Trash Outdated Education, Plug Into AI Or Be Powered Out: Dr. Muganga’s Full Speech at Victoria University’s 9th Graduation Ceremony”

By Frank Kamuntu

In his speech on Tuesday, during Victoria University’s 9th Graduation Ceremony held at Speke Resort Munyonyo, Vice Chancellor, Dr. Lawrence Muganga, urged graduates to embrace artificial intelligence, lifelong learning, and practical skills to stay competitive in a rapidly changing world. He highlighted the importance of competency-based education, AI literacy, and partnerships that link learning to real-world impact. He also called on government, industry, and academia to work together to prepare youth for the emerging global economy.

Below is the full speech delivered by Dr. Lawrence Muganga, Vice Chancellor of Victoria University:

Office of the Vice Chancellor
REF: OVC/GR/2025

ADDRESS BY THE VICE CHANCELLOR, DR. LAWRENCE MUGANGA, AT THE 9TH GRADUATION CEREMONY OF VICTORIA UNIVERSITY, HELD AT THE SPEKE RESORT CONFERENCE CENTRE, MUNYONYO, 28 OCTOBER 2025

Mr. Chancellor Sir,
Your Majesty, the Isebantu, Kyabazinga of Busoga, William Gabula Nadiope IV,
The Chairperson and Members of the Board of Directors
Senior Government Officials
Members of Parliament
Our Guest Speaker
Industry Leaders
Distinguished Invited Guests
The Chairperson and Members of the University Council
Senators
Management and Staff
Your Excellency, the Guild President and Cabinet
Students
Ladies and Gentlemen.

Good morning,

A very warm welcome to a day of pride, promise, and possibility. Today is not only a ceremony; it is a launchpad. It is the moment when years of hard work become visible courage, when learning becomes livelihood, and when families, mentors, and graduates see what is truly possible. To every graduate, every parent, every faculty member, and every partner who believed, thank you for making this day real.

Gratitude to our Chancellor
Mr. Chancellor Sir, thank you for steady leadership and the clarity of purpose that guides this University. Your vision continues to anchor our mission to transform society through excellence in education, research, and innovation. Your unwavering support strengthens our resolve and inspires our community. Thank you for leading with wisdom and heart.

Honouring our Guest of Honour and Keynote Speaker
Your Majesty, Kyabazinga of Busoga, we are deeply honoured by your gracious presence. Your belief in the power of education to uplift families and shape national destiny is a beacon to our graduates and to us all. Thank you for standing with the cause of learning and opportunity.
To our Keynote Speaker, thank you for accepting our invitation and for sharing your experience with our community. Your insights will light the path our graduates begin to walk today. We are grateful for your time and your example.

Opening stories of victory
At Acorns International School, one of our students Ms. Shamim Nantongo finished school practice in April 2025 and was offered a full-time job before graduation because her classroom performance and project leadership were undeniable from day one. She could plan lessons, assess learning, and co-lead initiatives with confidence. Shamim joined Victoria University to grow in her career. She studied while working, applied new skills each week, earned trust, and earned a promotion. Her colleagues followed her example because results were clear. This is the power of experiential learning and Competency-Based Learning. It makes you work ready on Monday, not just qualified on paper by Friday.
One of Ms. Nantongo’s colleagues completed a Master’s program with us and emerged as the best Master’s student. Thank you, Acorns International School and Head of Primary, Ms. Shallon Baguma, for creating an environment where students and employees can study, work, and thrive.
The story of Nambafu Grace shines just as brightly. She came to Victoria University dreaming of journalism and now works at Next Media because she trained in real studios, on real deadlines, producing real stories. Competence was measured by output. When learners touch the real world early, the real world opens its doors early. Thank you, Next Media Group, and Thank you Mr. Kin Kalisa.

Why this moment matters
The world is changing faster than many curricula can adjust. The right question is not Do you have a degree. The right question is Can you deliver on day one.
Uganda has a large youth population ready for higher education, yet only a fraction enrols each year. Millions of talented young people need accessible pathways to practical skills. This is a national risk and a national opportunity.
Technology moves faster than slow course changes. We cannot run a system that takes years to add what industry adds every week. That is why Victoria University embeds AI training in every program for every student at no cost. If AI is the new electricity of work, AI fluency must be the new reading and writing.

The jobs reality
By 2030, about 170M new roles will emerge worldwide while about 92M roles will fade. The question is simple. Are we educating for the roles that are opening or the roles that are disappearing?
Investment in AI is historic and reshaping data centers, software, infrastructure, and products across every sector. Capital is betting on intelligence in every workflow. Education must keep pace.
Many countries are moving with national AI strategies. Africa has an opportunity to leap forward by aligning policy, funding, and skills. Where strategy is thin, skills must be strong.

