Chairman's Word
THE CHAIRMAN'S SPEECH : Third Graduation 18th November 2011
The Chief Guest; The Minister of state for Higher Education,
Hon. Chrysostom Muyingo, MP for Bamunanika,
The Board of Directors, Multitech Business School,
The Principal, Management and staff of MBS,
The Guild President and your cabinet,
Dear Graduands, Parents and Benefactors
Distinguished Guests,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
I most sincerely welcome you all to Multitech Business School to mark the 3rd graduation since
we became a recognised Tertiary Institution. Once again we celebrate an occasion of happiness
and joy. It is a joyful day for the parents and benefactors who sacrificed their resources to offer a
future to their siblings. It is a happy occasion to the graduands when they celebrate their awards
after years of hard work and sleepless nights. It is an occasion of pride to the School when once
again we declare publicly the outcome of yet another harvest for the previous two years.
Sir, by the time of our last graduation in 2009, we still had a provisional mandate. Since then,
Multitech Business School became Registered and Classified by the National Council for Higher
Education per the provisions of the Universities and Other Tertiary Institutions statute. We
become the second private tertiary institution in Uganda to attain such a status. Today is our first
graduation as a fully constituted Business College.
Before you is a harvest that consists of 972 students who have successfully qualified for various
awards in the following categories:
Certificates 227
Diplomas 518
Degrees 24
Post Graduate Diplomas 50
Accounting Technicians 95
Certified Public Accountants 58
Sir, their details are included in the graduation booklet. This brings the number of graduates
since we obtained the mandate of a tertiary education institution to 2,353.
Hon Minister Sir, the core objective of Multitech Business School is to enhance employability
and entrepreneurial potential of our people by imparting to them business related knowledge and
skills. Our aspiration is that each of our graduates should have both competence and knowledge
that the employers want. Most importantly, our graduates should have knowledge and skills that
can enable them to start up on their own. The unique element of our training is the emphasis for
the students to have the ability to do things and to do them with a passion to excel. The theme for
today's graduation therefore is in line with our slogan to enable excellence. In the light of global
competition, at MBS we believe that success can only be guaranteed to the person with a passion
for excellence; to the one pursuing nothing less but the very best. At this college, we strive with a
passion to ensure that those we train turn up to be the best in their vocation. Sir, before you are
972 of such people; tutored and prepared to always strive for the best.
To the graduands, I congratulate all of you for completing your studies. You have worked so
hard and you deserve what you have achieved. The world is now your market place. Go conquer
and subdue it. Remember you were small eaglets; you are to grow and fly to soaring heights; to
prosper for all to see. In your jobs, or in the enterprises you may establish never accept to remain
mediocre. Set your goals high and strive to achieve them with a passion for excellence. You are
our ambassadors to the world, be men and women of integrity. Since you are amongst the best in
your vocation, carry your selves with pride and honour and always continue learning to better
yourselves. Never bring into disrepute the name of MBS by participating in any form of
unethical practices. God who has enabled you to come this far will bless you to reach the highest
pinnacle of your dreams. Make them big dreams.
Hon. Minister, Multitech Business School is still a young institute full of life and energy with a
passion for tangible results. We are set to become a competence training power to reckon with.
We are now focused on becoming a Private Degree Awarding Institution and we ask you for
your support in this endeavour. We are constantly pursuing improvement in order to deliver
more and better graduates. Allow me to outline some of the strides in that direction over the last
two years.
Governance:
MBS has strengthened the School governance by creating a broad based Governing Council that
you have inaugurated this morning. The Council will work side by side with the Founders' Board
to give direction to the operations of the School. Most recently, we have appointed Dr. Julius
Kakuru, a seasoned educationist to be the Principal and we believe that he will move the School
to yet another level.
Academic:
In order to strengthen academic delivery six of our staff are undertaking higher degree
programmes. We have hired additional staff for the library, fully furnished it and continue to
stock it with more books. In addition, we have installed a student information system to automate
registration, examination's management and billing. We have also set up a Microsoft Training
Academy and a Prometric Centre to enhance applied professional computer training.
