Govt must fund private universities - minister Butiime
Oct 13, 2018
Butime who was on Friday attending a function to launch of Uganda Martyrs University Fort Portal campus, said the Government programme of skilling Ugandans had started bearing fruits.
The Minister for Local Government, Tom Butime has asked the Government to start funding private universities as one way of improving the quality of education.
"Efforts must be directed towards improving the quality of education provided by these universities. One of the main driving factors in offering quality university education is information and communication technologies (ICTs) and we need to support them because they invest a lot in research," Butiime said.
Butiime noted that research studies have demonstrated that ICTs can improve the quality of university education; however, most universities still lag behind in harnessing the potential of ICT in the delivery of education.
Butime who was on Friday attending a function to launch of Uganda Martyrs University Fort Portal campus, said the Government programme of skilling Ugandans had started bearing fruits.
"I am happy that most of our students now have skills which can help them employ themselves because of the skilling Ugandans programme," Butime said.
Dr. Cyrus Ssebugenyi the principal high education officer at the National Council of High education said, the council had cleared Uganda Martyrs' University to open a branch because it had fulfilled all the requirements.
"We came to Fort Portal and carried out an assessment and we were certified with what we found on ground we shall continue supporting the branch because it extended high education closer to the people," Ssebugenyi said.
Ssebugenyi said, all higher learning institutions which offer unaccredited courses with poor infrastructure and lack of sufficient trained personnel will be closed by the council.
Bishop Robert Muhiirwa of Fort Portal Catholic Diocese said the church had offered free land for expansion.
Muhirwa appreciated the role of private institutions in supplementing the education sector. He added: "Since its establishment, Uganda Martyrs University has contributed a lot towards the education sector in the country".