General
African Universities need to regain Social Change status
Community Based Research and Community University Engagement have been proposed as the most viable strategies for African Universities to salvage their much coveted position as agents of social change in society. This was the overwhelming realization of participants in a half-day workshop organized by the College of Education and External Studies (CEES), Makerere University on 28th October 2014 where the Fifth Global University Network for Innovation (GUNi) Report was also launched. The Fifth GUNi Report, ‘Higher Education in the World Report 5: Knowledge, Engagement and Higher Education: Contributing to Social Change’ is a product of three years’ research, consultations, academic seminars and an international conference, to which 73 authors from 34 countries have contributed.
Welcoming participants to the seminar, Dr. Alex Okot-Dean, School of Distance and Lifelong Learning (SoDLL), CEES noted that the Fifth GUNi Report Launch was preceded by a two-day workshop on Community University Engagement that drew Academics from Kenyan, Tanzanian and Ugandan Public Universities. Dr. Okot emphasized the need for Universities to move from the top-down mode of dissemination to reciprocally being engaged with the community to develop knowledge.
“From the meeting we had, we came up with resolutions to share with different universities and forge a critical community that will pursue avenues of working together with our respective universities and communities to develop modalities to improve Community University Engagement” shared Dr. Okot.
Dr. George Openjuru-former Dean, SoDLL and newly appointed Deputy Vice Chancellor of Gulu University and Dr. Janice Busingye, SoDLL both contributed chapters; “Knowledge, engagement and Higher Education in Africa” and “Knowledge, Engagement and Higher Education in Eastern Africa” respectively to the Fifth GUNi Report. In his presentation Dr. Openjuru noted that Makerere University through SoDLL was at the forefront of producing this report and it was therefore of great relevance that the report was launched at Makerere University. He also emphasized that Community University Engagement which was the gist of the 5th GUNi report was a participatory process that necessitated the involvement of the people on whom research was going to be undertaken in the knowledge creation process.
Dr. Openjuru paid tribute to the late Mwalimu Julius Nyerere whose passion and love for the Community University Engagement model enabled it to withstand all the resistance and negative energy that threatened its implementation. He shared that Higher Education in sub-Saharan Africa predates colonialism although the advent and establishment of the male Eurocentric world view dominated and continues to dominate the African Higher Education sector even today.
He shared that Indigenous Education is a philosophy which is continuous in life and does not separate education from implementation but seeks to apply whatever is learnt at a particular stage of life to that very particular point in life. To this end, Dr. Openjuru said “Indigenous education goes on throughout life and is therefore existent as an organic piece and not as separate entities. It goes on throughout the different stages of life and is in tandem with the changing roles and responsibilities that one must fulfill. You do not learn to become an elder while you are still young but only when you attain that age. This goes on until you are dead, which is a concept which has been rebranded as lifelong learning” he explained. He concluded by noting that Community University Engagement entails dialoguing with the community as equal partners in knowledge creation, a very important aspect in ensuring that graduates remain relevant to community needs.
Dr. Budd Hall is a Professor of Community at the University of Victoria, Canada and co-Director of the UNESCO Chair on Community Based Research and Social Responsibility in Higher Education. His first contact with Africa was as an 18 year old and has for the last 50 years been engaged in the development of participatory research along with various stakeholders including the late Mwalimu Julius Nyerere. He noted that the launch of the 5th GUNi Report was particularly important because this issue was the first of its kind that provided a global picture of Community University Engagement, as previous text books and scholarly works produced focused on particular countries or only one area of research. “This is the first report that has attempted to drawn experiences, voices and studies from as many countries and regions of the world as possible” said Prof Hall.
Commenting on the source of the content, Prof. Hall shared that ironically most of the intellectual roots of the work published came from people like Mwalimu Julius Nyerere, Kwame Nkrumah, and others from the region today referred to as the Global South although the last twelve years have played witness to its discovery by Universities and policymakers from the United Kingdom, USA and Canada. He noted that Community University Engagement is a movement that ought to have an impact and implications on not just outreach but teaching and research as well, which calls upon Higher Education to be more proactive and not just reactive.
