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October 3, 2023

Day

UCU
October 3, 2023By

School of Journalism unveils first PhD program

By John Semakula
A journey of a thousand miles starts with one step. 

This is true for Uganda Christian University’s (UCU) School of Journalism, Media and Communication (JMC) whose journey of 22 years has led to the launch of its first PhD program. 

The National Council for Higher Education (NCHE), a body charged with regulating higher education in Uganda, accredited the advanced degree program on August 21, 2023. The School of JMC then launched the PhD in September. The launch meant advertising, admitting new students and JMC professors initiating a high-quality curriculum. 

In 2002, when  the  UCU Department of Mass Communication started with only one undergraduate degree program, it was not easy to envisage this level of transformation. At that time, 21 years ago, the department had  no academic staff with a PhD.

But today the School of JMC prides itself in having several renowned communication scholars with doctoral degrees. These include Prof. Monica Chibita and Prof. James Kiwanuka Tondo. The PhD accreditation required a detailed consultative needs assessment, which involved industry practitioners, academics, current and prospective students. 

“The assessment established that indeed there was demand for PhD training in communication in Uganda, where only Makerere University was offering a PhD in the field by research,” the statement said.  

Why UCU has introduced the crucial PhD program

Prof. Chibita, the Dean of the School, affirmed the need for the introduction of the PhD. 

“The PhD program seeks to fill a gap in teaching, research and supervision at institutions of higher education in the East African region, using contextual curricular and innovative methods of delivery,” she said. 

She noted that the program is aligned with the University’s strategic vision of growing research, innovations and partnerships. 

“The University aims to promote rigorous focused research that leads to improved understanding and innovations to solve specific challenges in Uganda and abroad,” Chibita said, also emphasizing that the PhD will contribute to the University’s goal of recruiting and retaining staff with excellence in teaching and research.

According to the School, the program started off with an 11-strong faculty, comprising four professors, two associate professors, and five senior lecturers drawn from the UCU School of JMC, the University of Kwa Zulu Natal (South Africa), the University of Rwanda; and NLA University College in Norway.  

Chibita said, “The faculty composition reflects strong collaboration between the partner universities, and continued support for capacity development in higher education and research for development by the Norwegian Programme for Capacity Development in Higher Education and Research for Development (NORHED).” 

The program covers four broad areas: media democracy and development in Africa; media, gender, identity and participation; media and crisis; and health and science communication. There will be a strong emphasis placed on innovative teaching and research methods and on the need to decolonise communication theory, method and curricula.  PhD candidates will undertake coursework, proposal writing and research. They will be encouraged to conduct collaborative research with faculty members and partner universities. 

Full-time students will be expected to complete the program within three to four years while part-time students in five to six years.  The program will accept at least 10 doctoral students for the start. 

UCU
October 3, 2023By

‘I can contribute to the fight against food insecurity’

By Irene Best Nyapendi
Edrick Bwambale, a Uganda Christian University (UCU) alumnus, has scooped the African Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) Achievers Award for his work connected to training rural farmers best practices. 

Awarded at the four-day, 5th African Youth SDGs Summit in Lusaka, Zambia, in August 2023, his accolade was in the category of  “No poverty,” which derived its name from the SDG 1 – End poverty in all its forms everywhere. 

The 2019 graduate with a Bachelor of Agriculture Science and Entrepreneurship was recognized for his efforts with rural female farmers who are survivors of domestic violence in Kasese district, western Uganda. He was commended for improving the farmers’ profitability by introducing better crop varieties, providing support and creating online marketplaces for their products. 

Edrick Bwambale receiving his award at the 5th African Youth SDGs Summit in Lusaka, Zambia, on August 18. He was recognized for his remarkable work with rural female farmers who are survivors of domestic violence in Kasese district, western Uganda.
Edrick Bwambale, receiving his award at the 5th African Youth SDGs Summit in Lusaka, Zambia, on August 18. He was recognized for his remarkable work with rural female farmers who are survivors of domestic violence in Kasese district, western Uganda.

Bwambale was grateful to the summit for recognizing his efforts and the networking opportunities it opened for him. He said he benefited from sharing with experts who showed him “a whole different perspective of things.” He was sponsored for the conference, got books to help him in his projects and also networked with peers and experts for further correspondence. 

“It is important for us as youth to take part in this because we are leaders of today, not just tomorrow, and our contributions are crucial to making progress in the 17 areas of the SDGs,” he said.

He said the award has motivated him to refine his ideas, opened doors to capacity-building opportunities and given him access to experts.

“The award opened doors for valuable networking with experienced professionals,” Bwanbale said. “And if I use the opportunities and network I made, it would benefit me more.”

Bwambale does the work under his organization, Sustainable Agri Food Initiative (SAFI Uganda), which he founded in 2021. He trains crop farmers using the knowledge he got at UCU and through the practical field experience while working at Mubuku Irrigation Scheme (in Kasese) as a field extension officer for five years.

He expanded the SAFI initiative when leaving his field extension job in April 2022. The SAFI farmer groups with 517 members increase support from financial institutions. 

“I know what kind of seed is planted in what kind of soil, at what time, and I have field experience that I share with farmers,” Bwanbale said.“Banks will not trust individual farmers with money because they don’t see security, but they can trust a group of farmers who are doing something,” 

UCU Alumnus Bwambale’s Agri-mission

During his field work, he realized that farmers needed extra help in accessing agricultural knowledge and training.

“The whole essence of field extension made more sense because I saw how local farmers were being challenged by transport limitations,” he said. “They hardly got the required technical support.”

Bwambale’s mission is “to improve the technical knowledge, farm production and productivity and livelihoods of smallholder farmers in East Africa.”

He achieves this through on-farm field extension services, advising farmers on crop management, pest control, and more. He works with a team of field assistants who are his current and former interns who help him during the field training.

In creating an online marketplace for farmers to access better markets, he seeks to eliminate middlemen who exploit farmers when prices drop after harvest. He also conducts field sessions to empower farmers, allowing them to replicate best practices.

“We meet two days a month in a classroom setting,” he said. “Additionally, once every week, we gather in a garden we call a training site. Here, we focus on practical learning. Farmers replicate what they have learned by practicing it in their gardens.”

Bwambale’s motivation to engage in sustainable development started by recognizing his potential to effect change in his community.

 “I know I can do something,” he said. “I can’t just sit there and watch people suffer when I can contribute to the fight against food insecurity and poverty.”