CIU MAGAZINE ISSUE 7

What does it mean to have a CIU DNA? CIU is fundamentally rooted in changing students’ lives. We are grooming future leaders who are changing their communities. It is in our DNA to lead without a title. It is in our DNA to innovate nuance ways of doing things. Our unique DNA can be seen in the way our alumni conduct themselves, and is the reason we have a 92% employment rate of our alumni in their fields of study. Our alumni are actively involved in almost all sectors and innovating the spaces they are in. They are Doctors, nurses, clinicians, public health specialists, politicians, army generals and many more. Our DNA is also very clearly

seen in our current students, staff and the leadership of the University. Our Vice

Nanyonga was appointed on the board of the Uganda Health Care Federation, whose aim is to promote affordable, quality health care in Uganda. In attempts to spread our DNA and build stronger community ties, CIU trained Boda Boda riders at the Bukasa stage, to lead without a title and avoid reckless accidents. We also donated reflector Jackets and Helmets to the boda boda riders. We continue to create great brand ambassadors who live out the CIU mission in demonstrable and courageous ways. They are solutions.

By Daphne Bukirwa

chancellor Prof. Rose Clarke

“

I am CIU “

you join the University it’s not only about the Masters, Degree, Diploma but to learn the value of community engagement and innovating by using the available resources to turn our community into a better place. And this is what CIU taught me. The Value of Volunteering”

“As

Uganda Nurses and Midwives Council at 100

Associate Prof.Rose Nanyonga Clarke Vice Chancellor, Clarke Internati onal University

In November this year, I was invited to deliver a talk at the Uganda Nurses and Midwives Council’s (UNMC) 100-year anniversary about the past, present, and future education of NM and implications for regulation. This was a monumental event, and as such, it was only fitting that we adopt a bidirectional lens: reflecting on the journey thus far—noting candidly its highs and lows—while looking to the future with hope, clarity, and purpose.

A little History: There is no doubt that NM education, regulation and practice in Uganda have progressed at a steady pace since 1922. Our journey has not been so different from other countries in that the core of NM (from the outset) was (and to many still is) considered a calling. From this perspective, the educational preparation was kept to basic vocational training to enable basic skills for ensuring patient comfort (food, service, bathing and toileting, laundry etc.) (Bvumbwe & Mtshali 2018). In the early 1900s, many countries progressed NM learning to college-based education which was supported by new standards and policies. Education institutions and NM scholars focused on curricular that resulted in the mastering of skills and competencies.

It has been 10 years since the Geneva Declaration adopted at the SIDIEF General Assembly encouraged countries to adopt the undergraduate program as the entry requirement for the nursing profession. Relatedly, the Plan for Action for scaling up nursing and midwifery education and practice for the African Region 2012-2022 also provided a framework for the World Health Organization (WHO) member states to ensure quality nursing and midwifery education and training. Perhaps it’s time to plan for the workforce with these key recommendations in mind.

Significant escalation of regulation and standards of care have further driven reforms in education, regulation and practice in the 21st century.

In our context, the UNMC, recognizing that regulation is a key enabler of growth in the NM profession, has strived to keep pace with changes in the health sector that directly impact the education, training, roles, scope, and overall standards for NM practice.

The initial Nurses, Midwives and Nursing Assistant Act was established in 1964. In 1996, the Act was revised to allow diversification of cadres (ULII, 1996). This critical update was subsequently followed with some reforms in the education and training of NM.

However, it still took Uganda over 71 1922-1993) years to introduce baccalaureate degrees in nursing. The present: Uganda currently sits at a cusp of opportunities and challenges in education, practice, and regulation. The country’s workforce (101,068 per UNMC data; includes 27,112 with expired licenses) is tipped to one end with the majority (70%) of NM at the Enrolled Nursing/Midwifery Certificate level, with a moderate number at diploma level (nearly 25%), and even fewer NM with baccalaureate degrees (2.3% BNS and 2.1 Bachelor of Science in Midwifery) (UNMC, 2022). Thus, while diversification in cadres has occurred, the new categories unearth complexities in defining practice standards and the scope of practice for each level. It does also raise concerns about whether the current portfolio of the workforce is what the country needs for a rapidly changing and complex health sector.

