Exciting news from Uganda Christian University (UCU) indicates that the university’s Faculty of Journalism, Media and Communication has won a UGX 8.4bn grant which will be used to start a PhD programme in Communication and Media Studies come next year, 2022.
According to the Faculty Dean, Prof. Monica Chibita, the yet to be unveiled PhD programme will be the first of its kind in Uganda which is intended to bridge the training gap at that level in the East African region.
More details indicate the Faculty won the grant through the Norwegian Programme for Capacity Development in Higher Education and Research for Development (NORHED).
The programme aims at strengthening the capacity of higher education institutions in the Global South to produce higher-quality graduates, higher-quality research, and more inclusive education. The grant will also be used to start a Masters degree programme in Media and Communication Studies at the University of Rwanda, which also happens to be the first in the mentioned country.
“Yes, friends, we got the NORHED II grant, Hallelujah. This means a lot for us, for UCU and the East African Region. A quality PhD programme will ensure quality graduates and will contribute to a robust research culture. We expect that this will elevate the level of debate about the media and communication’s role in democracy and development. Ultimately, we are looking for impact and this grant does a lot to enable that,” the excited Prof. Chibita announced.
Shortly after learning about this milestone, the UCU Vice Chancellor, Prof. Aaron Mushengyezi congratulated the Faculty of Journalism, Media and Communication for securing the NOHRED II project, adding that it will build staff capacity and media democracy in Uganda.
“This should inspire other Faculties to pick interest in grants and research to enable UCU join the league of research led universities,” Prof. Mushengyezi said.
The Faculty is partnering with NLA University College in Norway, University of KwaZulu-Natal in South Africa and the University of Rwanda.
