By Steven Masiga
In the formative days of introduction to western education, the missionaries had to offer Africans bribes and other gifts like mirrors and packed food in order to induce them to study as many African traditionalists had rejected western imposed education. This wide spread deep resistance to the introduction of formal education led to the killing of prominent Africans who supported education prime minister Nsibirwa of Buganda was assissinated because of being supportive to education when he offered Makerere university land for academic expansion.
Though after the second world war this resistance softened down as many sons of African chiefs and other royals positioned themselves to take over the leadership when they suspected that whites were losing apatite for colonies.
Secondly the war had imbued Africans with lots of experience after travelling to Burma and India etc as fighters makerere universitywhich is celebrating its achievements in 100 years of its existence, has done commendably in pushing university education into communities which are conducted under strict observance of university professors and management and marked awarded by Makerere.
Our upcountry campuses don’t award observes professor muguga principal college of education having understood the needs of the academic learners, the University managed to open up with regional centres to help promote continuous learning of various university courses , as early as 1966 the university embarked on massive opening of study centres and regional branches that were singularly for promoting this purpose among them were Mbale and Kabale, fortportal and Gulu among among others.
Later on others like jinja and Iganga were opened up. The Local governments in the region have done commendably in supporting university centres and branches. Lira district local government should be singled out for its support toward Makerere programs besides encouraging its staffs to study they donated very huge land for the construction of lecture theatres and staff quarters. Mbale municipal council also offered Makerere university land along mabala road around 1994 very reasonable plots meant to accommodate avery serous complex.
The university management through the vice chancellor prof Nawangwe and prof Anthony Mugagga of college of education and external studies are determined to make use of this land because with government changes where employees are required to be graduates like now the case of secondary and primary teachers. Upcountry learning is the thing we should strongly plan for now says prof Anthony muggaga, this shows the seriousness that most of this local governments and communities attache to education, while majority of local governments and NGOs have encouraged including sponsoring students to acquire university qualifications ,individual members of Parliament like Hon Mudimi of Bulambuli county ,and Hon Irene muloni woman member of Parliament of Bulambuli stand out as those who have sponsored thousands of students to study at Makerere university upcountry centres.
In order to fulfil their decentralization aspirations ,decentralization as a policy stance under National resistance movement has prospered partly because of Makerere university upcountry branches who have offered technical capacity to local government staffs,data from public service shows that Bulambuli DLG has 90% of the parish chiefs with Makerere university qualifications ,Bududa has about 60% trained by our centres,and graduate teachers in the old category are Makerere graduates emphasises Mr Bweli former chairman DSC mbale.
Some of this centres like the mbale one helped some Fronasa functionaries and other Marxist intellectuals like prof Nabudere, changa macho, the likes of magode ikuya, prof kiboma using this centres in reaction to the above influence president Amin ordererd for the removal of changa macho who was the makerere university branch coordinator in mbale, the intellectuals were using the centres to propose alternative governments instead of its core objective of teaching but that is the nature of all intellectuals whenever they are found.
We are told prof Mazurui was abig problem to government at some point makerere university including it’s upcountry centres have undergone various changes from acolonialst university ,to national university and right now to aneoliberal university aview shared by professor head muguga college of education and external studies.
Many of our staffs are holders of PHDs representing about 70% of PHDs held in Uganda according to uganda National Council of sciences and technology 2011 meaning that of the 1000 PHDs held in Uganda over 70% of this are makerere university lecturers, this critical manpower is what the University relies in its upcountry branches and their impact on policy and research cannot be overstated, and has encouraged knowledge sharing between makerere university and the community through its regional centres which has led to knowledge acceleration across the country .
The Univesity upcountry centres have acted as conduit of community learning, unlike the batwa of western Uganda who do their own things. Makereree upcountry centres have chosen or work through colloberations with organizations like DVV sufficient adult learning materials have been availed to the centres which the community access at ease, university lecturers have also writen extensive learning materials in the areas of law, ecomics and community physcology and many of this promoters of adult education under Makerere university department of community education are now very senior academicians across Uganda.
Managing other universities in capacities like vice chancellors and other portfolios professor Openjeru who was dean community department is now vice chancellor Gulu,and associate proffesor willy ngaka is now in charge of senior academic affairs in kyambogo ,and professor Aaron Mushengyeza is the new Vice Chancellor Uganda Christian university (UCU).
Through its department of community education Makerere university has taken university education to doorsteps of every Ugandan, technically decentralizing education and benefits of decentralizing are quite many including hordes of its graduates spread across local governments. Mbale branch is one stop centre for makerere university academic products and has Teso ,karamoja and bugisu including bukedi as its catchment areas.
Many councilors and other community members have benefited immensely through its programs. This explains why many councilors are employed as parish chiefs after being flattened politically in their constituencies.
While others abandoned political responsibility and joined local governments as middle level employees after acquiring university qualifications from our centres says Dr Oscar mugula of Makerere university a view shared by Dr Atugonza.
Many of those who have benefited from Makerere university education through the upcountry centres,say this centres are a blessing ,the district education officers for mbale madam Musungu Lydia and Lukendo Agnes of pallisa attribute their agility in law and administration to qualifications awarded by Makerere university through its upcountry centres. Mr Kigenyi Abdu head human resources at mbale city council says Makerere university centres are a blessing to us and encourages those devoid of skills in law and administration to make use of Makerere university upcountry centres,while in busoga the iganga centre has also done wonders says madam Damali human resource officer for mayuge who also completed an administrative law certificate under iganga centre.
Hon Steven Kaliba formerly director community education Makerere university says Toro and bunyoro regions have benifted immensely in academics because of the upcountry centres of the university ,a view shared by prof openjeru vice chancellor Gulu university and mwesigwa Harriet District education officer busia .
The Makerere university upcountry study centres were established way back in the 1960s with singular vision of promoting community learning since adult learning is from birth up to the tomb ,as depicted in the university mission statement of Taking Makerere university to the community and bringing the community to the university.
As a result statistics from National council and others like public service rank the university centres as responsible for supplying local governments with 70% of their manpower needs especially at an operation management level a view validated by Human resource officers for mbale city ,butaleja and mayuge District service commissions among others ,all university programs are available and lecturers are employees of main campus
The pattern ships have helped upcountry centres to build capacities of media,cultural institutions including training community groups on financial literacy ,bodabodas on management of customers and councilors on statutory roles ,mbale branch has been at the core of this.
The writer is a researcher and writer from Mbale and also works for Makerere University Mbale Campus
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