Looking to the Future: As we look to the next 10, 20 or 100 years, key questions that the UNMC and other relevant stakeholders must grapple with in terms of the overall improvement of the portfolio of the nursing and midwifery workforce include:

1. What is the future of healthcare in Uganda?

2. What are the critical health needs of our communities?

3. How do we position nurses and midwives (and other healthcare providers) to meet the health needs of the country?

4. What kind of Nurse/Midwife should we have now and in the future?

5. What level of training?

6. And how do we align our regulatory tools to match these aspirations?

NM operate in an increasingly complex work environment with multiple competing priorities. Answering these questions will inform the next strategic undertaking in aligning vocational and professional cadres and defining specific needs for education and training, regulation, and practice. And it will enable education institutions to tailor NM curricular to current and future demands placed on nurses and midwives so that the country consistently produces a workforce fit for purpose.

Key Domains of Competencies for current and future NM include but are not limited to

1. Quality and Safety: We mvust have a nurse/midwife who can drive the cost of care down while driving the safety and quality of care up.

2. Knowledge Development: We need a nurse/ midwife who is not just a consumer of knowledge for evidence-based practi ce; but can engage meaningfully in developing and disseminati ng nursing/midwifery knowledge and science through research and innovati on.

3. ICT in Health: We must have a nurse who is not averse to the uti lizati on and integrati on of informati on technology in the care/management of pati ents and preventi on of disease—but one who will run to it and readily embrace it.

4. Healthcare Reforms: We need a nurse/midwife who can lead the next generation of healthcare reforms

5. Business of Healthcare: Key factors driving healthcare reforms in Uganda include healthcare disparities, demographic shifts, dual burden of disease, resource scarcity and unsustainable costs of care, access issues, suboptimal outcomes, improvement in quality of care, fee-for-service systems, insurance-driven health systems etc. To be a major player in shaping healthcare reforms, we need a NM who understands the business of healthcare

6. Accountable: We need a nurse/midwife who is accountable for their own actions, while working autonomously, and as an equal partner within interdisciplinary teams

7. Visionary/Strategi Leader: We need a nurse/midwife who is strategic; can envision the future including understanding challenging environments, the burden of disease including NCDs, different modes of care, shifting demographics, innovation, rapidly evolving demographics etc.

8. Cultures of Health: We need a nurse/midwife who can lead the primary healthcare agenda and who is engaged in building a culture of health and developing effective nursing practices for eliminating gaps and disparities in health care.

9. Compassionate: And we need them to do all these things while remaining compassionate, evidence-based and person-centred.

10. Wellness: Above all we need a nurse/midwife whose well-being to execute these duties is highly prioritized in government budgets year after year for the next century (NAM, 2021)

In Sum: Nurses and midwives constitute the largest health workforce. From a business perspective, this strength also translates into the largest expenditure an issue that continues to plague the capacity of the profession to garner necessary investment and funding. This subsequently has an impact on the capacity to rigorously pursue the production of an efficient workforce with relevant competencies—a critical role of not just the nursing and midwifery education sector, but also the regulator (Bvumbwe & Mtshali, 2018).

Of note, it is important to rapidly address intractable challenges that continue to stand in the way of pragmatic strategies for advancing the nursing and midwifery agenda:

• To build on what the country has achieved so far and to drive future transformation, there is need to bolster strategic leadership at all levels.

• Transitioning from vocationally trained nurses and midwives (who are the majority) to basic and higher degrees requires innovative curricula, education investment and funding, and enabling regulation—these are critical ingredients. Past-century experiences of underinvestment in these groups of professionals will not yield the type of NM the country seeks to have.

• Documented critical shortages of regulatory staff need urgent attention

• There is need to address the continuing inadequate productive capacity of NM training institutions—including critical shortages of learning resources and investing in faculty development for nursing and midwifery education, training, and research (Mitchell et al., 2014).

• Nurses and midwives are part of the human capital development agenda for Uganda. A key group for achieving Universal Healthcare Coverage. If the country wants better, highly qualified (both in quantity and quality), efficient nurses and midwives, they must be empowered to practice to the full extent of their training. It is all going to take coordination, collaboration, and support. And I hope that as we reflect in this centennial, we can all make some commitments and engage in the required heavy lifting.

