Uganda

Types of —Public & Private: In Uganda postsecondary or higher education refers to education that is post-"A" level. Only students who have successfully completed "A" levels and passed their Uganda Advanced Certificate of Education are eligible to enter postsecondary institutions of higher education. Publicly supported institutions are of three types; autonomous universities, institutions run by the Ministry of Education, and institutes administered by the Public Service Commission. Makerere University and Mbarara University of Science and Technology are autonomous universities. The Institute of Teacher Education, the Uganda Polytechnic, the National College of Business, four technical colleges, five colleges of commerce, and 10 national teachers colleges are administered by the Ministry of Education. The Institute of Public Administration, the Uganda Law Development Center, the School of Radiography, the School of Medical Laboratory Technology, the School of Psyciotheraphy, four agricultural colleges, the Fisheries Training Institute, two veterinary training institutes, Kigumba Cooperative College, the Soroti Flying School and 10 paramedical schools are all administered by the Public Service Commission. These are all considered postsecondary institutions of higher education in Uganda.

Makere University is the oldest university in East Africa. It was founded by the British Colonial Office in 1922 to train "talented natives" for subordinate jobs in the colonial civil service. Until 1950 Makerere was the only publicly funded university in all of East Africa. It achieved full university status in 1970.

Uganda's private institutions of higher education include the Islamic University at Mbale, the Mbarara University of Science and Technology, Bishop Tucker Theological College (Anglican), Bugema Adventist College, the College of Tertiary Studies (Anglican), Chartered Institute of Bankers, Nkumba College of Commerce, and the Catholic National Seminaries (three). These institutions have separate charters and often receive substantial external funding.

Admission Procedures: Admission to Uganda's universities and institutions of higher education is based upon passing the Uganda Advanced Certificate of Education. "High pass" is the ideal. A student who is over 25 years of age may apply for admission based upon "mature entry admissions." Such students must have completed "A" levels. Students who have completed diploma and certificate courses are also eligible for admission. If a student has completed four years of teacher training then they can apply for admission to Makerere's School of Education or its Institute of Education. The same general admissions qualifications apply for other institutions of higher education but admissions standards are less rigorous.

Administration: In 1970 an act of Parliament established Makeree as Uganda's first university. The head of Makerere University and Mbarara University is known as the chancellor, who is also the de facto head of state, Yoweri Kaguta Museveni. The executive head of universities is known as the vice chancellor, who administers the institution on a daily basis. The chancellor is the ceremonial head and usually is only seen on campus at graduation when he awards degrees. Many private institutions are headed by rectors, including the Islamic University and the Catholic National Seminaries. Each faculty within a university is headed by a dean, while departments have either heads who are appointed by deans or directors who are elected by their faculty. Faculty boards or councils are the highest governing bodies in the administration of schools, institutes, or faculty. The boards set standards for teaching, research, curriculum development, and student admissions. Nonuniversity institutions are headed by principals or directors who manage their institutions in accordance with policy guidelines formulated by their board of governors.

In most universities and institutes committees are popular methods of self-governance. They are democratic and insure that work is completed efficiently. Along with staff associations, workers committees, student unions, and faculty senates, they help run such institutions.

Enrollment: In 1965 Uganda had 888 students enrolled in Makerere University and about 1,000 students enrolled in other institutions of higher education. This number climbed to 2,581 students at Makerere by 1970 and well over 1,000 at other institutions. By 1980 Makerere had 4,045 students enrolled and other institutions of higher learning had enrollments in excess of 3,000. Impressive gains occurred in 1991 when Uganda enrolled 17,578 students in postsecondary institutions of higher education. An estimated 28 percent of these students were females. As late as 1998, Uganda's enrollment in universities and institutions of higher education had doubled to 34,773 (UNESCO 2000). Female enrollment had moved up to 33 percent of total student enrollment.

