The fourth industrial revolution will be at the centre of discussion as the National Council for Higher Education holds its annual conference this year, officials have said.
According to Dr. Robert Ayine, the Senior Higher Education Officer of the NCHE, the conference will attract several players in the higher education sector and how to incorporate artificial intelligence.
“The conference will bring together different actors in the sector to discuss a common platform on how to prepare the Ugandan human capital for the fourth industrial revolution,”Ayine told the Nile Post.
This fourth industrial revolution is characterized by a fusion of technologies that is blurring the lines between the physical, digital, and biological spheres which are referred to as cyber-physical systems in ways that are fundamentally altering every aspect of society.
Last year, President Museveni inaugurated a 32- member team of experts drawn from different fields to champion Uganda’s journey to the fourth industrial revolution.
The team under the Ministry of Information and Communications Technology will study the current trends in ICT and industrial innovations and advise the government on how to move forward.
According to Ayine, it is time for every sector in the country to adopt the fourth industrial revolution, the higher education sector inclusive.
“The fourth industrial revolution is a stage that can never be resisted. It is an evolution stage in development and it is not about whether Uganda needs it or not. You either embrace it or you are left out,” the Senior Higher Education Officer of the NCHE said.
He noted that the Education Minister, Janet Kataaha Museveni will grace the conference set for next week whereas other people from institutions of higher learning, private sector and the taskforce on the industrial revolution have also been invited.