References

UNMC (2022). UNMC 100 years anniversary. November 2022. Centenary Magazine

Uganda Legal Information Institute (1996). Nurses and Midwives Act 1996. Accessed at https://old.ulii.org/ug/legislation/consolidated-act/274 Bvumbwe, T., & Mtshali, N. (2018). Nursing education challenges and solutions in Sub Saharan Africa: an integrative review. BMC nursing, 17(1), 1-11. Mitchell, A., Zuber, A., Quain, E., Hall, C. M., Foradori, L., & Lim, C. K. (2014). Building capacity of training institutions and Ministries of Health in sub-Saharan Africa: The PEPFAR approach. Annals of Global Health, 80(3).

STRENGTHENING RESEARCH CAPACITY: WHAT ARE WE DOING?

Research and innovation are at the heart of Clarke International University (CIU) and are embedded in its core principles and vision. As such, the institution is intentional in its agenda of growing its capacity through research and training. The School of Graduate Studies, Research and Innovation (SGSRI) leads the institution in driving its research agenda with a mindset aimed at attracting the involvement of all researchers and nurturing capacity for the upcoming/ young researchers. We look towards capacity training initiatives to enhance the available pool of research trained staff and seek to strengthen and widen the scope of collaborative research initiatives between CIU and the partner local and international institutions. The University has prioritized four (4) broad research areas considered relevant to our academic departments and community stakeholders. These include; public health research, health systems strengthening, clinical laboratory sciences and population ageing. All research that we engage in as an institution is guided by the institutional research policy. The university boasts of a comprehensive set of guidelines along which all research (done in solitude or in partnership with other institutions) is based. The policy which has just recently been updated provides a benchmark for our research work from study design to dissem-

ination of the study findings. The policy is aligned to students’ research goals and is forthright on such key issues as research examination, supervision and grading of student’s research among others. This has enabled us ensure that research conducted at the university is streamlined to match national and international standards. As part of the capacity development initiatives, the SGSRI research department organizes periodical research trainings as guided by identified learning needs. In this year (2022), our faculty, researchers and students have benefited from research training in building a research profile, scientific writing, grant search and proposal writing, research ethics, research methods and processes, research dissemination, graduate research supervision among others manuscript writing and 2; graduate supervision). In addition, the research department supports processes of writing proposals for funding and submission and trains in abstract and manuscript writing for upcoming researchers. We actively look out for opportuni-

ties for funding and dissemination including research grants, scholarships, conferences and continuously encourage and support staff and students to apply for these opportunities. The institution leverages partnerships to grow capacity in research, training and enabling of collaborative research. We have worked with both local and international institutional partners to pursue research and academic excellence. The partners we have worked with in the past and currently include: - Yale University, Queen's University, Belfast, Louise Herrington School of Nursing-Baylor University, University of Leeds, University of Southampton, University of Cambridge, Makerere University College of Health Sciences (MakCHS), Kabale University, Busitema University, ACHEST—The African center for Global Health and Social Transformation, Mbarara University for Science and Technology, Bwindi community Hospital, Share Uganda, Makerere University Joint AIDS Program and University of Kisubi. The Health Professionals Education and training for Strengthening the health system and services in Uganda (HEPISU) project, where CIU is a partner institution, has provided opportunities for faculty and student research training, and a number of our faculty and students have benefited from this training and

research support. As an institution, we strive to engage in research that promotes equity, influences policy and empowers populations. More recently, CIU has collaborated with Queen’s University, Belfast on an exploration study of the roles, responsibilities and support needs of Ugandan carer’s of chronic non-communicable disease patients. The study findings were disseminated to the Ugandan Ministry of Health (MoH) and various stakeholders CIU continues its partnership with Queen’s University, Belfast to co-produce a draft carer’s policy, based on the recommendations from the initial carers’ research. CIU prides in her Research and Ethics Committee (CIUREC) for its outstanding service in research ethics. Recently, CIUREC established partnership with the University of Kisubi (Unik to train and support the establishment of the Unik Research Ethics Committee (UNiKREC) to a fully accredited status (fig 4. Signing MoU). As a private and a growing academic institution, collaborations have been pivotal in strengthening our research capacity. Through these collaborations, we have been able to increase our research visibility through research publications and dissemination at various conferences.

