Uganda Martyrs University

-

Uganda Martyrs University (UMU) is a private university affiliated with the Roman Catholic Church in Uganda. It is licensed by the Uganda National Council for Higher Education. UMU consists of seven faculties, one institute, four centers, five departments, and two schools. As of January 2015, total student enrollment exceeded 5,000. Of these, about 1,500 students were residential, while nearly 3,000 students were enrolled in UMU’s distance learning programs. The number of staff members was over 400

Though comparatively small in size (enrolment estimated at 6,000); Uganda Martyrs University has attracted a number of universities as well as private and public sector organizations to partner around program design and delivery. These include: University of Notre Dame, USA; University for Peace (Costa Rica); Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (Sweden); Mekelle University (Ethiopia); University of Western Cape (South Africa); Interdisciplinary Centre of Excellence for Sports Science and Development (ICESSD); and, Children Peace Initiative (Kenya). Its programs are designed collaboratively with communities, recognized for their relevance and leverage international resources to address local needs. Of particular importance will be the University’s teaching and learning methods that stress collaboration and ongoing cooperation with communities; as well as methods of identification, development, and adaptation of knowledge from the fields to the classrooms. The University also represents the private sector which is playing an increasingly significant role in expanding access to tertiary education. Uganda Martyrs University will, therefore, extend the outcomes of PedaL into the private sector and among private universities and provide impetus for commercialization, for example, this may provoke the emergence of private initiatives that adapt PedaL to design and offer short courses for developing pedagogical competencies among teaching staff.