University of Dar es Salaam Selects Gulu University’s Dr. Joseph Opul to Present at Refugee Education Seminar
The seminar, themed “The Contribution of Education in Fostering Resilience of Refugee Learners in Africa”, will bring together researchers, practitioners, and policymakers across East Africa to share findings and strategies aimed at improving educational access and psychological resilience among refugee children in primary schools.
Uganda Today: University of Dar es Salaam Selects Gulu University’s Dr. Joseph Opul to Present at Refugee Education Seminar
By Uganda Today Reporter | May 31, 2025
DAR ES SALAAM, TANZANIA — The University of Dar es Salaam has honored one of its own, Dr. Joseph Opul, a distinguished Ugandan educationist and senior lecturer in the Department of Educational Foundations at Gulu University’s Faculty of Education, by selecting him as a presenter at its high-level seminar scheduled for June 10, 2025.
The seminar, themed “The Contribution of Education in Fostering Resilience of Refugee Learners in Africa”, will bring together researchers, practitioners, and policymakers across East Africa to share findings and strategies aimed at improving educational access and psychological resilience among refugee children in primary schools.
Dr. Opul, an alumnus of the University of Dar es Salaam, is set to present a case study titled “Primary Education as a Pillar of Resilience: Experiences from Refugee Settlements in Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania.” His research provides an in-depth comparative analysis of how primary schools within refugee settlements in these three host countries are playing a transformative role not just in literacy and numeracy development, but also in healing trauma, rebuilding hope, and promoting social cohesion among displaced learners.
“I am deeply honored to return to the University of Dar es Salaam, this time as a contributor to a critical discourse on education and displacement in our region,” said Dr. Opul in a statement to Uganda Today. “Refugee learners face complex challenges, but schools remain powerful spaces of recovery, integration, and resilience when supported by informed policy and community engagement.”
The seminar is part of a broader regional initiative to integrate research-driven strategies into national education frameworks, particularly in contexts affected by conflict and forced migration. According to the UNHCR, Uganda, Kenya, and Tanzania collectively host over two million refugees, many of whom are school-age children living in temporary settlements.
Dr. Opul’s selection is also a nod to Uganda’s growing contribution to educational research and refugee policy innovation. Gulu University, located in northern Uganda—a region that has itself endured conflict—has steadily built a reputation for research addressing education in post-conflict and crisis-affected contexts.
Stakeholders attending the seminar will include education ministers, humanitarian actors, academic researchers, and representatives from regional bodies like the East African Community and the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD).
The event is expected to culminate in a set of policy recommendations aimed at reinforcing the role of inclusive and context-sensitive education in refugee settings. Dr. Opul’s paper will be among the keynote academic contributions shaping that agenda.
As the region grapples with the implications of forced displacement, scholars like Dr. Opul are positioning Ugandan academia at the heart of solutions—offering hope that through education, refugee children can reclaim their futures.
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