21 research outputs found

    Editorial

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    Education for Sustainable Development: Implications for University Managers, Government and the Private Sector in Uganda

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    Taking the case of Makerere University, this study delved into the rationale underlying university participation in development planning and steps that universities could take to enhance their partnership with government and the private sector. Data were collected from 381 respondents, who included academic staff , managers and student leaders at the University. The respondents suggested that the University should help the government in drawing and implementing development plans, adding that this could provide a means of overcoming its antagonistic relationship with the government. Regarding the steps the University could take to help government, they suggested that it could tailor its research and teaching programs to complement the latter’s efforts; restrain from partisan politics; include more government representatives on its committees; and mobilize private sector support for its programmes. Regarding government’s role in harnessing the University’s contribution to national development, the respondents suggested that government should respect the University’s autonomy as well as its members’ academic and democratic freedom. Finally, the respondents argued for university-private-sector-alignment, urging that the University partners with relevant private sector actors to design curricula and research programmes that, respectively, produce graduates and information that are demanded in the contemporary market. Key words: Higher education; Relevance; University managemen

    Foreign Students’ Perception of the Quality of Service Delivery in Ugandan Universities

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    Uganda is a top recipient of foreign university students in the East African region and derives several benefits from them. To sustain these benefits, universities in the country need to ensure that these students are satisfied with the quality of their service delivery. However, hitherto, research had not been conducted into the extent to which the students are satisfied with the quality of the universities’ service delivery. To fill this gap, this study delved into the extent to which the students are satisfied with the quality of their universities’ service delivery—to point the universities to areas requiring improvement if any. Starting with discussion of literature on the concept and measurement of quality in higher education, focus was put on the satisfactoriness of the quality of the universities’ teaching, library, ICT, recreation and health services—because the literature indicated that the universities are obligated to provide them and that students can validly express opinions on the extent to which their delivery is satisfactory. Data were collected from a sample of 775 foreign students drawn from two public universities and two private universities in the country. The findings were that the students are satisfied with most of the attributes of service delivery investigated. Nevertheless, the students in public universities were more satisfied than those from private universities. The students were also more satisfied with the quality of teaching, recreation and health services than with the quality of library and ICT services.Keywords: Study abroad; Quality assurance; Student service

    Human Resource Management Relate d Facto rs Affecting Performance among Part-time Academic Staff in Ugandan Public Universities

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    Part-time academic staff form a significant proportion of the academic staff force in Ugandan public universities. However, their performance is reportedly poor, despite the fact that they are comparable to their fulltime counterparts in terms of academic qualification and relevant work experience. Grounded on the propositions of Frame of Reference Theory, therefore, this study probed the impact of the way the part-time donsare managed, relative to their fulltime counterparts, on their performance. Data were collected, from a sample of 298 part-time academic staff, on how they are recruited, selected, appointed, deployed and compensated; and on the extent to which they would agree that these ways affect their performance. The findings were that majority of them were selected through their personal contacts in the respective universities; were notappointed by the universities’ directorates of human resources; were not given detailed job descriptions; were not usually given notice of meetings; and felt that their rewards are not equitable, relative to those of their fulltime counterparts, all of which have affected their performance. Thus, it is recommended that, to improve their part-timers’ performance, the universities should endeavour to depersonalize their appointment;provide them with detailed job descriptions; and align their rewards with those of their fulltime counterparts

    Ignoring Functionality as a Correlate of the Underutilization of Computer and Information Technology in Rwandan Higher Education Institutions

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    The world over, higher education institutions (HEIs) have invested heavily in the promotion of computer and information technology (CIT). Inmany HEIs in Sub-Saharan Africa, however, a disturbing dilemma pertains to the low adoption of the technologies, in spite of the enormity of the investment that the institutions have made in their promotion. Grounded on the propositions of the Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) model, this study examined whether this dilemma is due to the way the institutions invest in the promotion of the technologies, taking the case of three HEIs in Rwanda. Data were collected on the institutions’ expenditure on components of the TCO and the findings contrasted with documented experiences from CIT-savvy settings, to establish whether the institutions meet the TCO. The findings were that expenditure on the promotion of the technologies is skewed in disfavor of cost components that pertain to the functionality of the technologies. Overriding attention is put on acquisition of the technologies but this has led to underutilization of the CIT ware acquired. It was also found that the availability of CIT ware and personnel in the institutions is still inadequate, notwithstanding the bias of investment in CITs that is in favor of their acquisition. It is, therefore, concluded that while efforts to acquire CIT ware and personnel are still relevant, the managers of the institutions should also increase expenditure on training end-users; establishing end-user service desks; and repairing/replacing obsolete CIT equipment.Keywords: TCO; ICT adoption; Rwanda

    Suboptimal Utilisation of Resources in Sub-Saharan African Higher Education Institutions: the Case of Teaching Space at Makerere University

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    Many higher education institutions in Sub-Saharan Africa are underfunded.Consequently, they are operating with encumbering resources constraints that threaten quality assurance. Accordingly, they are working to expand the availability of these resources. Notwithstanding, it is taken for granted that once available, these resources are optimally utilized and that, in instances expanding their availability is not possible, compromising on some elements of the quality of higher education is inevitable. The problem is that this presumption could disguise inadequacies in the utilization of the resources, with the consequence that the institutions’ need for the resources is exaggerated. Preoccupation with expanding the availability of resources could also stifle the innovation of creative ways of making the best use of the resources available. This means that the institutions need to evaluate their utilization of these resources—to pinpoint their need for the resources and potential for quality assurance. This paper reports the findings of a study that responded to this need, taking the case of teaching space at Makerere University. The objective ofthe study was to verify the hypothesis that the University is teaching space constrained. The findings were that the resource is overly underutilized albeit this was disguised by occasional overutilization of the same space, a concomitance that only multidimensional evaluation could unearth. Accordingly, the study gives credence to the hypothesis that shortages of resources at the University, and similar institutions, are ostensible. Therefore, it is recommended that these institutions subject their utilization of resources to rigorous evaluation.Keywords · Resources management · Higher education funding · Educational administratio

