Who is Dr Lawrence Muganga? Flash Uganda Media looks at his biography, age, early life, wife, education, family, kidnapped, nationality and academic career of the current Vice-Chancellor Victoria University Kampala Uganda.
Dr Lawrence Muganga is the Vice-Chancellor Victoria University Kampala Uganda, an Education Thought-Leader, Professor of Education, award-winning best-selling author, international curriculum speaker, and passionate about changing the education factory called the school in Uganda.
Dr Muganga has researched extensively and written about a cutting-edge educational paradigm titled Authentic Learning, this literary means an education that prepares learners for the real world by equipping them with real-life skills to handle life today and tomorrow.
He’s the author of “You can’t Make Fish Climb Trees: Overcoming Educational Malpractice through Authentic Learning” one of the bestselling books on Amazon and a must-read that provoked an international conversation about the ills of the education systems globally.
Muganga is one of the people spearheading efforts to rename the Rwandan community living in Uganda from Banyarwanda to ‘Bavandimwe’ claiming Banyarwanda are facing discrimination as far as obtaining passports, national ID, and access to other public services.
Early Life and Education
Dr Lawrence Muganga was born in Kyazanga Masaka District current Lwengo District and a Munyarwanda by ethnicity a recognized tribe in Uganda.
Muganga’s parents came to Uganda in the late 50s escaping the mass ethnic massacres that happened at the time. However, in 1994, his parents relocated to Rwanda.
He attended Makerere University Kampala from where he graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Social Science Economics and Rural Economy (1998-2001). Later, he proceeded with school at Makerere University from where he attained a Master’s Degree in Economic Policy Management (EPM), 2005-2007.
2011, IFSE Institute: Certificate Canadian Investment Fund Course (CIFC). Still, in 2011, he attended Georgia Brown College from where he obtained a Certificate in instructing adults (Teaching and Training).
2012-2018, Doctor of Philosophy (PhD.) Educational Administration and Leadership, Educational Policy Studies from the University of Alberta.
Dr Muganga as well attended Harvard University, Derek Bok Center for Teaching and Learning from where he attained a Higher Education Teaching Certificate. He attended military training in Gabiro and intelligence training in Kibuye present-day Karongi.
Work and Experience
Dr Muganga provides independent policy advice, analysis, clear and user friendly research work.
He earned a name in Canada, Ethiopia, and Rwanda as a result of his service and he’s very talented and skilled in identifying and explaining strategy issues, researching contentious issues and explaining complex policies.
Dr Muganga is much interested in human capital development and improving human life quality and his major focus is development, planning, implementation, policy assessment and research studies.
Here, Dr Muganga works hand in hand with think tanks, universities, policy institutes, multi-national development agencies, corporations, non-profit organizations, international aid organizations, education managers, administrators, leaders, policymakers, students, parents, community members, and governments to develop, implement and support Authentic Learning.
Muganga also renders support to curriculum experts, teaching facilitators, independent citizens searching for solutions to better the education system to deliver meaningful learning and trainers.
His advice is mainly focused on the urgency to equip learners with the skills needed to address challenges facing the 21st century.
Dr Muganga plans to create centres of education, innovation, set up modern schools, and restructure classrooms to make learning relevant to the real world as well as develop a common 21st Century language for teaching and learning.
He advocates for a revolutionized education model that would see learners’ individuality to empower them such that they traverse their future into real success and meaningful life. Dr Muganga draws information from research done by educational experts.
Dr Muganga worked as a Performance Management Specialist for 4 years and 10 months since Feb 2017, in Edmonton, Canada. Then from August 2014-Feb 2017, he served as Program and Policy Advisor still in Edmonton, Canada.
May 2013-May 2014, Dr Muganga worked as the Acting Executive Director at Edmonton Multicultural Coalition.
He’s best at creating solid partnerships and effective working relations between various communities and organizations to successfully develop and deliver capacity building, recreation and social support opportunities.
June 2012-December 2013, Dr Muganga served as the Program Manager in Edmonton, Canada leading, managing and implementing programs whose goal was to make Edmonton safe habitant, work, play for humans of all cultural backgrounds through the Multicultural Coalition in partnership with Edmonton Police Service (EPS), REACH Edmonton and City of Edmonton Community Services.
