Nkumba University’s Vice Chancellor, Professor Jude Lubega was in the capital Bujumbura today, 8th September 2023 to attend the 12th Annual East African Higher Education Quality Assurance Forum.
Under the theme, “Nurturing Emerging Trends in Higher Education through quality Assurance”, the forum brought together Heads of National Commissions and Councils for Higher Education from member states, University Vice Chancellors, and development partners to reflect on the position of quality assurance in nurturing emerging trends in higher education.
Keynote speaker, Prof. Mike Kuria- the Chief Executive Officer of Commissions for higher education in Kenya challenged participants to reflect on the current Internal Quality Assurance systems in their institutions and their response to emerging issues like Artificial Intelligence.
Prof. Kuria warned the higher education policymakers and managers on Africa’s youth Bulge noting that, “they can be Gold if well skilled and employable or a ticking time bomb if wrongly skilled and thus unemployed. “
The four-day event concluded with the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) that binds member states and institutions to collaborate in advancing academic research and innovation.
Professor Jude Lubega, Nkumba University’s Vice Chancellor, expressed his optimism regarding the forum, highlighting its role as a platform fostering academic collaborations within the region.
He further affirmed that Nkumba University stands to gain substantially from these collaborative efforts.
The Inter-University Council for East Africa (IUCEA) is a member-based institution that facilitates networking among universities and other degree-awarding institutions by providing a forum for discussion on a wide range of academic and other matters relating to higher education.
It was established by the IUCEA Protocol, 2002, and the IUCEA Act, 2009 with the mandate to advise the East African Community (EAC) Partner States on higher education matters and to contribute to the strategic development of higher education and research in the region.
That forum is headed by Prof. Mary Akakwol the current Executive Director of the Uganda National Council For Higher Education.
