New e-campus system 'restores sanity' at Kyambogo

By Andrew Ssenyonga      

KAMPALA - Kyambogo University Chancellor Prof. John Ssebuwufu has announced that the practice of keeping student records, vital financial data and the other information manually has ended at his university.

This follows the introduction of an e-campus system that will activities at the public institution conducted online.

Prof. Ssebuwufu said the information and financial management system that was developed by the university will help track payment of all fees by students as it is connected to all banks in the country.

"It also manages information of students such as results and records and it will be used to track all financial transactions carried out in the university," said the professor.

Admitting his displeasure over how the institution has been managed in the past, the Chancellor said the new e-system would restore sanity at the university – by, among other things, “curbing illegal admissions, stopping students who write exams without fees and also providing information about the total income of the university”.

As titular head of Kyambogo, Prof. Ssebuwufu was installed in 2014 as Chancellor of Kyambogo University in order to refurbish the institution's image that had been dented.

‘Weed out lazy lecturers’
 

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The university was hit by a series of strikes and demonstrations in recent years both by students and the staff due to alleged fraud and poor record keeping.

 The most recent one was in October 2013 when the students went on strike protesting the decision by the university to continue offering courses that are not sanctioned by the National Council for Higher Education (NCHE).

During the university's first annual convocation dinner at Hotel Africana in Kampala on Friday, Prof Ssebuwufu noted that all the problems that had hit them in the past were history due to introduction of the e-campus system.

"The system that is accessed in every department of the university will also help weed out lazy lecturers, since it can monitor their teaching, marking, awarding of marks as well as research and publications," he noted.

Tracking progress

Vice Chancellor Prof. Eli Katunguka lauded his boss for the support and the expertise he brought to the institution.

He said: "The newly created system enables lecturers keep the students' information online safer. All the records of students from the time they join the institution until they leave will be there."
 

Vice Chancellor Prof. Eli Katunguka addresses guests during the dinner. (Credit: Godfrey Kimono)

 Katunguka added that student transcripts can now be immediately printed as soon as results are approved.

"Students will also be receiving messages on their mobile phones informing them whether the lecturer has marked and entered their marks onto the system or not, and also if all their results have been released.

“In the past, lecturers used to lose students marks and later ask them to take their scripts, of which they don't have. We think this will not happen anymore," said Katunguka.

Online interaction

With the new portal, which is a three-years-in-the-making project, a lecturer cannot change the marks of the student entered on the system unless he or she contacts the head of department and both of them log onto the system.

"Retakes will be awarded automatically to the student who fails to reach the pass mark," said the Vice Chancellor.
 

Students on strike: It is incidents like this that the university wants to avoid

It is understood the new system will also see lecturers interact with students and their fellow lecturers online, thereby improving on the service delivery.

"The new system among others will help in managing human resources, library systems, administration and finance.”

The project supervisor John Okuonzi, a lecturer at the department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, said he and seven students (of the same department) came up with the e-campus concept to promote efficiency in service delivery at the institution.

"We knew that the university had problems especially in the area of communication and we felt that the problem can be solved by ourselves," he pointed out.

Prof Augustine Rugyema, head of department, Electrical and Electronic Engineering said the department spent sh3m to develop all the university systems.

"This university needed a system that would manage students' records because they are increasing each year and with manual system of record keeping a lot of student information may be lost," said the professor.
 

Dunstan Hatujjike (left), the convocation chairman, mingles with Chancellor Prof. Ssebuwufu. (Credit: Godfrey Kimono)

Guests at the university's first annual convocation dinner at Hotel Africana. (Credit: Godfrey Kimono)

The university alumni hailed the university for such a great achievement.

Dunstan Hatujjike, the convocation chairman, said: "The old students will be proud of their former institution once they see it take such strides for glory."

Meanwhile, the old students also contributed sh20m towards the renovation of the university's main building – Republic Academic Complex.