Plain talk about AI and learning
The world is moving from narrow AI toward more general systems. Whether or not timelines prove exact, the wise response is clear. Build adaptive talent, modular curriculum, and work integrated learning so people grow with smart tools, not against them.
At Victoria University we choose speed with care. We use platforms that update content in hours. We deploy virtual labs so many students can practice safely, repeatedly, and at scale, with clear tracking of competence. This is how we make students ready for tomorrow’s work.

Our commitment and partnerships
Our model is simple. Every student receives AI literacy. Every program embeds practical learning. Assessment is based on real tasks and real deliverables. Flexible study modes let professionals learn without pausing their careers.
Any university must show impact beyond its gates. That is why we are partnering with His Majesty, the Isebantu Kyabazinga of Busoga, and the people of Busoga to bring meaningful education closer to the youth of the region. We have provided rich learning opportunities in form of scholarships through His Majesty and we are grateful for this collaboration.
Together with the King’s office, we will run financial literacy programs for the youth of Busoga. Learn to earn, budget, save, invest, and build resilient livelihoods. Skill without stewardship leaks. With stewardship, skill becomes stability and growth.

A moment of urgency
If you are not using AI in your daily learning, your role is at risk. If your organization delays adoption to next term, your processes will fall behind. If universities keep slow update cycles, graduates will have beautiful transcripts and shallow readiness. The market will be merciless.
Uganda must invest wisely and measure outcomes that matter. Each shilling should move a student from theory to competence, from competence to employment, and from employment to enterprise.
Our youth bulge can become pressure or power. Without pathways, it weighs us down. With pathways, it lifts us up. Expand higher education and flexible skilling at scale and we unlock a historic dividend.

Clear actions for each group

To our graduates
Build a 12-week plan. Each week, create something you can show. A prototype, a policy brief, a campaign, a data analysis, or a micro credential. Employers hire evidence, not claims.
Treat AI as a teammate. Use it to draft, check, simulate, analyse, and design. Then add your judgment and integrity. The best paid roles blend smart tools with wise decisions.

To parents and families
The learning contract continues after graduation. Ask every quarter what new skill your graduate mastered and what they built with it. Move the question from Are you employed to What can you do now that you could not do last quarter.
Support certificates and micro credentials alongside degrees so skills stay current. The market pays for currency, not only credentials.

To faculty and staff
Shift assessments toward performance. Fewer essays about practice. More deliverables from practice. Use rubrics that measure mastery and transfer, not recall.
Update content in short cycles. Bring in employers to critique student work so feedback is aligned with the market.

To universities
Build curriculum pipelines that refresh in hours and weeks, not years. Use shared digital assets and virtual labs to scale access and reduce time to update.
Make work integrated learning universal and credit bearing. Measure and publish outcomes in enrolment, completion, employability, and entrepreneurship. Transparency drives quality.

To government and regulators
Maintain and deepen the Competency-Based directive. It is the right call. Match it with financing, standards, and faculty upskilling so policy becomes performance.
Develop national and regional AI strategies and link support to employability and productivity metrics. Make Uganda a producer of intelligent tools and talent.

To the private sector
Co design curricula and capstones with us. Provide real datasets, real briefs, and real feedback. Hire early from internship pipelines where competence is proven.
Sponsor reskilling for current staff. A large share of skills will change this decade. The best retention strategy is upskilling at speed and at scale.

To our partners in Busoga
Identify priority sectors such as education, health, Agro value addition, tourism, and digital services. Stand up modular training that feeds directly into jobs and micro enterprises. Scholarships are seeds. Programs are the harvest.
Pair financial literacy with digital skills and entrepreneurship so young people can turn learning into income within one quarter.

Our promise at Victoria University
Universal AI literacy in every program, free to all students.
Experiential learning as the default so competence is visible before graduation.
Curriculum that updates quickly through digital assets and virtual labs.
Flexible delivery on campus, online, and blended to serve learners where they are.
Partnerships that take education to the people and export our best practices to the world.

Gratitude and charge
To His Majesty, the Isebantu Kyabazinga of Busoga, thank you for your leadership and partnership. Together we will bring meaningful education closer to the youth, and we will measure progress by livelihoods, not intentions.
To the Council, Board, Senate, faculty, and staff, thank you for building the systems that make this day possible.

Final call to the class of 2025
Graduates, stand tall. Your learning has been tested in real settings. Your tools include intelligent systems. Your mindset is adaptive. Go where the problems are. Work with humility and urgency. Measure progress by the value you create for others. Keep learning every week and the 170,000,000 new roles will not be headlines. They will be open doors with your names on them. Congratulations, Class of 2025.