By Al-Khidr Abdul Baqi, IOL Correspondent

UGANDA, March 30, 2005 (IslamOnline.net) - The Islamic University in Uganda (IUIU) has been carrying out steady efforts to include modern applied and computer sciences into its educational curricula, in addition to religious and theoretical subjects, efforts that reflect the university's civilization contributions through out the African continent.

In a statement marking the university's celebrations of the graduation of its 12th batch of students, its rector, Dr. Ahmed Kawesa Sengendo, said the inclusion of modern sciences into the university's education curricula has born positive fruits on increasing the number of female graduates, which increased by 35% over the past year.

The celebrations were concluded Wednesday, March 29, after running for three days.

"The number of female graduates has increased by 35% over the past year to reach 890 graduates, while the number of male students reached about 1,792," Sengendo said in a statement marking the graduation ceremonies of a new batch of the university graduate.

The IUIU theoretical and religious faculties have been drawing mostly male students but after the inclusion of the modern sciences, female students have found more opportunities to join the university.

"The number of university graduates also increased this year by 10% to reach 2682 from 15 African countries; Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, Malawi, South Africa, Burundi, Eritrea, Somalia, Ethiopia, Sudan, Cameron, Nigeria, Ghana, Sierra Leone and Mali," Sengendo stressed.

The Islamic University in Uganda is located in the city of Mbali, eastern Uganda.

Expansion

The Islamic University has carried out an expansion program over the past years to establish new faculties tackling new education fields.

The faculties of literature and social sciences, administrative sciences and natural sciences were set up in the university, in addition to two centers for post-graduate studies and professional training.

The Islamic University also introduced new specifications on the management of human resources development, project planning and computer sciences.

"The expansion in the University activities over the past years reflect the civilization role played by the IUIU," said Sengendo.

He further stressed that such activities go beyond efforts to disseminate the religious and Arabic knowledge to the fields of managing human resources.

"That is why the IUIU is different from other other Islamic universities in the continent."

The Islamic University also introduced a project to establish an integrated farm in the Jammy village, Pallisa county, to enhance government agricultural policies.

The University is planning to turn the farm into a faculty for agriculture and veterinary medicine.

The Islamic University in Uganda was established by a decision of the Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC), with the ultimate goal of promoting the Islamic culture in Africa.

The study in the University began in February 1988, with only two faculties for the Islamic studies and the Arabic language.

Islam entered Uganda in 1844 thanks to Muslim merchants from Egypt, Sudan and Muslims from neighboring Kenya.

Many people embraced the religion at the time, but atheistic tribe chiefs and their followers accepted Christianity after the British occupation in 1870, leaving Muslims a minority in the country.

Today, Roman Catholics make up 33 percent of the country's some 27 million population, Protestant 33 percent, Muslims 16 percent, while 18 percent believe in traditional man-made beliefs, according to the CIA's World Fact Book.