GULU–Prof. George Openy-juru Ladaa has been installed as the new Vice Chancellor of Gulu university replacing Prof. Jack Nyeko Pen Mogi who has been serving as the VC since 2002 as Vice Chancellor.
Prof. Openy-juru was unveiled at the 13th graduation ceremony at the university’s main campus in Gulu.
He pledged to develop Gulu university and improve the quality of education through teamwork and improved working relationship with staff and students.
“I am going to take advantage of the already good management structures in place to overhaul university operations within the the next 100 days and thereafter start working on improvement in all sections of the university,”Prof. Openy-juru said.
He pledged to address the problem of infrastructure, improve research and students welfare as well as enhance the visibility of Gulu University in Uganda and beyond.
Deputy Speaker of Parliament Jacob Oulanyah who represented the Minister of Education and Sports, First Lady Janet Museveni as the guest of honour, congratulated the new VC and commended Prof. Pen Mogi for great work as the acting VC since 2015 after his formal contract expired.
In a documented speech of the First Lady, it says governement acquired loan from African Development Bank to improve infrastructures, equipment, and staff training for six public universities and two other higher institutions of learning and Gulu University received the funding under faculty of agriculture, multipurpose laboratory block, equipment and related services to support e-learning development for online teaching.
In the speech, she noted that Ugandan expects Universities to produces graduates with innovative technology that addresses the societal problems which leads to transformation in societies.
“We should, therefore, strive to ensure that the education we provides changes the quality of life and brings about the related transformations of our country in every aspect of life,” her speech read in part.
Mrs. Janet Museveni prayed to the new VC to take good stewardship of the fund obtained from the loan in order to develop the university.
Prof. Openy-juru is a professor with specialty in education and in particular adult education and he is the current chairperson of Uganda Adult Education. He also served under the administration of acting VC Prof. Pen Mogi as deputy vice chancellor.
Besides, in December last year student guild leaders accused the Prof Pen Mogi and his administration for mismanaging the institution by running it like a micro institution through lack of transparency the administration which involved the Prof Openy-juru as the then deputy VC.
Meanwhile, at the ceremony, a total of 1,506 students graduated in various disciplines of whom 624 were female and 882 were male.
