beyond ten trainees and duration beyond the current two months so as to give students a richer experience.

The CEO RENUMESH Technologies Mr. Brian Masiga thanked the DVCAA for following up their 24^th June meeting with the visit, which demonstrates that the University Management values students’ development of practical skills. He equally thanked Prof. Ssali for Management’s support to RENU activities and pledged to further refine the prototype to produce a cheaper and more portable proudly Ugandan product.