Emojong Osere
5 November 2008
Kampala — The dwindling academic standards in Ugandan universities should urgently be addressed if the country is to have a productive graduate population, with ideas sufficient to jack the current staggering economic growth.
Participants at an October 29 public debate organised by United Nations Development Program to discuss possible ways of ridding the population of poverty, said universities had failed to train students who think and contribute ideas necessary to front development.
Uganda Debt Network Executive Director, Prof Edward Kakonge, said the country is at the verge of slipping back in development with the current "unproductive" graduate population. "The problem with today's graduates is one," he told participants at the one-day event at Kampala's Imperial Royale Hotel.
"The majority of them dream of driving posh cars, constructing mansions and lead the most lavish kind of life."
"But they want all these things without taking time to thinking of how they come by." "You should not have poverty of ideas. Have the capacity to handle different kinds of jobs."
He said the current backslide in Ugandan University positions in intercontinental university rankings, evidently exhibits the lag in student creativity.
When Webometrics Ranking of World Universities released the 2008 global university positions in July, Ugandan institutions of higher learning, particularly Makerere, the most treasured university, had dropped dramatically.
The university was ranked 59th globally, 21 down from the position it enjoyed five years ago. The pronouncement triggered off a blame game with different stakeholders blaming one another for the reversion.
Adherents of the university administration have persistently associated the diminishing intellectual standards on government's laxity to provide sufficient funds to smoothly run the 86-year-old institution.
The university is still contemplating to abolish the student feeding program, as well as privatise halls of residence, if government does not bail it out by clearing the outstanding debts it's owed by food and scholastic material suppliers.
As part of an effort aimed at offsetting the insufficient funds hitch, the university council last semester resolved to increase functional fees. As a result, a new fund- Technology fee, amounting to Shs85,200 was introduced alongside development fee of Shs123,500.
The resolution culminated into a mini demonstration on October 31 led by Kenyan students protesting the decision.
International students were the most affected. Learning has also on various occasions been disrupted by internet service cuts. Internet plays a pivotal role in research.
On October 6, uganda telecom, the provider of internet to the campus, cut the service, disrupting studies.
According to the latest Auditor General's report for the year ending June 2007, Makerere has about Shs26.5 billion in arrears.
The telecommunications company, besides other creditors, owes the university a standing Shs200 million. It was only after negotiations between the university administrators and utl that the vital service was restored.
Makerere recently only received Shs43 billion from government, Shs91 billion in deficit of its 2008/ 09 budget.
The university Vice Chancellor, Prof. Livingstone Luboobi blamed the anomaly on students who do not clear their dues promptly.
It was the third time internet was cut at the campus. The university Bursar, Ben Byembabazi, while appearing before the parliamentary Committee on Social Affairs recently said the university was heavily indebted and could close prematurely.
"I know there are various factors that contribute to student success," Kakonge said. "But the effort put by students themselves is primary in realising this (success)." "During our days people used to get first class degrees even with the limited research material at their disposal. And they would marvelously perform in the field."
"I think it's just about attitude to boldly take challenges and work." However, Bugema University Vice Chancellor Prof Patrick Manu, in a different view, claims the low standards ought to be blamed on government, student unseriousness and lecturers who now engage in multiple money-making activities at the expense of teaching.
Manu, during the university's 14 graduation ceremony on November 2, said government must play the watchdog role by ensuring all public learning institutions were furnished with facilities to create a conducive learning environment for students.
He said students' success solely relies on the nature of the setting they study in. He, however, challenged the academic staff to ensure dedication in equipping students with sufficient knowledge necessary to propel the country to the path of development.
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