In conclusion, as we purpose to lead, innovate and transform, the School of Graduate Studies, Research and Innovations realizes the urgent global need for quality research. It therefore pledges to continue supporting and advocating for the conduct of impactful research that promotes equity, influences policy and empowers populations. More importantly, the school purposes to build mentorship networks to nurture young researchers that will sustainably carry the institution through towards the achievement of the global research agenda.

By Dr. Catherine Lwanira

THE NEW FACE OF ICT AT CIU

By Lubanga Robert

We must all agree that in the recent past ICT has become the engine for innovative teaching, learning and research at Clarke International University and world over. Today, Clarke International University has become a model institution in adoption and utilization of technology for operational efficiency and innovation.

Since the start of COVID-19 pandemic, the ICT department has swiftly transformed how teaching and learning is delivered at CIU, helping the University to adopt to the rapid technological changes that have seen businesses transform from the traditional face-to-face interactions / communication to today’s Online teaching and learning using web conferencing solutions to conduct meetings/ classes and the use of automated services for efficient communication and decision making.

Integrated Systems Student Management Information System

In the Early 2022, we embarked on a journey we have always dreamed of, having a modern integrated student management Informati on system. Where all university routi ne processes such as online applicati ons processing, admissions, registrati ons, tuiti on payments through diff erent modes, Payroll, real ti me tuiti on updates, automated Exam cards, ID printi ng and Transcripts among other processes is what the new system will have to off er.

This will improve effi ciency of all the university’s business processes and delivery of services to our students, staff and other stakeholders, all done in line with the ICT Department as a key enabler for research.

We are already in the implementati on stage and our target is to have this system rolled out by January, tested and will be ready for use by the beginning of February.

What value will system integration bring to CIU

1. Efficiency gains.

Once you input data in one of the systems, you won’t have to re-enter it into other systems. That data should be shared programmati cally in ways that are more effi cient and less prone to errors from manual data entry.

2. Increased value from systems and solutions. When soluti ons can access more data, those soluti ons can provide more value. Our system will focus on retenti on and it is going to be most eff ecti ve when it is able to see an enti re picture of the student’s involvement in campus life using data that resides in multi ple systems.

3. Greater insights for our students, staff, and faculty.

Once we integrate our soluti ons, our users will access more data, get more complete views of their projects, and work at a higher level. It’s really all about the people who will be using this system and what data they will access. If our systems aren’t integrated, then somebody using our student system might not be able to access complete informati on about, say, a student’s admission for days or weeks. That person can’t do their job as eff ecti vely. Again, we will be driving more value, because our users will have real-ti me access to all the data they need—not just bits and pieces.

Fresher’s Ball 2022

Freshers Ball 2022, was the most colorful event at CIU this year. The annual event consisted of Mr. And Miss. CIU competi ti ons as well as a welcome party for the freshers. MTN pulse Uganda, was the event sponsor and really took the event to the next level. They set up an amazing stage, and had the students parti cipate in a number of acti viti es like board games, the 360 camera, dance competi ti ons and many more.

Mr. and Miss. CIU were tested on their intellectual abiliti es, confi dence and ability to represent their cultural heritage appropriately. All the parti cipants were brilliant, but Bumpenjje John Mary and Sarah Levi Wani came up on top taking the ti tles of MR. and Miss. CIU. The CIU guild were very acti ve in the preparati ons of the event and the event was very well att ended. Mr. and Miss. CIU will be ambassadors for the University across the country.

Mr.CIU Bumpenjje John Mary

Miss CIU Sarah Levi Wani

By Daphne Bukirwa

Miss CIU Sarah Levi Wani

DONATION OF NEW PCs AND PROJECTORS TO CIU

Recently, Mr. and Mrs Chuck Gordon of Russellville, Arkansas made a generous donation to CIU. The donation included 20 computers, 7 laptops, 8 projectors, 1 high-end server, a server rack press, and a CCTV system.

This generous gift will allow CIU to upgrade its ICT facilities, providing students with access to the latest technology and resources. The donation will have a lasting impact on the students and department at CIU, and we are deeply grateful to the Gordons for their continued support.

The upgraded ICT facilities will enhance the educational experience at CIU, providing students with the tools they need to succeed in today’s digital world. The addition of the high-end server and server rack press will ensure that CIU has the necessary backup and storage capacity to support its growing needs.