“Our Students, Researchers and Administrative staff need to be on the lookout for what is going on in the community. We need to think about broadening our concept from simply just Knowledge Economy–the contribution of knowledge to a certain type of job creation to Knowledge Democracy which includes not only livelihood but also knowledge from different sources. We also need to continue to provide space for debate. Does the University still provide a public good or is it simply a place where our children go to get a degree and hopefully get a job?” challenged Prof. Hall.
Touching on the recommendations of the report, Prof. Hall noted the need for universities to recognize excellence in community-engaged scholarship, so that Scholars can advance their careers through ways that were more practical than publishing journal articles which very few members of the community read. He encouraged staff from other universities in the region who attended the seminar to hold similar forums with their respective leaders so as to bring them on board this discussion that has lately become very much part of our times.
The SPEDA (Skills for Production, Employment, and Development Project) Model under the African Institute of for Strategic Services and Development (AFRISA) in the College of Veterinary Medicine, Animal Resources and Biosecurity (CoVAB) is one of Makerere University’s most profound experiences of Community University Engagement. Making a presentation on the model at the Seminar, Prof. John David Kabasa the Principal CoVAB shared that this Makerere alternative education model and community transformation scheme for Africa is an initiative that has been developed over the last seven years to contribute to the National Development Programme. He noted that because of the incapacity of our graduates, our Governments is forced to rely on foreign entities to use the land in Africa to feed and employ the Africans.
“If your children cannot feed themselves and the world, someone else will” lamented Prof. Kabasa before adding that as long as our countries continued producing and exporting raw materials, they were exporting jobs as well. “Our conventional education systems have failed to transform community and we cannot encourage an education system that fuels unemployment and sends supervisors of peasants; who themselves did not benefit from any form of education, onto the streets searching for jobs” he further stressed. He said that ideological barriers and an ineffective educational mould are barriers to societal transformation which had formed a shunt which needed to be operated upon and removed by the surgeons of Makerere.
“Take the University to the community, translate this education, science and technology into livelihood and health in a professional manner. This model actually sets out to create a new generation of Africans that is skilled, productive, entrepreneurial, developmental, accredited and nation transforming” shared Prof. Kabasa about the SPEDA model’s aspirations. He noted that by securing accreditation for this model, Makerere had set into motion a movement to liberate not only Uganda but Africa as a whole. He shared that by taking this model to the community, Makerere was taking cognisance of skills and competence value chains resident at all levels within our communities. “The key concept is to produce value, exchange it and get more value” said Prof. Kabasa as he concluded his presentation.
The days emcee Dr. Twine Bananuka-SoDLL, CEES thanked the presenters for their elaborate and informative presentations and admitted that Community University Engagement was indeed the way to break free from traditional bureaucratic knowledge ownership as fronted by the male Eurocentric model and its specific emphasis on disciplines. During the question and answer session that followed,
Dr. Anthony Mugagga Muwagga-Deputy Principal, CEES indeed admitted that our two biggest challenges in Education were the lack of knowledge and the fear of knowledge. He however noted that the SPEDA Model would be incomplete if it did not factor in the teaching disciplines and therefore encouraged Prof. Kabasa to consider partnering with CEES to impact a wider audience in society.
The Acting Vice Chancellor and Deputy Vice Chancellor Finance and Administration (DVCFA) Prof. Barnabas Nawangwe welcomed all guests and presenters to the event and admitted that it had been his most educative seminar to date. He however called upon all those that heaped criticism upon today’s African Scholars to consider their working conditions and rigourous academic schedules.
“There is a need to examine our National and International policies on Education. A Professor at Makerere today has very limited time in between teaching, supervising students, marking scripts and looking for additional income to research and deliver public lectures like our compatriots in the former years. And so as we criticize today’s Scholars, we need to ask if we as a Country, Region and continent making higher education our priority” said Prof. Nawangwe.
He commended the Community University Engagement model as shared during the seminar for clearly outlining what Makerere University sought to achieve through the Knowledge Transfer Partnerships and Networking pillar of her strategic plan. He thanked the School of Distance and Lifelong Learning particularly Dr. George Openjuru for taking the lead in producing the report, and Prof. Budd Hall for his contribution to spreading the Community University Engagement movement.
