First Lady, Western University team discuss strengthening collaboration

KAMPALA - The First Lady and Minister of Education and Sports, Mrs. Janet Museveni, received a delegation from Western University—Canada to discuss collaborations and explore new opportunities for academic and research partnerships.

The six-member Western University team paid a courtesy call on the First Lady at State House Nakasero on Thursday afternoon, led by Dr. Opio Oloya, who serves as Associate Vice President for Equity, Diversity and Inclusion at the Ontario-based university. 

Other members of his team are: Western University's President and Vice Chancellor Dr. Alan Shepard, Dr. Jacqueline Burkell, Dr. Jeff Hutter, Prof. Isaac Luginaah, and Ms. Diana Mackay.

During the engagement, the First Lady highlighted the strong historical and academic ties between Uganda and Western University, particularly in health and infectious diseases research.

She also lauded the success of current student exchange programs between the two countries.

Mrs. Museveni, according to a release from her office pointed out the importance of careful planning to ensure these exchange programs benefit young people while enabling Ugandan universities to properly accommodate international students.

"Our universities are really opening up now and doing a lot of research, and I always feel that they could benefit more if we had these exchange programs bringing in other young people from elsewhere so that they can share their ideas and the work they are doing," Mrs. Museveni emphasised.

A release from the First Lady's office indicates that such programs include the partnership between Uganda's Joint Clinical Research Centre (JCRC) and Western University's Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry which has enabled many students from both institutions to study and train together.

Western University has also maintained a long-standing collaboration with Makerere University.

"We want to work with you to build these relationships for our young people so that they know they all have a duty to transform the world as it is for tomorrow. You may find our young people can still make our world a better place than it is right now. 

Let's explore everything that is doable and do what we can in this season of our lives," Mrs. Museveni said.

The First Lady also urged the Western University team to consider expanding partnerships with other Ugandan Universities, including Mbarara University of Science and Technology, noting its medical school's successful community-based learning approach.

She also welcomed the exploration of virtual learning platforms to facilitate global education.

Dr. Opio Oloya expressed Western University's commitment to strengthening existing collaborations with Ugandan institutions and exploring new opportunities.

"We think that there is a lot of room and areas where we can collaborate, where we can learn and continue to guide our young people in a good way," he said.

He noted that there is a lot to be gained from the student exchange programmes.

"This is not just the sharing of ideas and perspectives, but also because these young people are the future leaders, meeting people from other nations now will expand their networks to keep good things happening in the future," he added.

He stressed the importance of ensuring reciprocal learning opportunities for Ugandan students, either through in-person visits to Canada or through virtual learning platforms.

Dr. Oloya revealed that their team had also visited Kenya and Tanzania to discuss higher education collaboration opportunities with similar institutions.

He acknowledged that while Western University offers valuable expertise, it also stands to learn much from Uganda. "We know that about 30 or 40 students from Western have been coming to the Joint Clinical Research Centre each year, for the last three years," he noted.

He also highlighted Western University's Ivey Business School's leadership development programs as a potential resource for Uganda's Ministry of Education and Sports.

Dr. Alan Shepard revealed that Western University's recent strategic plan for global engagement identified East Africa, particularly Uganda, as one of their primary focus regions.

He complimented the professionalism of student projects at the Makerere University Innovation Exhibition, which the team had visited.

Western University's President and Vice Chancellor emphasized that their partnerships with Ugandan universities should continue evolving as part of a collaborative global approach to higher education.

Dignitaries at the meeting at Nakasero included Prof. Mary Okwakol, Executive Director of the National Council for Higher Education, and senior technical officers from the Ministry of Education and Sports, led by Dr. Jane Egau, Under Secretary of Finance and Administration.