This year, new degree programmes have been added in Business Administration and
Management, Ethics, Economics and Information Technology while in the coming year we shall
add Organisational Psychology and Commerce, all in corroboration with both Uganda Martyrs'
University and Makerere University. Through the affiliations we hope to mentor our staff and
prepare them for the status we hope to attain in future.
Infrastructure:
We have increased the Kakiri Campus land by six acres. A Master Plan had been made for the
campus and a ground breaking function was held in April this year. The construction of the first
classroom block is ongoing together with general landscaping and establishment of sports
grounds. Over one thousand trees have already been planted. We hope to start using the facilities
during 2012.
Here at Kampala campus, two floors have been added to the east wing creating 250 additional
lecture-room seats, 10 offices and a hall sitting 300 people. A second computer lab has been
equipped and all the new facilities furnished and added to the LAN.
Welfare:
We have introduced a medical scheme for all students that include a medical examination on
admission and outpatient medical care. In the sporting arena we have joined the Inter University
games, being the first tertiary institution to do so. In October this year MBS won the inaugural
beach football tournament to the surprise of the Ugandan University fraternity!
Hon. Minister, despite the achievements outlined above, we have challenges that we need to
bring to your attention.
The cost of providing tertiary education:
The cost of providing tertiary education is very high and continues to rise. However education at
this level is dominated by public universities whose costs are heavily subsidised. The fees public
institutions charge are significantly lower that the cost of delivery. This leaves private
institutions like our in a precarious position. We are expected to charge similar fees like those of
public institutions, yet we do not receive any subsidies or grants from government. An attempt to
charge less than the cost of delivery is tantamount to committing suicide. Given that we also
handle fewer students, there is a very high risk to fail to breakeven.
Government therefore should come to the aid of private universities and tertiary institutions by
providing them with periodic development grants for such facilities as libraries, computer labs,
sporting amenities and classroom space.
The escalating costs of borrowing and doing business:
We have long term loans for funding developing infrastructure like many educational
establishments. The recent escalation in interest rates by Bank of Uganda has seriously impacted
the cost of borrowing and may cause many education institutions to default on their debts. This
has been compounded by the very high inflation that has raised operating costs but without
commensurate increase in fees. I have time and again heard your Ministry castigating schools
that increase fees; a stand that does not seem to be logical in the light of the economic situation.
This makes it onerous to your ministry to devise ways in which it can support private schools
from emerging threats at times of economic turbulence. Such assistance may include
development grants, preferential education development loans at lower interest rates, scholarship
schemes for staff development and staff emolument subsidy.
Infrastructure development:
Multitech Business School is still in her infancy and we have heavy infrastructure development
commitments. In addition to completing our headquarter building, we need to add a third
computer laboratory with at least 50 computer-capacity. We are also developing a fully fledged
residential campus at Kakiri, along Hoima Road. The infrastructure investment forecast in the
next five years is estimated at $8 million dollars. As social partners in education, through you
Sir, we request government to also participate in this development.
High level of School drop outs:
There is a high level of students who qualify to enter tertiary institutions but are unable to do so
because of inability to raise school fees. Even amongst those we enrol a significant percentage of
them drop out due to lack of school fees. The Ministry should not only accelerate the education
loan scheme but also ensure that students in private tertiary institutions are also covered under
the arrangement. Government may also consider sponsoring students in private tertiary
institutions because like MBS many still have excess capacity whereas the public institutions are
heavily congested.
Hon Minister, I am fully aware that you are a very busy person and given the role you have
played in the education of this nation you must be on very high demand. I therefore want to
thank you most sincerely for having accepted to preside over this function. There is a lot of
dissatisfaction by employers with the education system in Uganda and many proposals have been
made by practitioners in the past. You are the new broom in the Ministry. Given your long time
experience and involvement in education, we are all anxiously praying and waiting for reforms
to improve the delivery of education particularly higher education. I thank the organisers of the
occasion and all the service providers who have made this occasion a success. I thank all of you,
distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen who have sacrificed time to be with us today. May
God bless you all, may God shower our granduands with his blessings, may God bless MBS,
may God bless Uganda.
For God and my Country.
Aloyius K. Ssemmanda
Chairman, Foundation Board