Today16 December 2025, Nkumba University hosted the dissemination workshop for the Digitally Enabled Community-Centered Early-Childhood Development Approach (DECEDA) project, with stakeholders calling for the scaling up of technology-driven learning in primary schools across the country.
The workshop, held at the Vice Chancellor’s Boardroom, brought together officials from the Uganda Communications Commission (UCC), the university management, implementing teams, partner schools, and district representatives to review project outcomes, share lessons, and chart the way forward.
In his opening remarks, Prof Jude Lubega the Nkumba University Vice Chancellor who also doubles as the DECEDA Project Lead emphasized that DECEDA was designed to prove that effective, technology-enabled primary education is possible, even in disadvantaged settings.
“We wanted to prove a concept,” Prof Lubega said. “That there can be free primary education offered in a very effective way virtually, where children can be taught by the best teachers in the country, regardless of where they are.”
He noted that the project had demonstrated the power of digital platforms to connect learners to quality teaching across distances. “A learner in one location can be taught by a teacher from a top school with full engagement and interactivity. That is the beauty of technology,” he said.
Prof Lubega congratulated the implementing team for successfully proving that the concept works and urged partners to support the next phase. “What we now need is a scale-up. Many schools are already using technology and interfacing with us from wherever they are, which means continuity is very possible. With the support of our partners, we can do even better,” he said, thanking UCC for the guidance and support.
Representing UCC, the DECEDA Grant Supervisor, Madam Carol Vunia noted that the project was part of the Commission’s mandate to promote equitable access to quality digital services with a strong focus on underserved communities.
“This grant was designed to go beyond providing digital learning devices,” Ms Vunia said. “It means ensuring that digital infrastructure, teacher capacity, locally relevant content and sustainable delivery models come together to improve learning outcomes.”
She expounded that the project had three interlinked objectives: strengthening access to digital learning opportunities in primary schools facing high pupil–teacher ratios and low ICT penetration; building teachers’ capacity to confidently use digital tools, pedagogy, and curriculum-aligned content; and generating evidence and scalable models to inform policy and future digital education interventions.
“This is not just about funding activities, but about investing in systems, skills and partnerships that can endure beyond the life of the grant,” she said. “DECEDA directly advances universal access and promotes effective use of digital technologies through close collaboration with the Ministry of Education and Sports, the Curriculum Development Centre and academic institutions.”
Ms Vunia commended Nkumba University and partners for their role, adding that UCC looks forward to future interventions.
During the technical presentations, participants were briefed on the project’s implementation across the country, which covered 33 selected schools drawn from five districts representing all five regions.
The dissemination workshop concluded with discussions on lessons learnt, sustainability, and preparations for scaling up the model to benefit more primary schools nationwide.
Nkumba University spear headed the project implementation with funding from the Uganda Communications Commission through the Uganda Communications Universal Service and Access Fund (UCUSAF).
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