Parliamentary Committee applauds the College HEET project buildings; construction reaches 83%

The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Education, Culture and Sports conducted a site visit at DUCE to inspect the construction project funded by the Higher Education for Economic Transformation (HEET) Project. The Committee, comprising 21 Members of Parliament, was led by its Chairperson, Hon. Husna Sekiboko.

Presenting a progress report on the construction, the College Principal, Prof. Stephen Maluka, stated that the project involves the construction of two buildings: the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences Building and the Postgraduate Studies Building. He said the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences Building has four lecture rooms, all with a capacity of 320 students at a time. In addition, the building will have four seminar rooms capable of accommodating 234 students.

Furthermore, Prof. Maluka noted that the Special Education Unit will use the building's first floor to improve service delivery to students with special needs and promote inclusive learning. The building will also house 15 offices for 37 staff members, as well as laboratories for Geography and Language studies. Furthermore, the building includes two lactation rooms.

Regarding the Postgraduate Studies Building, Prof. Maluka said it will include three science laboratories capable of accommodating 350 students. The building will also include one science workshop with a capacity of 100 students at a time. Moreover, there will be four seminar rooms and eight offices for 20 staff members. The building will also contain three lactation rooms.

Prof. Maluka further revealed that the overall construction progress of the two buildings has reached 83 per cent, and the project is expected to be completed in April 2026.

Speaking on behalf of the Parliamentary Committee, the Chairperson, Hon. Husna Sekiboko, expressed great satisfaction with the progress of the construction works being supervised by the College Management in collaboration with the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology. She stated that she had no doubt about the project's quality, noting that the construction is being overseen by professionals and inspected by the World Bank.

Of particular importance, the Minister for Education, Science and Technology, Prof. Adolf Mkenda, said that under the ongoing education reforms, specialised institutions, including DUCE, will be equipped with modern language laboratories. These facilities will help teachers and students develop language skills in English, French, Chinese, and other foreign languages.