Sports breeds life! Sports enhances networks! Sports drives students to perform better! This is what we witness with the collaboration between the students of Uganda Technology And Management University (UTAMU) and Uganda Institute of Information and Communications Technology (UICT). It is often said that “work without play makes Tom a dull boy!” and I will mention too that “Academics without play or relaxation affects performance and it is equally true that social networks breed life into mankind and strengthen relationships on a personal or institutional level. We see this in the partnership that the UTAMU Guild President H. E. Patrick Kayizzi has established with the Guild President of UICT H. E. Ayine Edgar who continue to build and strengthen networks among the student bodies through sports.
After over 2 years of sports redundancy due to the COVID-19 pandemic H.E Patrick Kayizzi is tirelessly working towards resurrecting the sports environment at campus. In his cabinet is the sports minister Hon. El-yachpurtu Hassani who recently engaged his team in a friendly match with the UICT team at the UICT sports grounds in which UTAMU scored 2 goals losing to UICT with 4 scores. Of course the football fans had their adrenalines increase as scores were coming in with UICT No. 10 scoring in the first 20 minutes. UTAMU finally makes scores in the 36th and 50th minutes of the match.
Nevertheless the students were happy with the overall results since it was the first match that UTAMU had with their now comrades of UICT. H. E. Patrick Kayizzi continues to visit and strengthen relations with the student body of UICT. Being a student in the School of Computing and Engineering, the President realizes more academic opportunities through collaborations with UICT which is also an institute of information and communications technology central to a thriving academic atmosphere of critical thinkers and innovators. We look forward to more fun and collaborations in sports.
Research intensity in academia is critical to meeting the demand needs of today’s international community. Even within border confines, citizens have been exposed through the use of tech gadgets to realize the need for research towards progress in academia, social, economic and political spheres. The 21st century requires a digital integration of technology, management science and intensive research aimed at transforming the digital space to unimaginable creations with sophistications never thought of. Who ever imagined that today in Dubai there would be what we all have come to know as “the world’s most beautiful museum of the future” as written in the Agence France-Presse on the 23rd February 2022? It is only a research intense driven space spearheaded by professors of research that only such greatness can be created!
Transforming the education system has been emphasized to be critical in registering progress through intensified research in all programmes deliberately intended to meet the needs of today. On the 22nd February, 2022 UTAMU hosted a Public Lecture under the theme “Transforming UTAMU into a Research – Intensive University by 2027” in which the keynote speaker Prof. Dr. Alexzander A. A. Asea emphasized the need for UTAMU to heighten its research programmes to be able to produce highly innovative products.
Prof. Dr. Alexzander A. A. Asea emphasized the importance of skills development at the heart of knowledge sharing to sustain a digital space that is developing, innovating and getting better at what is done. The Professor stated that development and innovation should be a constant factor that must be part of UTAMU existence.
Interestingly UTAMU already prides in highly knowledgeable, skilled and exposed professors ready to empower all students to becoming the future tech leaders that will lead countries towards thriving economies in this era of the forth industrial revolution. Already at UTAMU are; Prof. Fred Paul Mark Jjunju (Ph.D, MSc, FHEA), a professor of Computer Science and the Dean of the School of Computing and Engineering at UTAMU, Prof Dr. Alexzander A. A. Asea who holds a Ph.D in Microbiology and Immunology from the university of Gothenburg in Sweden, has a post-doctoral training at the university of Miami School of medicine in Miami, USA among other highly recognized qualifications. He established his first independent research lab at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School in Boston, USA and thus has a breadth of experience in spearheading research programmes. His unrivalled experience positions UTAMU to becoming a Research Intensive University by 2027. There are several other professors with equally diverse qualifications and experiences ready to bridge the gap, some of who are; Prof. Johnnie Wycliffe Muwanga – Zaake, Professor Eddy Kurobuza Tukamushaba who is the vice chancellor of UTAMU and to crown it all the vision bearer of the mighty UTAMU Prof. Venansius Baryamureeba. He is a professor of Computer Science and his commitment to realizing the actualization of transforming UTAMU into a Research-Intensive University by 2027 is admirable. UTAMU will be the MIT of Africa tomorrow!
UTAMU’s emphasis will be boldness, consistency and recognition in inspiring creativity, encouraging collaborations, expecting and rewarding critical thinkers and empowering effective communication of great ideas.
FOR AN OPEN MIND
Dr. Okwadi Joseph Michael Tukei, a Dental Technologist, an Academic Professional and a Consultant is the Dean of the UTAMU Graduate School. A proud alumni of Uganda Technology And Management University (UTAMU), Dr. JMO Tukei joined the university in 2013 as a student where he studied his masters, postgraduate and Ph.D programmes. Today he is a Doctor of Philosophy in Management. Dr JMO Tukei affirms that UTAMU has been central to directing and strengthening his professional career and has instilled in him a spirit of confidence in serving at UTAMU.
As an alumni, the Doctor strongly believes that UTAMU has put in place a firm foundation established on the principles of the global drivers of creativity, innovation & technology and management science. UTAMU is firm on the need of becoming the MIT of Africa and to realize this, research is central. As the Dean of the Graduate School, Dr. JMO Tukei states that his school is central and ready to ensure that the research activities are heightened to be able to meet the growing market needs in the fields of technology and management science. The UTAMU Graduate School oversees graduate training, research and all programmes jointly run by partner institutions. He is pleased to be part of the journey that will take UTAMU to becoming a Research – Intensive University by 2027.
To achieve the heightened levels of research that will drive advancement, Dr. JMO Tukei is mindful of the knowledge transformation today, as John Dewey an American Philosopher writes “If we teach today as we taught yesterday, we rob our children of tomorrow.” Not to rob this generation, UTAMU has embraced research driven teaching styles that will make our students more research oriented to create new ideas in today’s evolving world.
He calls upon all alumni to join hands in driving a university that has contributed to make their career paths promising. As alumni, there is a great role that needs to be played for continuity, progress and unity in achieving the bigger promise.
“Education is not preparation for life; education is life itself.” Writes John Dewey
