News and Events

ICT MINISTER LAUDS IUIU FOR IT’S WELL DEVELOPED INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY ROBUST SYSTEM

• 09th July, 2020 12:00am
• 3 minutes read

The state Minister of ICT and National Guidance, Peter Ogwang has commended the Islamic University in Uganda for having a developed Information Technology (IT) system that incorporates and manages all the university programs online.

 Hon. Ogwang’s commendation comes amidst his recent visit to the University’s main campus Mbale as part of governments progression on assessment of the preparedness and capacity of the Universities to embrace the E-Learning program being put in place because of the emergence of the Coronavirus (COVID-19).

The state minister revealed that he has trans versed several universities country wide but has not yet seen such IT systems effectively working elsewhere like it is with the Islamic University.

“IUIU is very incomparable in IT, many universities not only locally but also some international ones have don’t have such an IT system, at our country’s level this is absolutely impressive universities,” the minister added.

Ogwang further believes that having such a system already in existence demonstrates the University’s readiness to embrace and take on the E-Learning program being introduced by the government country wide.

The IUIU E-system Manager Mr. Ssekalema Hamza said that the university will openly embrace the National E-learning program but he however pointed out that the cost of internet is already a major challenge let alone the lack of gadgets by many students to access such services.

“The University currently incurs more than USD 4000 monthly on internet bundles” Sekalema stated.

 He added that these costs are likely to increase greatly in future as the universitys also plan to provide smart phones to each learner in the coming admissions and a laptop to the lecturers to ease the process of e-learning.  

The ICT minister in response assured that the University will be connected to the National internet backbone that is being supplied country wide to ease access to internet.

“The back borne internet cables are already passing through Mbale to Soroti along Kumi road where the university lies, so I want to assure you that IUIU will be connected so that they can freely access internet to solve such a problem,” the ICT minister guaranteed.

The University Public Relations Officer Rehemah Kantono, said the university has always been ready for E-learning even before the emergence of COVID-19.   

“During the lockdown, students had already been using the E-learning system to connect with lecturers to access the notes before the government put a stop on it. so, it is just a matter of modifying the system to suit the demands of government,” Rehema added.

Dr. Halima Wakabi Akabar,the University Academic Registrar thought out that the COVID-19 pandemic has been a reminder of what institutions of higher learning are supposed to do in their learning system.  

The ministry of ICT is currently on a country wide tour to assess universities’ readiness in terms of enough computers, internet and capacity to take on e-learning as schools remain closed due to the Corona virus pandemic.