The Guild President H. E. Patrick Kayizzi represented UTAMU students at the Annual Youth Conference held on the 1st July, 2022 at the Makerere University Business School (MUBS) Annex. The conference was host by H. E. Rogers Kiyega the Guild President of MUBS and supported by Stanbic Bank Uganda as they launched the “flexpay” to the youth.
Flexpay was being introduced to the youth leaders as a system for making payments and acquiring school loans to enable students with challenges to be able to complete their studies. All university student leaders including Uganda Technology And Management University (UTAMU) were invited to participated in the 2-day youth conference.
H.E. Patrick Kayizzi was among the guest speakers. In his speech he spoke about a unified league for all universities and institutions of higher education in the Nakawa Division, “The Nakawa League.” The Nakawa League is to constitute institutions including; Uganda Institute of Information and Communication Technology (UICT), Management Training and Advisory Centre (MTAC), Nakawa Vocational Institute, MUBS and UTAMU among others.
The purpose of the Nakawa League is to have all division institutions under one umbrella for collective knowledge sharing, enhanced and strengthened social life which will incorporate social activities such as sports and networking in a world of connectivity. These are efforts that will benefit the student body and also strengthen the collaborations amongst the universities in administration and academia.
“FOR AN OPEN MIND”
On the 2nd July, 2022 the National Students Council (the “Council”) held a meeting to discuss pertinent issues affecting the student body in the nation and the Ugandans studying in the diaspora. The Council operates under the umbrella of the Uganda National Students Association (the “UNSA”) whose mandate is to mobilize students, by virtue of the position students occupy as the vanguard of the youth and for their endowments of enlightenment, energy and selflessness.
The Council addressed issues of; the rampant strikes and school fires that have resulted into loss of student lives, loss of property in millions of shillings and loss of study periods with students being sent home. Other issues of concern were related to financial management and accountability, relation building and strengthening within the activities of the Association.
The Council agreed to improve stakeholder relations across all inter-related institutions including; head teachers, principals, the Ministry of Education, State House and the Media houses to jointly uphold student rights in the various capacities in the course of their studies from secondary to higher institutions of learning. All stakeholders were encouraged to promote the activities of UNSA across the nation and work towards ensuring that the membership increases to strengthen the unified voice of student representation. Through the UNSA, the students are optimistic about the future of education in Uganda.
The UNSA is supported by the Uganda Parliamentary Education Act 2008 Part VI Section 30 and spearheads the fulfilment of the objectives of the association including; to participate and seek for the preservation of Fundamental Human Rights as stipulated in the constitution of the Republic of Uganda 1995; to guide and support all the students of Uganda in promoting their academic pursuits and the achievement of successful careers. More information concerning the activities of UNSA can be found in the link: https://vymaps.com/UG/Uganda-National-Student-s-Association-UNSA-333192940210850/
UTAMU appreciates the tireless efforts of the leadership of the student body under the Guild President H. E. Patrick Kayizzi for the continuous support rendered towards realizing a supportive study environment for the students not only in UTAMU but for all in the nation.
"FOR AN OPEN MIND"
UTAMU celebrates with Patricia Kadama Anguzu, an alumni who was recently appointed to the position of Regional People Lead at the Wave Transfer Limited with effect from April 26, 2022. Ms. Kadama, an alumni of Uganda Technology and Management University (UTAMU), studied, highly excelled and was awarded a degree in Executive Master’s in Business Administration (Human Resource Management). Her commitment to succeed in her studies has been reflected in her successes as she prepared herself to significantly make a mark in the world today. This has been realized through her appointment at Wave Transfer Limited. UTAMU is proud to have contributed towards her career path. More great heights for Patricia Kadama!
"FOR AN OPEN MIND"
On the 10th of May 2022 the management and staff of Uganda Technology and Management University (UTAMU) welcomed the students of the May 2022 intake to UTAMU. The students will be studying in the respective categories of Masters, Post Graduate Diplomas, Bachelors and Diplomas in the different disciplines of business studies, humanities and social sciences, computing and engineering and technical & vocational education.
The university was filled with an atmosphere of excitement as the staff welcomed the students to join the UTAMU fraternity. Likewise the students were excited and content to know that they are in the right university. At UTAMU we promise what we preach and so does it come to pass through out the study experience of the students.
The long distance students from all over the world including Canada, Rwanda, Nigeria, South Sudan and South Africa among other countries were exceptionally excited to learn that they will comfortably study online with the flexibilities of time, student-lecturer open channels of communication and above all the guarantee of a highly professional and considerate team with a student-centered approach.
It was a great experience as the students heard from all the Deans of Schools with a promise to direct their career paths to meet the needs of the contemporary job market through knowledge enhancement, skills improvement, and research-oriented development to drive critical and innovative thinking that will greatly impact on the world today.
The Deans of Schools presented with great excitement and energizing spirits as they aired expectations from their respective schools among whom included; Associate Professor Michael Okoche, Dr. JYB. Lubega, Mr. Allan Ninyesiga and Mr. Mersian Tulyahebwa. The event was climaxed with the concluding remarks from the Vice Chancellor Professor Eddy Kurobuza Tukamushaba who emphasized on; quality education, professionalism, creativity, integrity, transparency, empowerment, community engagement and above all trust and an open mind.
"FOR AN OPEN MIND"
Leadership is accepting responsibility for the majority through joint efforts with leaders of like mind. On the 30th April 2022, Gulu University hosted Guild Presidents from various universities including Uganda Technology and Management University (UTAMU), Makerere University Business School, Mbarara University of Science and Technology, Uganda Christian University, Nkumba University, TEAMS University, The International University of East Africa and the Uganda National Students Association (UNSA) to deliberate on critical development issues affecting the education sector.
