RUKUNGIRI TECHNICAL INSTITUTE
OFFICILA LAUNCHING OF THE ICT CENTRE & COMMISSIONING OF GRADUATES
SATURDAY JUNE 14, 2008
PRINCIPAL’S SPEECH.
On behalf of Rukungiri Technical Institute, I wish to welcome our Guest of Honor Dr. Frank Byamugisha and your team, other invited Guests, and everybody present to this very important occasion when we are commissioning our students of 2007/2008 academic year – and also officially opening our ICT Centre. We are very grateful to God Almighty who has enabled all this to happen.
Our Guest of Honor Sir, Rukungiri Technical Institute is a mixed tertiary Institution offering vocational training to O’and A Level leavers in technical skills at Craft and Advanced levels.
We offer the following courses.
1. Carpentry & Joinery (C/J). 2. Block Laying & Concrete Practice (BCP).
3. Electrical Installation (EI) 4.Plumbing (PL). 5.Tailoring & Garment Cutting (T.C)
Our enrolment stands at 218 students
Females = 72 Males =146
Today we are commissioning 116 Students as follows:
CRAFT PART I DURATION 2 YEARS
| |
MALE |
FEMALE |
|
C/J |
4 |
NIL |
|
BCP |
27 |
NIL |
|
EI |
7 |
3 |
|
PL |
12 |
8 |
|
T.C |
NIL |
16 |
|
TOTAL |
50 |
27 |
CRAFT PART II (ADVANCED) DURATION 1 YEAR.
|
C/J |
6 |
1 |
|
BCP |
7 |
NIL |
|
EI II |
11 |
6 |
|
T.C |
NIL |
8 |
| |
24 |
15 |
Teaching Staff = 25
Non- Teaching staff = 10
Group employees = 10Total = 45
MISSION STATEMENT
To train Ugandan citizens to acquire Technical skills and expertise regardless of age, sex status or religious affiliation for advancement of Science and Technology for Industrialization Modernization and Self- reliance.
BRIEF HISTORY
Rukungiri Technical Institute was started in 1985 by North Kigezi Diocese as a Junior Technical school admitting P.7 leavers at that time. We are very grateful to our founders the church – for the insight to train the youth in Technical Skills for Self – reliance. We pledge to uphold your vision. The school was eventually taken over by Government of Uganda in 1995 and upgraded to a Technical Institute that it is at present.
We express our appreciation to the Gov’t of Uganda for the support it has rendered to our Institute throughout this period. This support has enabled Rukungiri technical institute to register improved academic performance year after year. As such Rukungiri Technical Institute has been selected for further development and expansion under ADB Project III.
Only 2 Technical Institutes were selected out of 45 in the country. Work on expansion is already in preparation stages and will be starting soon.
THE ICT CENTRE.
Our Guest of Honor Sir, we welcome you once again on this occasion when we are Inaugurating our ICT Centre which is a brain child of yourself and other members of ICOB (International Community of Banyakigezi).We wholeheartedly thank you for your vision of eradicating IT illiteracy at Rukungiri Technical Institute and other Institutions in former Kigezi.We are very privileged to be the 1st beneficiaries of your program and we hope other institutions will follow suit. Though we are inaugurating the project today, the ICT Centre has been in use since August 2007 when the Computers were delivered and the internet facility installed together with the Inverter system for power – backup.
We have already benefited in terms of
Ø
Internet Based Learning (Research).
Ø
Communication (E-mail Services).
Ø
Data Processing and Storage.
Ø
Secretarial work and printing.
Ø
News coverage, Entertainment etc
Ø
And above all acquisition of computer skills by both teaching and non teaching staff.
The whole Rukungiri Tech. Institute staff is now computer literate. Thanks to you ICOB.
On this note I wish to thank in a special way our Dear Bishop Dr. Edward Muhiima and Mr. A.Rutaro who were the overseers of the project. They participated successfully in the bidding process and selection of suppliers namely Nile Computers LTD for computers and Energy Plus for the inverter system. I wish also to thank Mr. Julius Niwamanya a Computer science graduate from Kyambogo University who assisted us in the installation process and also trained Rukungiri Tech Inst staff in computer skills. Last but not least I wish to introduce to you our Computer Lab
Attendant Mr. Alex Twesigye who is in charge of the facilities in the Lab and also trains Students in computer skills. Next academic year 2008/2009 we shall start evening classes in computer skills to the general public. Our Guest of Honor Sir, I do not wish to pre-empty your speech but I must thank you in advance for the good news you are again delivering to us of further supporting our Internet facility. We pledge full utilization of the ICT Centre by both students and staff to uplift academic standards of the institute. We feel this is the best way to express our gratitude and appreciation to ICOB.
RECENT ACHIEVEMENTS.
Our Guest of Honor Sir, and other guests present allow me to enlighten you on
Current affairs at the institute.
1. A good number of teaching staff have accessed Govt payroll.
2. Staff development programmes that encourage teachers to go for further studies for better service delivery and job security.
3. Enrolment female students is on the rise and are competing very well with male students in technical courses.
4. Academic-we are among the best performing Institute in the country .Most of our students are now passing with credits and some with distinctions.
5. Provision of accommodation to staff through self-help programme involving students and staff in construction of staff quarters.
6. Acquisition of Institute land title in preparation for ADB Project 111.
7. Acquisition of the ICT Centre.
CHALLENGES FACED BY THE INSTITUTE.
1. Negative attitude towards Technical Education.
We are still faced with the challenge of sensitizing the general public about the benefits of Technical education in national development. Whereby we train job –makers other than job-seekers
2. High cost of providing technical education.
We train practically not theoretically. This involves purchase of workshop tools, equipment, machinery and materials e.g. sand, Bricks, Cement, timber, pipes, Iron bars, sewing machines, cloth etc for efficient training a lot of capital has to be injected.
Our students cannot participate fully in extra- curricular activities. (Sports/Games), Industrial tours etc due to lack of mobility.
4. Rising costs -of transport, food and other commodities makes budgeting and running a nightmare.5. Uncomputerised staff -put a strain on internally generated resources (fees) which would otherwise be used for other purposes.6. Lack of Photocopier– to assist in printing of exams and other office work.
PARENTS.
I wish to extend my gratitude to the parents for entrusting us with your sons/ daughters for training. And also for the financial and moral support you render to our Institute. May God reward your efforts.
TO THE OUTGOING CANDIDATES.
We congratulate you for having endured to complete your courses in the various disciplines. We thank you for choosing Rukungiri technical institute for training and we hope we have met your expectations. We wish you success in the forth coming exams and encourage you to persevere up to the last moment. Success is on your way. We advise you to continue pursuing higher qualifications to be able to compete in the modern world.
Welcome to the world of work.
Ms. M. Rutaremwa
Principal
