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Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Gulu University will, in the 2025/2026 start conducting online studies under their Open Distance Electronic and Lifelong Learning-ODELL.
The ODELL program is part of an ambitious expansion plan by the University, aimed at meeting rising demand for higher education in Northern Uganda and beyond.
James Onono, the Communication Officer of Gulu University, said that the program will start as a pilot in this coming academic year, with students admitted for Bachelor of Education, Primary, an in-service study arrangement, where teachers study when pupils are on holiday.
Onono explained that although the program will start this year with the Bachelor of Education Primary, the university has a vision of ensuring that all the university programs gradually enter into e-learning, as the online infrastructure to facilitate such programs is put in place.
The university chose to initiate the ODELL program following several requests by students outside the sub-region and beyond, wanting to study at the university remotely.
The University hopes to increase enrolment by at least 5,000 in the coming years as the programs cover other courses. Currently, the University has more than 6,000 students.
The University’s Vice Chancellor, Prof. George Ladaah Openyjuru, said that once the implementation of the ODELL program will greatly support students from neighbouring countries like South Sudan and other East African countries to benefit from the services of Gulu University.
“This achievement will improve access to education and the well-being of our community.”
The ODELL department was officially launched by the Dean Faculty of Education and Humanities, who represented Deputy Vice Chancellor, Prof. David Okello Owiny, last week.
As the university prepares to mark 22 years since it was established in 2003, this expansion signals a new chapter in its mission to provide inclusive, affordable, and transformative education in Northern Uganda.
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