Shared Governance in Public Universities in Uganda: Current Concerns and Directions for Reform

Abstract

This article focuses on Makerere University and Kyambogo University to highlight stakeholders’ concerns pertaining to the shared governance framework for public universities in Uganda. It is anchored in the interpretive lens and the data was derived from three state-sponsored reports on the two public universities. The secondary data were analyzed using content analysis. The findings demonstrate that the size, composition, authority, and effectiveness of the university council and the senate and the mode through which leaders assume office, are the salient governance concerns in the two universities. The results further show that, stakeholders’ concerns regarding the current shared governance framework for public universities relate to the substance of the framework rather than its form or the framework itself. This suggests that the governance framework comprising the university council, the university senate and the administration is fit for purpose and in sync with the nature of the academy. Arguably, these governance organs (and the nature of their work) set a university apart from other organisations. Finally, without being prescriptive, the article sketches options for reform.Le présent article se concentre sur l’Université de Makerere et l’Université de Kyambogo pour mettre en lumière l’inquiétude des parties prenantes au sujet du modèle de gouvernance partagée dans les universités publiques en Ouganda. Il adopte un point de vue interprétativiste et s’appuie sur des données issues de trois rapports commandités par l’Etat sur ces deux universités publiques. Les données secondaires ont été traitées par une analyse de contenu. Les résultats démontrent que la taille, la composition, l’autorité et l’efficacité du conseil universitaire et du sénat de l’université, et la façon dont les dirigeants exercent leurs fonctions sont les principaux sujets d’inquiétude en ce qui concerne la gouvernance de ces deux universités. Les résultats démontrent également que les inquiétudes des parties prenantes au sujet du modèle actuel de gouvernance partagée des universités publiques porte sur le contenu de ce modèle, plus que sur sa forme ou sur le modèle lui-même. Cela montre que le modèle de gouvernance qui comprend le conseil universitaire, le sénat de l’université et l’administration répond aux attentes et est en cohérence avec l’environnement académique.On peut considérer que ces organes de gouvernance (et la nature de leur travail) différencient l’université d’autres types d’organisations. Enfin, sans aucune intention normative, cet article ébauche des possibilités de réforme.

Quality Assurance of Higher Education Governance and Management: An Exploration of the Minimum Imperative for the Envisioned African Common Higher Education Space

“…Studies that utilize national-level higher education policy and legal frameworks (e.g. Bisaso, 2011Bisaso, , 2017Varghese, 2013Varghese, , 2016Melu, 2016;Nabaho, 2019) revealed that a number of states in Africa have, since 2000, retreated from the state-control model of higher education governance and embraced the state supervising model. An inference from the discourse above is that the dominant higher education governance model in AUC member states could have shaped AUC's perspective regarding how the sector should be steered at the moment and in the African Higher Education and Research Space that is envisioned under the African Higher Education Harmonization Strategy.…”

“…The above notwithstanding, the students ought to be represented in the academic governance and corporate governance organs. The recurrent debate within the African higher education landscape is whether the students should be represented in the principal bodies or on committees of the principal governance organs (see Nabaho, 2019).…”

“…Whereas some studies have been conducted on higher education governance in Africa (e.g. Varghese, 2013Varghese, , 2016Melu, 2016;Nabaho, 2019), it is important to note that these studies tackle the subject from the perspective of national-level legal and policy frameworks as well as the institutional policy regimes rather than from that of supranational or transnational policy frameworks. On the other hand, the extant studies seldom interrogate the subject through the prism of quality assurance.…”

Higher Education Response to COVID-19 in Uganda: Regulatory Tools and Adaptive Institutions

“…Managerial governance has been strengthened through the office of the vice chancellor, the deputy vice chancellor, academic affairs, the principals, the deputy principals, deans, associate deans, heads of department, and the non-positional leadership category comprising programme coordinators, course coordinators, timetable coordinators, examination coordinators (Bisaso, 2010) and recently, e-learning coordinators. However, previous research has questioned the efficacy of such shared governance in universities in Uganda albeit at the level of university council (Nabaho, 2019).…”