    21st century research in urban WASH and health in sub-Saharan Africa: methods and outcomes in transition

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    Tackling global inequalities in access to Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) remains an urgent issue - 58% of annual diarrhoeal deaths are caused by inadequate WASH provision. A global context of increasing urbanisation, changing demographics and health transitions demands an understanding and impact of WASH on a broad set of health outcomes. We examine the literature, in terms of health outcomes, considering WASH access and interventions in urban sub-Saharan Africa from 2000 to 2017. Our review of studies which evaluate the effectiveness of specific WASH interventions, reveals an emphasis of WASH research on acute communicable diseases, particularly diarrhoeal diseases. In contrast, chronic communicable and non-communicable health outcomes were notable gaps in the literature as well as a lack of focus on cross-cutting issues, such as ageing, well-being and gender equality. We recommend a broader focus of WASH research and interventions in urban Africa to better reflect the demographic and health transitions happening. Abbreviations: CBA: Controlled Before and After; GSD: Government Service Delivery; IWDSSD: International Drinking-Water, Supply and Sanitation Decade (IDWSSD); KAP: Knowledge, Attitudes and Practices; IBD: Irritable Bowel Diseases; MDG: Millennium Development Goals; NTD: Neglected Tropical Diseases; PSSD: Private Sector Service Delivery; SDG: Sustainable Development Goals; SSA: Sub Saharan Africa; SODIS: Solar Disinfection System; STH: Soil Transmitted Helminths; RCT: Randomised Control Trial; WASH: Water Sanitation and Hygiene; WHO: World Health Organization

    Longitudinal evaluation of aflatoxin exposure in two cohorts in south-western Uganda

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    Aflatoxins (AF) are a group of mycotoxins. AF exposure causes acute and chronic adverse health effects such as aflatoxicosis and hepatocellular carcinoma in human populations, especially in the developing world. In this study, AF exposure was evaluated using archived serum samples from human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-seronegative participants from two cohort studies in south-western Uganda. AFB1-lysine (AFB-Lys) adduct levels were determined via HPLC fluorescence in a total of 713 serum samples from the General Population Cohort (GPC), covering eight time periods between 1989 and 2010. Overall, 90% (642/713) of the samples were positive for AFB-Lys and the median level was 1.58 pg mg(-1) albumin (range = 0.40-168 pg mg(-1) albumin). AFB-Lys adduct levels were also measured in a total of 374 serum samples from the Rakai Community Cohort Study (RCCS), across four time periods between 1999 and 2003. The averaged detection rate was 92.5% (346/374) and the median level was 1.18 pg mg(-1) albumin (range = 0.40-122.5 pg mg(-1) albumin). In the GPC study there were no statistically significant differences between demographic parameters, such as age, sex and level of education, and levels of serum AFB-Lys adduct. In the RCCS study, longitudinal analysis using generalised estimating equations revealed significant differences between the adduct levels and residential areas (p = 0.05) and occupations (p = 0.02). This study indicates that AF exposure in people in two populations in south-western Uganda is persistent and has not significantly changed over time. Data from one study, but not the other, indicated that agriculture workers and rural area residents had more AF exposure than those non-agricultural workers and non-rural area residents. These results suggest the need for further study of AF-induced human adverse health effects, especially the predominant diseases in the region

    Alternative Paths to Social Transformation in Sub-Saharan Africa: A Case for Poverty Alleviation Programmes by the Poor

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    This paper reviews and synthesises the findings of studies on poverty alleviation in the DRC, Kenya, Mozambique, Rwanda and Uganda to respond to two questions: why have some poverty alleviation programmes been more successful than others? What lessons for policy reform may be drawn from both the successful and less successful programmes? The findings were that: poverty alleviation programmes were more successful where the targeted poor were involved in the definition of poverty; and that many poverty alleviation programmes were implemented among/for people who did not perceive themselves as poor, and these tended to be ineffective. The paper presents and synthesises these findings, with the conclusion that they demonstrate a case for an ideological paradigmatic shift in the political economy of poverty and social transformation in the global south – from relegating the poor as passive consumers of poverty alleviation programmes to appreciating them as partners in the design of the programmes.Key words: poverty alleviation, social transformation, sub-Saharan Afric

    Financing sanitation and cost recovery in the slums of Dar es Salaam and Kampala

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    Improving sanitation for the poor requires better governance, more finance and mechanisms to generate revenue from sanitary facilities. There are a number of innovative approaches to sanitation in developing countries. Private pit latrines still provide 85% of the sanitation solutions for households in the slums of Dar es Salaam and Kampala. A distinction is made between household and shared toilets. Small scale entrepreneurs, Community Based Organizations (CBOs) and Nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) build maintain and sometimes empty usually shared sanitary facilities in a situation where the government is not able to provide sanitary services. Household level and private sector solutions are common in sanitation and can be encouraged. The repayment mechanisms in slums in the capitals of Tanzania and Uganda, the current mechanisms of financing sanitary facilities and recovering the cost using different governance structures are analyzed. Solutions are suggested based on the current practices. Governments could recognize the importance of what we call household level or private solutions and support them, for example by promoting more appropriate governance structures, cost recovery systems and reorganizing the emptying system to bring down the cost of emptying and involving small scale producers. It is recommended to promote more appropriate financing and governance mechanisms in the sanitation sector
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