Ndejje University to introduce medicine, law

Luwero based Ndejje University is to introduce Law and Medicine courses, the vice chancellor Eriab Lugujjo has said.

Lugujjo said that preparations for starting the law faculty have already been completed while those for introducing the medicine course are underway.

Lugujjo made the revelation during Ndejje University's 20th graduation ceremony which was held at the main campus in Luweero on Friday.

A total of 2144 graduates were awarded diplomas, undergraduate and post graduate degrees during the function whose theme was "consolidating collaboration, innovation and internationalization of higher education."

The degree and diploma awards were conferred by the university chancellor, Dr Kisamba Mugerwa, while Gideon Badagawa the executive Director of the private sector foundation was the chief guest.

Of the told 2144, 1024 were females while 1120 were males.

Lugujjo who during the function unveiled Ndejje's 2018-2027 strategic plan said that before starting medicine, the Church of Uganda founded university would initially set up a faculty of health sciences in February next year.

He said the administration of Ndejje, which was ranked as Uganda's 2^nd university by the International Colleges and Universities Ranking in 2015/16, has a goal of developing the proposed faculty of health into a centre for rural health excellence in Africa.

While enumerating the university's academic achievements, Lugujjo said the university currently has seven faculties.

He said 90% of the university's courses had been accredited by the National Council for Higher Education while the remaining ones were awaiting approval.

In the field of physical science, the vice chancellor said Ndejje had embarked on strengthening of teaching of research in physical sciences.

He said Ndejje was also consolidating engineering programs and the synergies between engineering and sciences as a catalyst for development.

The chief guest Gideon Badagawa urged Ndejje and other universities to strengthen internship training and nurture their students spiritually and psychologically through counselling.

Badagawa said spiritual and psychological counselling would change the attitudes of graduates towards work thus enabling them to fit in the world of work while internship training would widen their experience.

In arts, Lugujjo said Ndejje University recently introduced a new course, Bachelor of Arts in biblical studies and Christian leadership.

Badagawa noted that universities were doing well in terms of academic excellence but were not helping their students to fit in the world of work, rendering them unemployable.

He hailed Ndejje University for maintaining gender balance in terms of admissions after noting that about 47 percent of the graduands were female.

"Other universities would give you 30 percent for females against 70 percent for males," Badagawa said.

He urged universities to get out of their "Ivory Tower cocoons" by making their research findings relevant to the development needs of the communities.

Ndejje was established by the Church of Uganda in 1992. The university currently has a student enrolment of 8500 students.