A delegation from Uppsala University led by the Vice Chancellor Professor Eva Akesson visited Makerere University’s College of Humanities and Social Sciences (CHUSS) to study the Mak-UiB Collaboration. The College Principal, Professor Edward K. Kirumira, and also the Coordinator of the Makerere-University of Bergen (Mak-UiB) Collaboration Programme welcomed the team and shared the humble and yet successful journey of the Mak-UiB collaboration based on an institutionalized approach.

This meeting held in the CHUSS Resource Centre was crucial for providing a framework for an institution-wide collaboration as Uppsala seeks to take its partnership with Makerere to the next level..

“We are glad to be here. We have several collaborations with Makerere, but we would like to go to another level-for an institutionalized approach,” said the Vice Chancellor, Uppsala University.

During the presentation, Professor Edward K. Kirumira emphasized the need to have champions in every collaboration.   The Mak-UiB collaboration started in 1988, but at an individual level and he thus credited the late Professor Endre Lillethun who dedicated time and resources to overseeing the collaboration during its infancy.  He highlighted that the Mak-UiB 15-year collaboration programme has significantly contributed to the development of human resources with 100 PhDs and Masters in Philosophy in varied fields; as well as expanding the collaboration to include administration, finance and libraries.

Continuing with his presentation, Professor Edward K. Kirumira pointed out factors that have led to a successful Mak-UIB collaboration as:
•    Establishment of collaboration offices at both universities
•    Multi-disciplinary approach to research problems
•    Multi-Department and Multi-disciplinary research with a diversified funding source
•    In 2004, the collaboration included an Addendum on student exchange programmes
•    Evaluation of the programme every four years and a re-commitment workshop within a long term Frame of Collaboration
•    Reaching out to regional institutions such as National University of Rwanda and training librarians and technicians in Juba.

On the future of the collaboration, Professor Kirumira said that although the 15 year programme ends in November 2013, he held discussions with the Rector of the University of Bergen, Norway, and they agreed on an extension to renew the collaboration.

“I have briefed the Vice Chancellor of Makerere University, Professor John Ddumba-Ssentamu that the delegation from the University of Bergen, Norway will be coming to Makerere University next year to sign a Memorandum of Understanding for another phase of the institutional programme,” he remarked with a beaming smile.

The Vice Chancellor, Uppsala University, Professor Akesson thanked Professor Kirumira for an informative presentation. She shared that Uppsala University teaches 40 languages because it is a responsibility for the university to offer diversity. She expressed interest in a collaboration that would embrace teacher training and pedagogy.

Professor Kirumira explained that joint degree programmes (at the Masters and PhD levels) would help academic institutions to focus on pedagogical skills, which are crucial in the higher education sector.

The meeting noted that both institutions faced a challenge of attracting young academicians to undertake research in the collaboration a factor attributed to absence of clearly spelt out benefits for participants.

Professor Kirumira said that universities should re-visit their rewarding mechanisms for young academics.  He further observed that although collaborations are self financing, there should be an institutional framework in universities.

Observing that there could be other underlying factors, the academicians agreed to dedicate more time to understand the factors responsible for the failure to attract young academics to collaborations, envisaging a research paper on how to overcome this challenge as an end result.

“The young academicians should be active participants for they are the next generation of academicians,” concluded Prof. Kirumira.

Story By: Ritah Namisango, Public Relations Office

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