Kampala, Uganda: The 9th Graduation Ceremony of Victoria University (VU) held Tuesday, October 28th, did more than cap a cohort of new professionals. It may have marked a quiet but profound turning point for Uganda’s higher education, one that could redefine how the country measures learning, skills, and employability in the age of artificial intelligence.
At the centre of this shift is Dr Lawrence Muganga, the University’s Vice Chancellor, who has repeatedly challenged Uganda’s traditional higher-education model to move beyond memory and theory. His message this week at Speke Resort Munyonyo was blunt: “If you are not using AI in your daily learning, your role is at risk.”
That statement captures both the urgency and opportunity of the moment.
Across the world, AI is rewriting the rules of work. The World Economic Forum estimates that by 2030, 170 million new roles will emerge, while 92 million will fade away. The question, as Dr. Muganga posed it, is whether universities are preparing learners for the roles that are opening or those that are disappearing.
Victoria University’s answer is practical: integrate AI into every program, make digital fluency universal, and evaluate students based on what they can do, not what they can recall.
The university’s Competency-Based Education model ensures that every learner leaves with a visible portfolio, a project, prototype, or applied solution, evidence that bridges the trust gap between degree and employability.
This approach speaks directly to a national problem: Uganda’s youth unemployment crisis. Each year, thousands of graduates enter the job market with qualifications that employers say don’t match industry needs. Muganga’s response is to make education responsive, modular, and measurable in real time.
From Classrooms to Careers
The difference is already visible. Students like Grace Nambafu, who trained in Victoria University’s real-world media studios, now report to professional newsrooms such as Next Media Group before graduation. Others, like Shamim Nantongo, secured full-time teaching jobs straight from their school practice.
These examples aren’t outliers; they are outcomes of a system built on experience, adaptability, and performance.
VU’s partnership model, linking universities, industry, and communities, creates a living laboratory for work-integrated learning. From AI literacy to virtual labs and digital entrepreneurship, the curriculum updates as fast as the industry does.
Why This Model Matters for Uganda
Uganda’s higher-education sector faces a credibility test. Employers frequently lament that many graduates are “not ready for work.” Meanwhile, universities struggle to modernize outdated programs because of bureaucratic approval systems that make curriculum change painfully slow.
Victoria University’s digital and competency-based approach may offer a new template. By designing faster update cycles, integrating AI tools across disciplines, and embedding internship-driven learning, it shows how universities can remain relevant without sacrificing rigor.
Crucially, VU’s decision to offer free AI literacy to all students signals a belief that intelligent systems should not be a privilege for a few but a foundation for all. In a decade where AI will define competitiveness, this is both visionary and inclusive.
A Model for National Policy
The implications extend far beyond Victoria University. If Uganda were to replicate this model across public and private institutions, the country could reposition itself as a hub for AI-driven human capital in East Africa.
Government regulators have already endorsed Competency-Based Education as national policy. What remains is financing, infrastructure, and faculty training to make it sustainable.
As Dr. Muganga urged: “Each shilling should move a student from theory to competence, from competence to employment, and from employment to enterprise.” That principle could anchor Uganda’s next higher-education reform blueprint.
The future of Ugandan universities will not be judged by the number of graduates they produce, but by how many graduates produce results.
Victoria University’s experiment with AI-driven learning is proof that higher education can be both modern and meaningful, that degrees can lead not just to jobs, but to innovation, entrepreneurship, and dignity.
If other institutions follow suit, Uganda could shift from a credential-based system to a competence economy, one powered by intelligence, skill, and imagination.
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