Mr. & Mrs Godorn’s is testament to their committment to enhancing education opportunities for health professional students at CIU and in Uganda. We are grateful for their generosity and support, and we look forward to working with them to continue improving the educational experience at CIU.

Strategic partners and friends of CIU remain crucial in enhancing our capacity to deliver accessible and quality educational experiences for all students. During Covid-19, approved emergency Open Distance and eLearning (ODeL) strategies bolstered the university’s capacity to foster continuity of learning during lock-down. With enhanced ICT infrastructure, the university will strive to ensure that ODeL remains an integral part of innovative strategies for structuring and delivering learning and teaching with the required rigor, coherence, and effective faculty and student engagement.

In a recently concluded 4th Annual Higher Education Conference, under the theme “Enhancement of teaching, learning, and assessment with ODeL in higher education” the majority of stakeholders agreed that distance education globally will remain an arena of innovation in higher education, and an incubator for conceptual and technological advances capable of strengthening teaching and learning in the country and at CIU. In her remarks at the conference, the Education and Sports Minister, Janet Kataaha Museveni said that “Through the Education and Sport Sector Strategic Plan 20212024/25, the ministry intends to strengthen ODEL by having it mainstreamed in all institutions of higher learning as well as the strategies that will ensure increased access to higher education

As noted, CIU recognises that education is rapidly changing and that eLearning will reshape teaching and learning in markets that are increasingly digitally driven. Preparing graduates that are market ready remains at the heart of what we do routinely.

Thank you to our sponsors for supporting these efforts.

FINISH EXCHANGE PROGRAM

Clarke International University has partnered with Health Africa Network for over 10 years. The Health Africa Network was founded by Finish teachers to promote higher education cooperation in Uganda, Kenya and Finland. In the last ten years, we have had our nursing students get the opportunity to study abroad for 3 months and in exchange CIU has hosted Finish students at the University and placed them at our different hospitals in Uganda for training. With the outbreak of COVID-19, we saw this exchange program paused indefinitely because of the restrictions in movement. This year however, with the lifting of travel restrictions, we were excited to be hosting 6 Finish students in the CIU Nursing program, and have two of our nursing students in their final year travel to Finland. Pricilla Asiimwe and Elizabeth Atim just completed their three months exchange at Lapland University of Applied Sciences in Kemi- Finland.

Our faculty also attended the international week at both Lapland University of Applied Sciencesvand Seinäjoki University of Applied Sciences in Finland. By participating in the International Week, we had the opportunity to meet colleagues from around the globe, network, teach and plan for future partnerships in the Nordic atmosphere. In addition, our students and staff experienced the nature of the cold but beautiful winter in Finland. Mrs. Wafula Elizabeth a senior nursing lecturer gave a presentation about maternal health in Uganda and Miss Claire Nankinga, also a lecturer in the school of nursing presented a paper on critical care nursing. We pride ourselves in these kinds of partnerships that are extremely rewarding for both our students and staff.

By Daphne Bukirwa

Claire Nankinga giving a presentation

Participants at the international week in Finland

Group picture with students after presentation

Finnish exchange students at CIU

Finnish exchange students with our staff Academic registrar, Mrs. Wafula & Ms. Daphne Bukirwa

LAST MILE SCHOLARSHIP TESTIMONIALS

Nkwanzi Peace Kaabahita, a second year student of diploma in clinical medicine.

Am a beneficiary of the CIU scholarship scheme with a futuristic desire to specialize in psychiatry. CIU gave me an entry point to not just a career but a passion that would enable me engage fully with health issues affecting my community. I desire to transform the face of mental health in the eyes of the public. For giving me a chance to dream again thank you CIU.

I am Nanyonjo Brenda, a CIU student in the second semester of the first year pursuing a Diploma in Clinical Medicine and Community Health. I hereby extend my heart felt gratitude towards the CIU management for giving me a chance to be able to continue with my studies through the scholarship which has been granted to me and other students who wouldn’t be able to be in school without your help.

Having obtained this scholarship, I’m going to be able to attend my lectures and do my exams with less difficulty and expect to be a clinician at the end of this course. I would also like to continue with my studies and make my dream of being a pediatrician come true.