Finance: Students who are nationals pay nothing, government covers all of their costs and meets their pocket money requirements and transportation costs as well as boarding expenses. Since the Ministry of Education covers administrator salaries, staff salaries, and faculty salaries as well as building and maintenance costs, each university must submit an annual budget estimate to the Ministry of Finance. In 1991, estimated unit costs per student were 80,000 Uganda shillings ($US 500) per year at Makerere University. Makerere's recurrent expenditures for 1991 were $US 12 million. The library's budget accounted for 3 percent of this and 5 percent was devoted to research. Foreign students account for 1 percent of total student enrollment and are charged $US 6,000 per year. Most are refugees whose expenses are paid by the United Nations. For foreign Ph.D. candidates it cost between $US 5,000 and $US 7,000 per year. This total does not cover the costs of research or equipment, travel, accommodation, or related expenses, which could easily double these figures.

Courses, Semesters, & Diplomas: It normally takes three years to earn a bachelors degree at any East African university, Makerere University and Mbarara University are no exceptions. Degrees in medicine and veterinary science take five years to complete, and engineering requires four years. Academic years begin October 1 and end on June 30, or August 30 for four term courses. During the first year of study each student must take and pass three subjects before being allowed to advance to their second year of coursework. Lectures, discussions, and laboratories are supplemented with tutorials and library studies, research, and practical training. Undergraduate students have facilities for relaxation, sports facilities, chaplaincies, health care, and opportunities to participate in student government and social clubs. First degrees are offered in fields such as medicine, law, dentistry, veterinary science, agriculture, engineering, commerce, statistics, social work, forestry, philosophy, political science, anthropology, sociology, geography, literature, public administration, economics, music, dance, drama, fine art, physics, chemistry, biology, zoology, environmental studies, mathematics, and computer science, as well as languages (English, French, German, Russian, Swahili, Luganda, and Lingala).

Students can earn either a degree, such as a bachelor's degree, master's degree, or Ph.D., or a diploma or certificate. Certificate courses include adult education and library science, which take one year to complete. Two-year diploma courses are available in library science, music, dance, and drama. The Islamic University offers bachelor's degrees in Islamic studies, education, and medicine. Mbarara University of Science and Technology awards degrees in development studies, education, medicine, and applied science. The Institute of Teacher Education at Kyambogo awards diplomas in education to teachers who complete a two-year course. Uganda's many institutes award either certificates or diplomas depending upon the duration of coursework.

Postgraduate & Professional Training: Most master's degree candidates must meet residency requirements, take required courses, and write a master's thesis based upon original research. Doctoral degree programs also have residency and minimum coursework requirements, as well as a dissertation based upon original research. Students must satisfy their internal review committees and external examiners that they have mastered their subject. The M.D. and/or Ch.M. degree is awarded after completing one year of study beyond the bachelor's of science degree, and the doctorate of literature (D. Lit.) and D.Sc. are awarded after publication of work. For Ugandans, fees for tuition, research, and accommodations are free. Foreign students are required to pay annual tuition and fees, plus pay for research and dissertation, as well as accommodation costs separately.

Foreign Students: The Islamic University's charter mandates that 50 percent of its students must be foreign, principally from English-speaking African states. Foreign students accounted for 1 percent of all students enrolled in institutions of higher education in 1999. Most foreign students attended Makerere University and many were sponsored by their home governments, the United Nations High Commission for Refugees, or the Inter-University Student Exchange Program.

Students Abroad: Many Ugandan students attend universities in the United States and England. Most years approximately 1,000 students study abroad. India, Australia, Saudi Arabia, Germany, and Canada offer Ugandan students opportunities to complete university degrees in growing numbers. In the past, Russia, China, and Japan have also helped educate Ugandans for higher level occupations. Neighboring nations such as Kenya, Tanzania, and Ethiopia, as well as Libya and Egypt, also train Ugandans.

Libraries: Uganda has plans for library expansion. In 1993 there were five libraries in Uganda with 10 service points (UNESCO 1999). They contained 734 microfilmed documents and had a base of 35,000 users annually. While the number of users per year has declined since 1980, when 156,891 people used these libraries, the number of books available to read significantly increased, to 1.1 million of books, up from 73,000 books in 1980. Libraries buy 9,200 new books annually and loan out 904,000 books each year. Uganda has 178 librarians, 26 of whom hold university degrees in library science, and an additional 35 librarians who were trained on the job (UNESCO 1999). The School of Librarianship offers a two-year diploma course.