John Mary Vianney Mitana, PhD

John is the Founder and Executive Director of JM Education and Research Centre (JMERC), Kampala –Uganda.  Prior to founding JMERC, John was the Principal at Luigi Giussani Institute of Higher Education (LGIHE) since its formal recognition as an institution of higher learning from 2014 to December 2021. John is an adaptive leader and an ardent lover of continuous professional learning and improvement, particularly for teachers and school leaders. He has research in educational leadership, gender in education, teacher education and professionalism, contextualization and decolonization of education in Africa, and assessment and development of social and emotional skills.  John holds a Ph.D. in Education (Makerere University), an M.A. in Education Leadership (Walsh University), and a B.A in Education (Makerere University).

He was elected as a Co-Lead for RELI-Uganda in November 2023.  As a researcher, he envisions strengthening RELI’s role in contributing to evidence for policy dialogue and advocacy. As a professional teacher, he also has a keen interest in developing teacher capacity for quality teaching and learning so that every child in Uganda can learn, achieve, and thrive.