Thank you again CIU,

The Road to charter still remains a great journey we still walk, Prof. Mawa Micheal Chief Principle Quality Assuarance and Qualification framework Inter-university council for East Africa gave us a Charter Mock Visit on the 6th of August this year and gave his views into better preparation for Charter

By Florence Githinji

OUTREACHES AT CIU

Clarke Internati onal University has had several outreach acti viti es this year 2022 and has managed to partner with several partner organisati ons to reach out to more schools and communiti es.

CIU partnered with Reach a Hand Uganda this year, so that young people in secondary schools can get to know more about the University and what it off ers. We engaged several schools including St. Elizabeth Nkoowe, Lowell Girls School, Elite High School, Naalya Secondary School. We also parti cipated in the Brave Girls Festi val, and Brave Girls Tournament, and we were able to create a CIU Girls Soccer team to this eff ect. We also parti cipated in career days of some of the schools including Masaka Secondary School.

Reach a Hand has gone ahead to see us as a valuable partner to contribute to their mandate as well as ours, and we parti cipated in the launch of their strategic plan for the next 5 years. We are excited about this partnership and look forward to a look term relati onship with them.

The diff erent insti tutes and schools within the University have also been able to parti cipate in several events including the School of Public Health which parti cipated in the Hepati ti s B 2-day event which was led by Ms. Alimah Komuhangi. Day 1 was an outreach for awareness in the community of Nakawa and the Day 2 the team att ended the scienti fi c symposium and the Dean of Public Health, John Alege made his contributi on at the symposium

Come 2023, we look forward to visiti ng more communiti es and schools as the country conti nues to discover the Clarke Internati onal University brand and the contributi on it is making in the Health and Business Industries.

By Julia Nansubuga

CIU wins International Computer Driving License (ICDL ) for Africa’s Best Practice 2022

The Internati onal Computer Driving License (ICDL) is a globally recognized certi fi cati on that provides individuals with the skills and knowledge necessary to use a computer and common computer applicati ons. The certi fi cati on is designed to give individuals a solid foundati on in computer literacy and is recognized by employers, educati onal insti tuti ons, and governments around the world.

The ICDL program is based on a set of internati onal standards that defi ne the core competencies required for computer use. The program covers a range of topics, including computer hardware, soft ware, operati ng systems, and common applicati ons such as word processing, spreadsheets, and presentati on soft ware.

To obtain the ICDL certi fi cati on, individuals must pass a series of exams that assess their knowledge and skills in each of the core competencies.

Clarke Internati onal University is an accredited testing centre, since 2017. The testi ng centre is under our School of Business and Applied Technologies.

The University has been running public classes online and currently has started partnering with corporate companies to contribute to the skilling gap in the market today. Standard Chartered Bank has been our fi rst corporate customer, because their current mandate is to give back to their customers by providing a digital upskilling program that will help them remain relevant in this fast-growing digital era. One of the key advantages of the ICDL certi fi cati on is that it is portable and recognized internati onally. This means that individuals who have obtained the certi fi cati on can use it to demonstrate their computer literacy skills to employers, educators, and governments regardless of where they are in the world. And got the opportunity to att end the ICDL Africa Forum, in Kigali. Themed: “In what way should African governments Leverage digital skills for the workforce to contribute to a knowledge -based economy?” where CIU got THE ICDL AFRICA BEST PRACTICE AWARD 2022 EDUCATION IN THE WHOLE OF AFRICA for the astoninishing work being done with in the country.

By Justus Nuwagaba & Julia Nansubuga

Justus Nuwagaba from our ICDL team recieving the award

CIU wins 1st Runner up Exhibitor Award at the 13th Blended National Council for Higher Education Institutions Exhibition

On the 13 th of September 2022, CIU participated in the 13th Blended National Council for Higher Education Institutions Exhibition at UMA show grounds Lugogo. The exhibition gives high school students in their final year, an opportunity to interact with institutions of higher education and get guidance on their options for further studies. The Theme this year was “Enhancement of teaching, learning and assessment with ODEL in higher education.”

During the exhibition, institutions displayed how they were using Open Distance and E-learning (ODEL) and CIU won 1 st runner up for best private institutions effectively implementing ODEL.

The guest of honor Hon. Tayebwa Thomas Deputy Speaker of Parliament encouraged the government to provide scholarships for students whose parents could not afford school fees. He also encouraged students to be hungry for success and to work hard for their goals.

By Daphne Bukirwa

Daphne handing over a package to Deputy speaker Thomas Tayebwa