Mr. Patrick Muhinda, Assistant Commissioner in charge of Communication and Information Management, Ministry of Education and Sports (MoES) who represented the Minister of State for Higher Education, Hon. John Chrysostom Muyingo thanked Makerere University and Prof. Budd Hall for the great effort that led to the production of the 5th GUNi World Report. He also commended Prof. Kabasa whose SPEDA model had “deeply moved” him. He noted that the Presidential Initiative for Science and Technology had gone a long way in enabling universities to conduct cutting edge research which is boosting Uganda’s technological advancement as we move towards the attainment of Uganda Vision 2040.
“The Government of Uganda is cognizant of the relevance of community based research to enhance academia. It envisions promoting collaborations through joint projects and programmes of mutual interest to research and development centres, SMEs and large farms to spark innovation and entrepreneurship” read Mr. Muhinda from the Minister’s speech. The speech further noted that the Government plans to support innovation financing by introducing special grants, loans and guarantees for startups and new firms as well as subsidies and tax incentives to stimulate development of research in the public and private sectors. Mr. Muhinda thereafter declared the report launched and officially signed a few copies of the report.
Before moving a vote of thanks Prof. Fred Masagazi Masaazi the Principal, CEES announced that his college would in October 2015 host a regional conference on Community University Engagement which would bring together key stakeholders in Government, Academia and Civil Society to discuss their lessons and experiences. He particularly thanked Dr. Openjuru and Dr. Busingye for the respective contributions to the production of the report and noted that the College’s contribution to the 6th GUNi Report would be even more detailed. He stressed the need for all Higher Education Institutions’ involvement in identifying and coming up with solutions to community problems, noting that “Universities have all the capacity to influence and interact with the communities to find solutions to problems affecting them” he added.
Article by Public Relations Office
Makerere University, the oldest and most prestigious institution of higher learning in Uganda and one of the foremost universities on the African continent, has officially commenced its Semester Two examinations for the 2025/2026 academic year. The much-anticipated assessment period marks a critical milestone in the academic calendar, bringing together thousands of students from across the university’s numerous colleges, schools, faculties, and institutes as they sit their end of semester papers in a bid to demonstrate mastery of the content covered throughout the semester.
The examinations, which span a carefully structured timetable released by the Academic Registrar, are being conducted across the various examination halls, lecture theaters, and designated assessment venues spread throughout the Makerere Hill campus. Security and integrity measures have been reinforced to ensure that the examinations are conducted in a fair, orderly, and transparent manner, upholding the university’s longstanding commitment to academic excellence and integrity.
This year’s examination season arrives at a particularly significant moment for the institution. Having navigated numerous challenges in recent years including disruptions to the academic calendar, resource constraints, and the ongoing effort to modernize curriculum delivery, Makerere finds itself reaffirming its core identity as a centre of academic rigour and intellectual development. The commencement of these examinations is therefore a statement of institutional resilience and the continued determination of both staff and students to uphold the highest standards of scholarship.
A Season of Academic Reckoning
For the student body, the commencement of Semester Two examinations signals the culmination of months of learning, late night reading sessions, group discussions, coursework submissions, and individual academic effort. Across the hostels, libraries, and common rooms of Makerere, the atmosphere has unmistakably shifted into one of focused determination. Students can be seen poring over lecture notes, textbooks, and past examination papers in every available space, from the steps of the Main Library to the benches of Freedom Square.
The university administration, through the various college deans and heads of department, has urged students to approach the examinations with calmness, thorough preparation, and utmost honesty. Messages reminding students of the dire consequences of academic malpractice have been widely circulated, as Makerere maintains a strict zero tolerance policy toward examination fraud, plagiarism, and any form of misconduct during assessments.
Beyond the pressure of performance, the examination period also carries a deeply communal character on the Makerere campus. Students from different programmes, regions, and backgrounds find themselves united by the shared experience of preparation and assessment. Study groups form spontaneously in corridors and courtyards, senior students mentor their juniors on examination technique, and a spirit of collective striving pervades the institution. It is one of the defining features of life at Makerere, where the pursuit of knowledge is understood as both a personal endeavour and a shared social responsibility.