May 2011-August 2012, Dr Muganga served as Outreach Support Worker at Capital Region Housing Works Project, Edmonton Mennonite Centre Edmonton, Alberta Canada. While in December 2010-February 2011, Dr Muganga was a Language for Workplace Connection Trainee, Toronto, Canada.
April 2010-July 2014, Dr Muganga was the Senior Fellowship and Coordinator, Strategy and Competitiveness at Rwanda Institute of Administration and Management.
While in December 2007-July 2010, he was the Chairperson Board of Directors (Voluntary Work) at Rwanda Youth Network (RYN), Kigali Rwanda.
June 2007-June 2010, Assistant Lecturer Faculty of Economic Sciences at the Independent Institute of Lay Adventists of Kigali (INILAK), Kigali, Rwanda. While in March 2007-March 2010, Dr Muganga served as the Program Coordinator Public Sector Capacity Building Secretariat (PSCBS), Kigali Rwanda.
May 2006-July 2008, he was the Assistant Lecturer of Management and Economics at Kigali Institute of Management (KIM), Kigali Rwanda. While in November 2012-present, Dr Muganga is the Vice President Board of Governance Rwandese Canadian Community of Edmonton (RCCE), Alberta Canada.
October 2012-March 2013, he was the Strategic Advisor, Mentor and Motivational Speaker at the African Canadian Centre for Excellence (ACE), Edmonton Alberta, Canada.
March 2013-present, Dr Muganga worked as the Organization Strategic Advisor at Canadian Heart across Borders (CHAB), Alberta Canada.
Dr Muganga has skills in identifying and explaining complex policy and strategy issues and researching contentious issues. He once served as the mouthpiece of the Rwandan community in Uganda.
Currently, Dr Lawrence Muganga is the current Vice-Chancellor of Victoria University Kampala owned by Uganda’s tycoon, Sudhir Ruparelia.
Projects
December 2011-present, Capital Region Housing Works Program, a safe route to financial stability and independence for low-income earners in Alberta.
April 2010-Aug 2010, Capital Building to Reform RIAM, a reform process that provided a lifeline to this capacity enhancement agency.
April 2007-March 2010, Multi-Sector Capacity Building Program, an engine to sustainable capacity in Rwanda.
Skills and Expertise
- Teaching and Learning
- Pedagogy and Education
- Curriculum Development
- Experiential Learning
- Program Development
Publication
You can’t make “Fish Climb Trees”: Overcoming Educational Malpractice through Authentic Learning.
Articles
- teacher-centred vs. Student-Centered: Here are the ABCs of teaching to maximize students’ learning.
- The importance of Hermeneutic Theory in Understanding and Appreciating Interpretive Inquiry as a Methodology
- Authentic Learning in African Post-Secondary Education and the Creative Economy.
Thesis
Instructors’ Perceptions of Authentic Learning in the Pedagogical Approaches of Postsecondary Education in Sub-Saharan Africa
Centred Learning in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) but also discusses associated instructional approaches from the perspective of instructors.
Instructors’ Perceptions of Authentic Learning in the Pedagogical Approaches of Postsecondary Education in Sub-Saharan Africa: A case for Uganda.
Honours & Awards
- Muganga holds an award of the 2013 Rise Award, Edmonton Mennonite Center for Newcomers (EMCN).
- May 2013, he was awarded the Community Organizational Leadership Award Category, Edmonton Multicultural Coalition and Community Animators.
- May 2013, Dr Muganga received Alberta Crime Prevention Award, from Alberta Justice and Solicitor General.
Crime
Dr Lawrence Muganga, in October, got arrested in his office at Victoria University Kampala by armed plain-clothed security agencies in connection with espionage and illegal stay in Uganda under the watch of helpless private security guards manning the university building he was in.
Dr Muganga was then driven away in a drone van. In the charge sheet, Muganga was charged with an illegal stay in Uganda but later it emerged that Dr Muganga is a Ugandan holding a Ugandan National Identity Card.
He’s of Rwandan ethnicity, but legally a Ugandan since their tribe Banyarwanda is recognized in Uganda.
Family
Lawrence Muganga is married to Eve and together they are parents of seven children.
