By Mourice Muhoozi
Professor Barnabas Nawangwe was on Thursday officially installed as the Vice Chancellor of Makerere University.
The ceremony for his installation was held in the main hall, main building, Makerere, where the president of Uganda, Yoweri Museveni was the chief guest.
While talking to the crowd, Museveni reiterated his calls to the department of social sciences at the university to streamline courses offered at the faculty.
He echoed on the need to disband non market oriented courses like SWASA, developmental studies, citing that parents waste a lot of their money, sponsoring their sons & daughters to study these coarses which cannot benefit them in the future. “………..such courses are not market oriented” asserted Museveni, while talking to a crowd which was comprised of various ambassadors and commissioners.
He also applauded the science faculties at the university, stressing that they have done much in their research laboratories which has stimulated innovations at the greatest institution.
In his remarks, the outgoing vice Chancellor prof. Dumba Sentamu lauded president Museveni, for having offered him maximum support during his ten year term in office. He added on to say that he has been able to prepare a report about the University, including the number of students, work in progress at the university, to mention but a few.
The incoming Vice Chancellor prof. Nawangwe said that the university is currently embroiled in many land wrangles and even sought for government intervention to have them settled.
Nawangwe was recommended as the next VC by the university council after scoring 15 votes out of 21, difeating rivals prof. Venansius Baryamureeba and Edward Kirumira among others.
During his term of office, Dumba was faced with several bottlenecks like financial constraints of the university, which culminated into the November 2016 students’ and lecturers’ strikes leading to the closure of the university by president Museveni.
Nevertheless, prof.Dumba achieved tremendously during his term of office, that is to say; research was greatly bolstered at Makerere University, ranking the fourth of all universities on the continental Africa.
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