MUBS plans to implement competence-based education
Lumonya asked the MUBS management to upskill faculty in assessment for learning as well as embed work-integrated learning and capstones validated by industry advisory boards.
Members of the MUBS council and management during the induction workshop held at Imperial Resort Hotel in Entebbe municipality. (Credit: Julius Luwemba)
Makerere University Business School (MUBS) management says it has embarked on a plan to enhance the institution's capacity in offering competence-based education, as directed by the Government that from academic year 2027/2028, any programme not aligned to competence-based education will not admit first-year students.
"We have, therefore, initiated strategies to redesign first-year programmes to competence-based standards," Olive Lumonya, the chairperson of 7th MUBS council, said during an induction of top management that ended on Saturday, October 25, 2025, at the Imperial Resort Hotel in Entebbe municipality.
Lumonya asked the MUBS management to upskill faculty in assessment for learning as well as embed work-integrated learning and capstones validated by industry advisory boards.
"Our programmes must be industry-engaged and market-relevant, and our applied research must serve national priorities," Lumonya further tasked.
Established in 1997 as a constituent college of Makerere University, MUBS' status was changed in 2001 to a public tertiary institute affiliated to Makerere University.
MUBS principal Prof. Moses Muhwezi expressed commitment to offering disciplined, ethical and evidence-led decision-making that will advance academic quality, students' success and institutional resilience.
The induction workshop also saw the confirmation and swearing in of Rachel Mindra-Katoorogo as the new deputy principal. Echoing the new plans to have MUBS implement a competence-based education, the deputy principal laid down a plethora of plans aligning with Uganda's Fourth National Development Plan (NDPIV). 
(L-R) Rachel Mindra-Katoorogo, the new deputy principal., Moses Muhwezi, the principal, Augustus Nuwagaba, the deputy governor Bank of Uganda and Olive Lumonya, the chairperson of the governing council. (Credit: Julius Luwemba)
Bank of Uganda deputy governor Prof. Augustus Nuwagaba advised the MUBS council and management to capitalise on what the university is known for in the academic field.
"You may start by building a cohort of professors of practice who are so practical in all their fields of study," Nuwagaba advised.
Meanwhile, Muhwezi expressed impediments as a result of staffing gaps, particularly among senior academic ranks. "Including our regional campuses (Arua, Jinja, Mbarara and Mbale), only 56% of the approved establishment of 2,532 positions is filled, with 640 staff actively enrolled," Muhwezi intimated.
The principal, however, acknowledged that there has been an increase in the government funding towards the institution.
"From shillings 96.8 billion in 2020/21 to current 154.5 billion in 2025/2026 and wage from 56 billion to 91.8 billion within the same period, facilitating full harmonisation of staff salaries," Muhwezi noted, adding that there has been reinstatement of the retooling programme with 30 billion secured for implementation over the next five years.
The Government directed all universities to transition to a competence-based model, aligning with the lower secondary curriculum, which was introduced in 2020.
The shift emphasises practical job and life skills alongside traditional knowledge, requiring universities to review and revise all programs for the 2027/28 intake to be fully competency-based.
The National Council of Higher Education is tasked with ensuring all institutions comply with the directive.