Education
ELP moves to deepen collaboration with NCHE on values-based student development
Challenges facing young people today require collective action from all stakeholders.
R-L (front row): Barbara Kaija, Vision Group Editor in Chief Prof. Okwakol, Denye, Dr Kagume and other officials pose for a photo after the meeting on Thursday. (Credit: Nelson Kiva)
By: Nelson Kiva, Journalist @New Vision
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The Emerging Leaders Programme (ELP) has moved to strengthen collaboration with the National Council for Higher Education (NCHE) as part of efforts to holistically promote student development in Uganda's universities.
A national values-based initiative, ELP is spearheaded by the First Lady and Minister of Education and Sports, Mrs Janet Kataaha Museveni and is implemented by Makerere University, Life Ministry Uganda, and the Global Leadership Summit.
During a strategic engagement held at the NCHE headquarters in Ntinda, Kampala, on Thursday, June 18, 2026, leaders from ELP and NCHE discussed avenues for integrating values-driven leadership, character formation, citizenship, mentorship and student wellbeing into higher education.
The move to pool efforts comes at a time when universities are increasingly grappling with challenges among students, including substance abuse, gambling, risky sexual behaviour, mental health struggles, identity crises and weakening mentorship systems.
For instance, a recent baseline study conducted at one of the universities in Uganda revealed that 78% of the respondents reported having engaged in sexual intercourse, with the median age of first sexual experience being 19 years.
The findings also indicated that about 30% of students drop out before completing university education, while many struggle with tuition challenges, social pressures, mental health difficulties and poverty.
The NCHE executive director, Prof. Mary Okwakol, accompanied by her deputy, Canon Dr Alex Kagume, and officials responsible for standards and quality assurance, welcomed the engagement, noting that it aligns with ongoing reforms aimed at transforming higher education through competence-based learning.
"In July last year, the First Lady and Minister of Education and Sports, Mrs Museveni, directed that all higher institutions of learning transition to competence-based education by the academic year 2027. As NCHE, we have developed standards and are aligning academic programmes to this framework," Okwakol said.
She added, "The next important conversation is how competence can intentionally include values, leadership, patriotism and character development. We need to engage more deeply and do whatever we can to advance this important initiative."
For instance, a recent baseline study conducted at one of the universities in Uganda revealed that 78% of the respondents reported having engaged in sexual intercourse, with the median age of first sexual experience being 19 years.
The findings also indicated that about 30% of students drop out before completing university education, while many struggle with tuition challenges, social pressures, mental health difficulties and poverty.
The NCHE executive director, Prof. Mary Okwakol, accompanied by her deputy, Canon Dr Alex Kagume, and officials responsible for standards and quality assurance, welcomed the engagement, noting that it aligns with ongoing reforms aimed at transforming higher education through competence-based learning.
"In July last year, the First Lady and Minister of Education and Sports, Mrs Museveni, directed that all higher institutions of learning transition to competence-based education by the academic year 2027. As NCHE, we have developed standards and are aligning academic programmes to this framework," Okwakol said.
She added, "The next important conversation is how competence can intentionally include values, leadership, patriotism and character development. We need to engage more deeply and do whatever we can to advance this important initiative."
Dr Kagume described the initiative as a timely intervention that seeks to restore the broader purpose of education.
"Wholesome education is what we used to have. Over the years, education became increasingly centred on knowledge alone, and more recently on skills. Yet the issues of the heart, values, character, identity and purpose have gradually been pushed to the margins," he said.
He added, "This intervention by the First Lady is therefore timely. It challenges us to recover a more holistic vision of education: one that develops both the mind and the person."
The two entities also discussed integrating leadership and character development into Uganda's competence-based education agenda through innovative approaches such as micro-credentials and flexible learning pathways.
Dr Vincent Ssembatya, NCHE's director for quality assurance, said universities must rethink how values and leadership competencies are nurtured and recognised.
"We need to rethink how values, discipline, character and leadership are taught, assessed and recognised within higher education. Traditional approaches alone may not be sufficient," he said.
He further stressed, "We may have to consider micro-credentials and other innovative approaches that recognise learning taking place through mentorship, leadership experiences, service and values-driven programmes."
Leading the ELP delegation, Barbara Kaija, who is the programme taskforce co-chairperson, said challenges facing young people today require collective action from all stakeholders.