The Guild Presidents’ meeting was driven by the need to partner with respective government institutions in addressing students’ challenges across the education sector including; Government of Uganda’s proposal to scrap off the Universal Primary Education and Universal Secondary Education which decisions will affect the performance of the higher education institutions. It is interesting to note that today unlike in the earlier years of the 1980s and 1990s, universities are more focused on raising guild leaders who are aware of the education challenges, are taking challenges voluntarily, assuming collective responsibility, forming constructive partnerships, believing in the dignity of human beings and the necessity for education for all. These are basic principles in today’s 21st century in which critical thinking and innovation are being advanced in; learning to know, learning to do, learning to live together and learning to transform oneself and the communities.
The meeting was a clear exhibit of education that is leading to empowerment. Today, education is enabling future leaders to acquire the capacity to make decisions and act effectively in accordance with those decisions, developing personal and social qualities; developing social conscience which is being aware of how society works and the knowledge of how it is structured. Thus opening dialogues between personal and collective and between rights and obligations.
Let us encourage all future leaders especially in this generation to be independent thinkers with an open mind in being part of the problem-solvers today and in the future!
At UTAMU, we stand "FOR AN OPEN MIND" and our leaders are encouraged to lead with confidence leaning on the fundamental principles of Integrity, empowerment, honesty, transparency and dignity!
The scholars of Humanities and Social Sciences do the kind of work that machines cannot do. Engineers, Technologists, Computer scientists also cannot do the kind of work that students of Humanities and Social Sciences are trained to do. Humanities and Social Sciences in broadness learn a lot about Philosophy, Literature, History, Human Condition and Criminology, Gerontology, Law, Political Science, Psychology, Human Development among others respectively. These interrelated fields require a lot of interaction with people; to understand how humans work and their interactions. The knowledge learned is also applied in other different fields and scopes. Some of these fields are in technologies, innovative spaces and other numerous scientific related fields.
Technology requires the use of machines however on their own machines are purposeless because they require people to operate them whether physically or digitally. Furthermore, people do not work independently but need to co-exist and work together to produce the great innovations that we watch and/or be part of today. For machines to work sustainably in advancing technology requires a special and skilled people who have to be trained with the ability to figure out the way of thinking and the mind-set of people and this requires knowledge of human nature. Humanities and Social Sciences is as equally important as advancing the growing needs of the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) in the 21st Century. The study is evolving with the changing global needs today.
The opportunities in this field are very dynamic requiring communication skills, the ability to think and question, to analyze, research and evaluate, to negotiate, debate with a high intellect to stay calm under pressure. The Schools of Humanities and Social Sciences all over the globe have nurtured great leaders and the most admirable in these times is the former USA President Barack Hussein Obama who studied Bachelor of Arts in Political Science majoring in International Relations and English Literature and his wife Michelle Obama who majored in Sociology and minored in African-American Studies graduating with a Bachelor of Arts in 1985. Other practitioners to mention a few are serving in the fields of legal practice & Litigation paralegal and criminal Investigation. Please note that Criminal Investigators work closely with experts in Computer Security and Forensics and other related science fields to curb crime and other findings in this era of intense research. This brings to light the fact that there must exist a marriage between disciplines to realize a holistic transformation today and in the future. The School of Humanities and Social Sciences continues to nurture psychologists, sociologists, managers of government affairs and others with emphasis on research activities and new approaches to the study. For instance mass communication and its refined processes have become the driver of fast and informed decision making on an individual, institutional, national, regional, continental and global levels. The messages of Mass Communication are without a doubt driving critical decisions and the discipline has become so central that world leaders’ decisions are backboned on this among other equally important aspects. World institutions are led by leaders who are skilled, knowledgeable and highly qualified to address the issues of humanity among which institutions are; the United Nations, the United Nations Children’s Fund, World Food Programme, World Health Organization, the African Union and many other public and private institutions and/or organizations.
At UTAMU, the School of Humanities and Social Sciences continues to nurture such great leaders in various capacities because of the rich and holistic academic experiences that deepen students’ knowledge about contemporary issues. Some of the programmes offered include; Monitoring and Evaluation, Public Administration and Management, Institutional Governance and Leadership, Mass Communication and Journalism, Project Planning and Management and so much more.
To offer the promise of ushering great leaders who will transform the ever changing world dynamics, the School of Humanities and Social Sciences is under the able leadership of the Dean, Associate Professor Michael Okoche. The Associate Professor is committed to training and mentoring students that will be part of the world transformation processes of the 21st Century where every institution and nation is advocating for all-inclusiveness to wholly embrace the digital space.
Associate Professor Michael Okoche holds a Ph.D in Business Leadership, Masters in International Management, Masters in Management Studies, a Post Graduate Diploma in Public Administration and Management. He is highly knowledgeable in the Humanities and Social Sciences. He is a researcher and consultant with experience in different organizations and countries. For more about Associate Professor Michael Okoche and the school of Humanities and Social Sciences https://www.utamu.ac.ug/academics/shss
It will be a pleasure to see more global citizens apply to this school at UTAMU because scientists in the various other fields need the contribution of humanities and social sciences much more today than before as Klaus Schwab, Founder and Executive Chairman of the World Economic Forum stated “We must develop a comprehensive and globally shared view of how technology is affecting our lives and reshaping our economic, social, cultural and environments. There has never been a time of greater promise, greater peril.”
“FOR AN OPEN MIND”