Aga Khan University to unveil new Nakawa Campus in July

Uganda’s education sector is set to receive a major boost when Aga Khan University unveils the Nakawa-based campus mid-next month.

Aga Khan University

This followed the marathon construction of a 6-floor university building alongside a modern student’s hostel, to complement each other in offering academics and residential facilities for the attendant students.

A tour of the facilities recently by New Vision revealed the glamorous architecture and huge investment that has gone into establishment of a functional campus that is ready to be occupied by the student body and teaching staff.

Currently, all the offices have the necessary furniture, the office workstations are done, and all the classrooms for the lecture rooms are well equipped with learning spaces. Every other space that learners will need for small group discussions, large classroom engagements, and main lecture theatres, are all well-built, equipped and furnished.

“The university building is all but ready to receive the students. The hostel is also ready to be occupied by resident students. That’s why we comfortably set the opening date at just 4-weeks away,” said Dr Joseph Mwizerwa, Aga Khan University’s Associate Vice Provost.

Aga Khan University

He noted that having been in existence in Uganda for the last 25 years, Aga Khan University, which is under the Aga Khan Education Services, will first host the School of Nursing and Midwifery, which has for a quarter of a century been located at their Old Kampala campus, along the Colonel Muammar Gaddafi Road.

“The newly constructed university block has capacity to host up to 800 students. The plan is that we first host the 300 in-service nurses who are upgrading at our Old Kampala campus,” said Dr Mwizerwa.

He said they have complied with regulations by the National Council for Higher Education which stipulates that at ideal standard - 2.5 metres are required per student.

“The university has a phased approach to fill that 800 student’s space and we will begin with about 400 and then the rest will build as we go on. Since the programs we run are practical based, we intend to keep our classes at a maximum of 50. Some have a class ceiling of 40,” he said.

There are a number of other programs the university intends to invest in.“Currently, we have a degree in nursing, and a degree in midwifery, which are both targeting people who are working. We also have a direct degree program, targeting students who come from high school,” he said.

He also said they have a diploma program that targets people who are upgrading.“We also have a number of master's programs that target professionals in the media and journalism communication space. Our graduate school of media and communications, which has for many years been located in Nairobi, will also extend here, as part of our future program. Now that we have ample space here, these people will also be able to study in this place,” he said.

He said they are also looking at hosting education programs, a bulk of which are conducted at their school of education in Tanzania.

“We call it the Institute of Education Development. It usually runs master's programs and Ugandans have been travelling to Tanzania to partake of these. We are hoping that that will also come here,” he pointed out.

UNIVESITY HOSPITAL

Aga Khan University Hospital

The Aga Khan University Hospital in Uganda, which was conceived out of the Aga Khan Hospital that was established in Kenya in 1958, will also be up and running in a period of two years, with an initial 101 bed capacity.

Groundbreaking for the teaching hospital is expected to be done in July 2025, soon after the launch of the university. This, according to Dr. Mwizerwa, will take up to 2 years to complete.

Alongside the university building is the Nakawa Specialty Center, which was officially launched last year. This has been able to introduce specialized laboratory services, neurophysiology, obstetrics and gynecology, and other specialities in medical encology. Other specialities that it handles include chemotherapy and treatment of kidney disease. It also houses an electronic patient medical information system.

ACADEMIC STAFF

Dr. Mwizerwa further said that they have so far recruited a number of competent academic staff. “Each school will have its well constituted academic staff. Most of those staff members are PhD holders. For the new courses that will be taught here, a recruitment drive will be done, according to a plan made by each of those schools.”

He said that the school of Nursing and Midwifery that will commence at Nakawa in June, has these professors already recruited. “This School of Nursing has been at our education center along Gaddafi Road and has been here for the last 25 years,” he said.

BABY COURTS

To make mothers feel comfortable at the new university facility, the administrators established a children's court and meditation room on the first floor.

“For students that may have children, we have a space where they may put their babies as they go to study. This facility has also been functional at our old campus at Old Kampala,” he said, adding that the administration unanimously agreed that conceiving or having a young child should not be a reason for any woman or girl to drop out of higher education.

Aga Khan University

“So we put that space for them. They are at liberty to come with somebody who can take care for the baby while the mother attends class. At any time when the mother needs to come out to breastfeed or attend to the baby, we make that possible,” said Dr Mwizerwa.

The room has a breastfeeding area, diaper changing area, lock up for keeping children and mother’s things, and a private bathroom for them to use.

APPLICATION PROCEDURE

Dr Mwizerwa said that since they intend to make Aga Khan University a center of academic excellence in Uganda, they have kept the doors wide open for all entrants in fields that are being provided.

“Yes, we are looking for students. Our application procedure is very simple and competitive. Somebody doesn't even need to travel here. Everything can be done online, just as it has been for many years,” he said, adding that the prospective student goes online, on their website at: www.aku.edu, and searches for the available programmes.

“We advertise the programs, and provide the link through which one can apply. Applicants can use that link that clearly reflect the requirements, time for admission and duration of each program,” he said.

Aga Khan University

He added that each program has its own programmatic requirements. After critically studying them, the prospective student would then upload the required documentation, and wait to be called upon if they are successful.

“We will soon be running application adverts in newspapers, including New Vision. When the time is right, they should apply and we consider them for admission,” said Dr Mwizerwa.

As a testimony to their ambition for growth, the Aga Khan University has received support in many dimensions from the Uganda Government.

First and foremost, through President Yoweri Museveni’s strategy to welcome foreign investors, they were provided with a 60-hectare piece of land at Nakawa, where they have erected a new university centre, the Nakawa Specialty Center, student’s hostel for mostly foreign students and a university teaching hospital, whose construction will kick off in July 2025.