Makerere's CEDAT organises training for fundis, masons

The Vice Chancellor of Makerere University, Prof Barnabas Nawangwe has said that it is important that frontline people in the building industry are equipped with extra skills as on way of improving service delivery.

Nawangwe who is also an architect by profession made the remarks officiating the opening of two day training for Masons and Fundis which was organised by department of Architecture and Physical planning, College of Engineering Design, Art and Technology (CEDAT.

It was aimed at creating awareness among Masons and Fundis on the need to share scientific knowledge, ideas and new ways of construction drawing from the research experiences in the college.

Nawangwe said the training was timely because Fundis and Manson handle most of the construction in Uganda following a construction boon since the 1990s, advising them to learn to appreciate the drawings that show what needs to be done on sites and ensure that they are adhered unless advised otherwise.

He explained that these groups of people were every important people in the communities although they did not get the opportunity to get trained in technical institution but rather learnt on job.

Nawangwe urged the college and partners to devise means of extending the training country wide as one of the ways through which the university would transfer knowledge and offer community service in line with objective of being responsive to the needs of the communities.

The event which was the first of its kind attracted a number of stakeholders in the building industry.

They are: Uganda Clays Ltd, Hima Cement, Steel and Tube, The National Building Review Board, the National Physical Planning Board, Simba Cement and Kansai Plascon Paint.

Speaking at the same event, the Principal CEDAT Prof Henry Alinaitwe said as the university celebrates 100 years, the college is working towards realising the original objectives of the university which started as a technical college producing technicians.

The director at the Directorate of Industrial training (DIT) Ministry of Education and Sports Patrick Byakatonda while officiating at the closure of the training on February 11 2022 said the masons and Fundis were products of the self-teaching universities in the communities

"We believe that our students doing courses like Architecture had a lot to learn from the Fundis and that this would help them redress some of the challenges they face when they go out to the field of work with no practical experience," he said.

The training is the first step in the college's endeavour to set up a technical skilling and innovations centre at CEDAT with the objective of "vocationalising" university education.