Victoria University Pushes for AI-Driven Education as 2,600 Graduate at 10th Ceremony

By Philip Onyango

 

Victoria University Chancellor Prof. John Opuda-Asibo has called for Artificial Intelligence to be fully integrated across all university programs, warning that the future of education will depend on how fast institutions adapt to emerging technologies.

 

Speaking at the university’s 10th graduation ceremony held at Speke Resort Munyonyo on Saturday, Prof. Opuda said new fields of study are emerging every day and must be adopted through continuous curriculum reviews.

 

The ceremony, held under the theme “The Future is Here,” saw 2,600 students graduate from various faculties including Software Engineering, Industrial Art and Innovation Design, Information Technology, Business, Humanities and Health Sciences.

 

Prof. Opuda stressed that modern disciplines are heavily anchored on data and technology, noting that statistics is now central to actuarial science, transport and insurance, while biosciences covering medicine, public health, pharmacy, agriculture and biotechnology, and physical sciences like physics, automation, geology and climate computation all require new skill sets.

 

He challenged universities to be clear about what level of AI they are offering, noting that there are basic and complex levels, and insisted that university curricula must examine AI holistically, including its merits, demerits and ethics.

 

“If we don’t teach both the power and the danger of AI, we are not preparing students for the real world,” he said.

 

To the graduates, Prof. Opuda offered a personal charge: to guard their education jealously. He said knowledge, both academic and extra-curricular, gives independence, the ability to compete in life, and the capacity to understand and survive in one’s environment.

 

“People may despise you when you go back to your communities, but never give up what you have learnt. Learn to question, to revise, and to take responsibility for what you say and write. How you write and how you speak will define you. People will judge you by what you write before they even see you,” he said.

 

Supporting the Chancellor’s call, the University Vice Chancellor Dr. Lawrence Muganga warned that Uganda risks falling behind in the AI revolution and called on government to urgently introduce a nationwide One Laptop Per Child policy.

 

Dr. Muganga said AI is already transforming education, business and employment, comparing it to an iceberg that has struck Uganda’s and Africa’s ship.

 

“If Uganda is to achieve its Tenfold Growth Strategy of a $500 billion economy by 2040, we must equip every learner from Primary Five to university, including TVET institutions, with a laptop,” he said.

 

He proposed the rollout of solar-powered laptops and satellite internet for underserved and hard-to-reach areas, arguing that the idea is not a dream but a policy decision government must make.

 

“At Victoria University, every programme is now AI-driven. We are not preparing students just to pass examinations, but to live and thrive in an AI economy,” Dr. Muganga added.

 

Highlighting the university’s growth, Dr. Muganga revealed that Victoria University has grown from just 180 students in 2020 to 16,000 students currently. The number of graduates has similarly risen from 48 in 2021 to 2,600 this year.

 

He also announced major expansion plans, including the construction of a new state-of-the-art campus in Naguru with a teaching hospital for its newly established medical school, set to begin in January 2027.

 

The 10th graduation marks a major milestone for the university, which has positioned itself as a champion of technology-driven, industry-relevant education in Uganda.