EAC STATES TOLD TO TIE UP THEIR EDUCATION SYSTEMS

 

BY GRACE MACHA IN ARUSHA

The East African Community (EAC) partner states have been urged to speed up harmonization of their education systems.

The process would lead to the envisaged common higher education area which would pave the way for mobility of scholars within the bloc.

The appeal was made in Kampala last week by Uganda first deputy prime minister and EAC Affairs minister Rebecca Kadaga.

She was speaking at a groundbreaking ceremony for the second phase construction of the headquarters of Inter University Council of East Africa (IUCEA).

The project, worth over $8.4 million and being implemented on the outskirts of Uganda capital, is expected to be completed within 18 months.

The deputy PM said the EAC partner states were keen to support  IUCEA so that it can operationalise the EAC Common Higher Education Area.

Already, the Uganda-based institution of the EAC has initiated harmonisation and quality assurance of higher education systems.

This has led to, among others, regional mobility of staff and students in universities and other tertiary institutions. 

“Higher Education should ensure increased access to relevant education, improve competitiveness of graduates, ensure comparability and acceptability of qualifications and graduates,” she said.

Ms Wanjiru Mwita, the executive director of  Civil Aviation Safety and Security Oversight Agency (CASSOA) said the new facilities will enhance collaboration among higher education institutions through research and innovation.

On his part, IUCEA executive secretary  Prof. Gaspard Banyankimbona lauded the Uganda government for offering land for extension of the institution's headquarters.

According to IUCEA deputy chairperson Prof. John Mugisha, the new building will provide facilities that can be used by universities, researchers, and all other stakeholders to advance quality higher education.

The new building facility will sit on part of the five-acre piece of land at Kyambogo Hill in the northern edge of Kampala city.

It will include offices, a resource centre, innovation and incubation centre for research, a conference hall, and a data centre. 

The land was offered by the Uganda government as part of its commitment to host the body as an institution of EAC. 

Uganda, the founding member of the EAC alongside Tanzania and Kenya, already hosts four other EAC institutions, besides IUCEA and  Cassoa.

The others are Lake Victoria Fisheries Organization (LVFO) and the East African Development Bank (EADB).

IUCEA, one of the oldest institutions of the Community, is mandated to advise, develop, and coordinate all matters related to higher education and research in EAC. 

The Council facilitates mobility and higher education systems, promoting quality assurance, facilitating academic and student mobility, and fostering research collaboration within the EAC region.