Students’ leaders at the College of Engineering, Design, Art and Technology (CEDAT) have been applauded for the positive stance towards the management and administration of student affairs.
Assoc. Prof. Moses Musinguzi the Principal CEDAT also thanked them for the positive attitude towards a number of issues in the college despite the challenges faced.
During a meeting between the student leaders and the new principal. Moses Musinguzi and Deputy Principal, Assoc. Prof. Kizito Maria Kasule held in the CEDAT boardroom on Thursday 12th October 2023, was glad to note that the students in partnership with their lecturers were steadily advancing in as far as research and innovation is concerned. He specially appreciated the efforts by Makerere Engineering Society (MES) that has formed a number of research groups and whose enormous work led to the recent qualification of one of the teams Orbitex, who through their project idea of what another habitable planet would look like, qualified for the global NASA space competition.
He urged the student leaders to promote the culture of keeping the college clean by mobilizing students against littering. The principal opined that the college, given its engineering background, with a number of skills should be given autonomy to fix some of the existing problems like repairs of chairs and minor renovations instead of waiting for centralized services which usually delay.
‘Leadership is a calling from God. Leadership gives direction. If a person knows the way and you don’t then the person who helps you find the way is a leader’, he said while explaining his personal experience as a student leader from primary to secondary school. The journey to leadership is started early, do not be surprised when you find yourself addressing students as principal, head of department or even vice chancellor in the near future. Your scope is so wide that you can achieve much in life. Continue to pursue this call of leadership’, he encouraged them.
He said the college management recognizes the importance of student leadership and that as leaders they are positioned to get to know the problems of other students and in the process support the administration of the college. He however cautioned the leaders to remain focused on their primary objective of being at the University and that is academics. ‘Student leadership has got risks. The courses are too demanding and you need to have a balance between solving student problems and your academic excellence. After here nobody will recognize you for being a leader but what you come out with, he stated.
Assoc. Prof. Musinguzi noted that the primary concern of the new college leadership was how students could become more innovative, noting that the levels of innovation at the college was still very minimal despite the existing number of young brains. The only time when you can innovate is when you are still at the university, he noted. Our new approach is to see how we can improve innovation in the college using staff and students identifying solutions.
Assoc. Prof. Kizito Maria Kasule the new Deputy Principal challenged the students’ leaders to think about what they were bringing into the college more than complaining about what they have not been give. As students, he said, your contribution is through innovation and for this are we going to remember you as someone who has broken ground in terms of innovation.
In their effort to address challenges, Prof. Maria Kasule encouraged the students to raise their complaints politely following given procedures and more so make good time of their stay at the college.
‘Your family has a lot of expectations. You are the future of your community. So, make good use of the time you are here’. He said adding that as a Deputy Principal, his main mandate was to handle academic programs.
Mr. Abdurrahman Kabugo, the CGC leader appreciated the leadership of the college for putting student issues at the fore. He enumerated a number of planned activities by the students themselves including a leadership training, and the open day.
The meeting was attended by a number of student leaders from the respective professional programs offered at the college.
