Busitema University and UNRA discuss "Community of Learning" in Maritime Training

Busitema University Vice Chancellor Prof. Paul Waako together with Members of Top Management, the Maritime Director Prof. Waiswa Wilson Mwanja, and a team of technical staff help high-level discussions with the Uganda National Roads Authority Officials led by the Head of Ferry Services Eng. Herbert Mutyaba on the morning of Wednesday, July 26, 2023. The discussions were centered on a possible partnership in skilling Ugandans in marine and maritime courses. Eng. Mutyaba noted that there is an upward trend in the use of water transport in the country which has created a high demand for skilled personnel to man the water vessels. The crisis created by the lack of human capacity development in the maritime sector has led the Authority to spend a lot of money on training its staff from Tanzania. This has put a huge burden on the Authority's budget. Opening up-skilling courses at Busitema University would help to offer comparable education at a more reduced and affordable cost. The Vice-Chancellor Prof. Waako observed that through a memorandum of understanding UNRA would offer spaces for students to acquire practical skills and thus get the required manpower. Prof. Waako emphasized the shift in teaching and learning - moving students from the laboratories and lecture rooms to the field so that they acquire hands-on experience. Through this arrangement, UNRA would offer a "Community of Learning spaces" that are currently needed to offer the best training for practical-oriented courses like Maritime engineering.