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Uganda: Makerere Needs Creative Fund Drive
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New Vision (Kampala)
EDITORIAL
19 May 2008
Posted to the web 20 May 2008
Kampala
MAKERERE University last week hosted its alumni, old boys and girls, to a party. At the party, the university administration outlined to its alumni its dire need for funds and called for donations to help it tide over its current financial crisis.
The university is waiting in anxious hope for sh12b from the Government in order to stay open till June.
People on the outside looking in will be hard-pressed to understand how Makerere can be in financial dire straits. The Government contributes money to the university. Albeit insufficient amounts, these days, they have thousands of students paying billions in fees and as a proportion of all enrolled students, they have fewer students staying on campus.
Two things come to mind when explaining Makerere's predicament. First, the Act that governs Makerere needs a major overhaul. The Act, which was enacted in 1970 among other things, prohibits Makerere borrowing for development purposes.
The university with its relatively predictable cashflow situation could, if it was unfettered, borrow from the public to expand its facilities and improve its offerings. But borrowing from the public or a financial institution would depend on the quality of the institution's management, which events have shown to be clearly out of their depth.
Over the last 15 years not only has the university become more commercialised but the Government has lowered it as a priority in the national budget.
Despite this progression away from funding university education coming over nearly two decades, the management at Makerere seem to have been caught flat-footed.
Makerere has been variously flattered as the Oxford/Harvard University of Africa but a cursory examination of these vaunted universities administrations will show Makerere cannot hold a candle to them.
One of the first lessons of business is that money always follows good management.
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The Makerere brand is currently running on momentum and will be relegated to the history books like the ancient University at Timbuktu if its management is not revamped.
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