"The challenges facing young people today are too complex for any one institution to solve alone. Universities, families, regulators, faith communities and national leaders must work together to intentionally form graduates who possess both competence and character. This is not simply an education agenda; it is a nation-building agenda," Kaija said.
Kaija was accompanied by the ELP programme director, Geoffrey Kalebbo Denye, and programme administrative officer, Julian Kanyesigye.
ELP seeks to raise values-driven leaders who are inspired to transform nations across generations.
According to Denye, the programme envisions reaching all 65 universities in Uganda and impacting more than 250,000 young people through leadership development, mentorship and character formation initiatives.
Its mission is anchored in nurturing competence, character, citizenship and leadership among students, complementing academic excellence with ethical and responsible conduct.
The programme's implementation framework is built around the SAFE model (Sexually-Fortified, Addiction-Free, Financially-Faithful and Education-Focused), which seeks to address some of the most pressing social and behavioural challenges facing young people.
The initiative is being implemented at Makerere and other universities, where university administrators say it has already demonstrated promising results in transforming student attitudes, behaviour and leadership potential.
Denye noted that countries across the world are increasingly recognising the importance of balancing academic achievement with character formation.
"Uganda is not starting from scratch. Around the world, universities are rediscovering that higher education is not only about producing workers; it is about shaping human beings," he said.
He cited countries like Singapore, Finland, Rwanda and the US where education systems have integrated citizenship, ethics, leadership and social-emotional learning into broader academic reforms.
"The global lesson is clear: competence and character are not competing goals; they are complementary. Uganda now has an opportunity to build a distinctly Ugandan model that develops graduates who are not only knowledgeable and employable, but also ethical, resilient, patriotic and committed to national transformation," Denye said.
"Wholesome education is what we used to have. Over the years, education became increasingly centred on knowledge alone, and more recently on skills. Yet the issues of the heart, values, character, identity and purpose have gradually been pushed to the margins," he said.
He added, "This intervention by the First Lady is therefore timely. It challenges us to recover a more holistic vision of education: one that develops both the mind and the person."
The two entities also discussed integrating leadership and character development into Uganda's competence-based education agenda through innovative approaches such as micro-credentials and flexible learning pathways.
Dr Vincent Ssembatya, NCHE's director for quality assurance, said universities must rethink how values and leadership competencies are nurtured and recognised.
"We need to rethink how values, discipline, character and leadership are taught, assessed and recognised within higher education. Traditional approaches alone may not be sufficient," he said.
He further stressed, "We may have to consider micro-credentials and other innovative approaches that recognise learning taking place through mentorship, leadership experiences, service and values-driven programmes."
Leading the ELP delegation, Barbara Kaija, who is the programme taskforce co-chairperson, said challenges facing young people today require collective action from all stakeholders.
"The challenges facing young people today are too complex for any one institution to solve alone. Universities, families, regulators, faith communities and national leaders must work together to intentionally form graduates who possess both competence and character. This is not simply an education agenda; it is a nation-building agenda," Kaija said.
Kaija was accompanied by the ELP programme director, Geoffrey Kalebbo Denye, and programme administrative officer, Julian Kanyesigye.
ELP seeks to raise values-driven leaders who are inspired to transform nations across generations.
According to Denye, the programme envisions reaching all 65 universities in Uganda and impacting more than 250,000 young people through leadership development, mentorship and character formation initiatives.
Its mission is anchored in nurturing competence, character, citizenship and leadership among students, complementing academic excellence with ethical and responsible conduct.
The programme's implementation framework is built around the SAFE model (Sexually-Fortified, Addiction-Free, Financially-Faithful and Education-Focused), which seeks to address some of the most pressing social and behavioural challenges facing young people.
The initiative is being implemented at Makerere and other universities, where university administrators say it has already demonstrated promising results in transforming student attitudes, behaviour and leadership potential.
Denye noted that countries across the world are increasingly recognising the importance of balancing academic achievement with character formation.
"Uganda is not starting from scratch. Around the world, universities are rediscovering that higher education is not only about producing workers; it is about shaping human beings," he said.
He cited countries like Singapore, Finland, Rwanda and the US where education systems have integrated citizenship, ethics, leadership and social-emotional learning into broader academic reforms.
"The global lesson is clear: competence and character are not competing goals; they are complementary. Uganda now has an opportunity to build a distinctly Ugandan model that develops graduates who are not only knowledgeable and employable, but also ethical, resilient, patriotic and committed to national transformation," Denye said.