The Department of Architecture and Physical Planning, College of Engineering, Design, Art and Technology successfully pulled off the second edition of the Fundis training during a two-day event held at the College on the 13th and 14th of April 2023.
It was during this event that the University was called upon to establish a new Departmentor administrative unit to coordinate and promote community outreach programmes as a strategy to solve existing community problems.
The Fundis training is part of CEDAT’s community outreach programme that is intended to share accumulated scientific knowledge and skills in building design and construction technologies.
This is a two-way engagement since the students at the College of Engineering, Design, Art and Technology and the Fundis will mutually learn from each other. According to Dr. Amin Tamale Kigundi, the Head of Department Architecture and Physical Planning, this is the second time that CEDAT is organizing the Fundis’ training and sensitization event in partnership with various stakeholders such as the National Building Review Board (NBRB) and the manufacturers of building materials such as Steel & Tube, Kansai Paints, Hima Cement and Crestanks.
He said in line with the University policy of being more responsive to the needs of the society, the Fundis training workshop aims at linking the University to the community and is one of the key elements of CEDAT’s community outreach programme.
‘As a Department and College, it has always been our dream and desire to establish a common platform for sharing the accumulated scientific knowledge with the Fundis on modern building designs and construction technologies,’ noted Dr. Kigundu while welcoming guests to the event.
He said the College recognizes the critical role played by the Fundis in fostering the construction sector, transforming communities and establishing settlements. The training that brought together fundis, masons, painters, metal fabricators also aimed at sharing accumulated scientific knowledge and skills at the Department with the Fundis from the five divisions of Kampala city in order to enhance their skills in modern building design and construction technologies.
The other objectives were to reduce the existing gap between training institutions and the community; to improve the Fundi’s understanding of the professional building codes and regulations; to produce a critical mass of change agents that can promote a competitive local construction industry; and to take the University to the community as a strategy to solve existing problems.
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