By Eriah Lule
The Uganda Christian University (UCU) School of Education has officially launched its writing center in the Hamu Mukasa library.
The center will help students not only from the school of education but the entire student fraternity with their academic assignments in all aspects.
The Dean of the School of Education, Rev.Can. Assoc. Prof. Nassaka Olivia Bbanja, stated that the center is open not only to the university fraternity but also to the entire Ugandan community.
“We aiming to make this center a service center for the whole community interested in enhancing their writing.” She said, “We are very willing and interested in helping in developing the writing skills of the community.”
UCU, through the School of Education, received a donation of USD 10,000(18 million shillings) from The Muriel Trust Fund in the USA through Uganda Partners Organization for the cente’s establishment.
In an article published by the Uganda Partners website on May 13, 2022, that trek was accelerated with the late summer 2021 arrival of Prof. Tom Deans, American Fulbright Scholar in Uganda and Director of the University of Connecticut (USA) writing center.
In collaboration with UCU academic staff, he drafted a plan. The five-page plan talks about a “hub” where students and staff can get peer coaching. While reinforcing the value of all types of writing for various purposes, Deans commented in a November 2021 article that “students won’t grow as researchers unless they are writing papers that involve sustained research.”
Dr. James Busimba Taabu, the Head of the Department of Languages and Literature, remarked that the center’s primary targets are the undergraduate students missing out on the basics of writing and a center of research and postgraduate academic services.
“We intend to make a teaching facility with the idea of a publishing center for our work,” he said.
Hilda Twongeirwe, the Executive Director of Femrite Publications noted that let the writing center be the focal point of African literature so that we would best champion and celebrate African writing.
“Over time, we have pushed western writings and abandoned African writings; I hope the center becomes a platform to champion black men’s writing,” she said.
The Vice Chancellor, Assoc. Prof. Aaron Mushengyezi, officially launched the Writing Center.
According to him, the center is going to be used to give birth to other centers in other universities and promised a sum of USD 10,000 towards the operation of the center in the next academic year.
The event was graced by very many guests, including from Makerere University, Femrite Publications, and Bishop Senior Secondary School Mukono