Preparation and Logistical Readiness
Ahead of the examination period, the university undertook extensive logistical preparations to ensure smooth and uninterrupted conduct of all papers. The Academic Registrar worked in close coordination with college examination officers to finalize seating arrangements, allocate invigilators, distribute examination materials, and confirm examination schedules with both academic staff and students. Special provisions were made for students with disabilities and those with documented medical conditions that may require additional time or special seating accommodations.
The university also invested in refreshing and reinforcing the physical examination venues. Lecture theaters and examination halls have been reorganized to ensure adequate spacing between candidates, proper ventilation, and clear visibility of invigilation personnel at all times. In line with best practices for examination administration, the university ensured that all required stationery, answer booklets, and supplementary materials were available and ready for distribution before the commencement of each paper.
Communication between the university and its students was also given particular attention in the lead up to the examinations. The Academic Registrar disseminated detailed instructions regarding reporting times, permitted materials, dress code requirements, and procedures for handling examination anomalies. Students were also reminded of the appeals process available to them should they have concerns about any aspect of their assessment. These communications were shared through the university’s official online portals, notice boards, college bulletins, and student representative councils to ensure maximum reach across the diverse student population.
The role of academic staff in the success of the examination period cannot be overstated. Lecturers and course instructors spent the final weeks of the semester conducting revision sessions, responding to student queries, and ensuring that all coursework components had been duly submitted and graded before the formal examination window opened. Many went above and beyond the requirements of their schedules to hold additional consultation hours, offering students every possible opportunity to consolidate their understanding and approach the examinations with confidence.
The Student Experience During Examinations
The experience of sitting Semester Two examinations at Makerere University is one that students across all disciplines describe as both challenging and transformative. Whether one is pursuing a degree in Medicine, Engineering, Law, Education, Agriculture, Business, or the Arts and Humanities, the examination period demands a high level of intellectual engagement and self discipline. For final year students in particular, these examinations carry enormous weight, as outstanding results can open doors to prestigious postgraduate opportunities, professional careers, and scholarship programmes both within Uganda and internationally.
First and second year students, many of whom are still adjusting to the demanding academic culture of university life, have also been encouraged to view these examinations not with fear, but as an opportunity to measure their growth and identify areas requiring further attention. The university’s Student Support Services office has throughout the semester offered counseling, academic advising, and peer mentorship programmes designed to equip students with the tools needed to manage examination related stress and perform at their best.
The physical and mental wellbeing of students during this period has also been a priority for the university. The university health center has been operating with extended hours to attend to students who may require medical attention, while the counseling and guidance unit has been available to offer psychological support to those experiencing anxiety or other forms of distress linked to the pressure of examinations. Student leaders have similarly been active in organizing welfare activities such as communal meals, devotional gatherings, and motivational talks to sustain morale across the student community.
International students studying at Makerere under various exchange and bilateral agreements have also been fully integrated into the examination process. The International Office worked to ensure that these students were aware of all relevant regulations, that their results would be properly transmitted to their home institutions, and that any unique logistical needs they may have had were addressed in a timely and sensitive manner. Makerere‘s growing profile as a destination for regional and international students makes this kind of inclusive administration increasingly important.
Upholding the Integrity of the Examination Process
Academic integrity remains one of the most sacred principles at Makerere University. The institution has, over its century long history, produced graduates who go on to serve in the highest echelons of government, civil society, academia, and industry, not only in Uganda but across East Africa and the broader global community. The credibility of a Makerere degree is therefore inseparable from the integrity with which its examinations are conducted. To this end, trained invigilators are deployed at every examination venue, and supervisory visits by senior academic officers are carried out throughout the examination period.
Students found in possession of unauthorized materials, communicating with fellow candidates without permission, or engaging in any other form of misconduct face serious disciplinary consequences, including cancellation of their papers, suspension from the university, or permanent expulsion in the most severe cases. These measures are not intended to intimidate but rather to protect the integrity of each student’s genuine academic effort and safeguard the reputation of the qualifications they earn.
It is worth noting that the vast majority of Makerere students approach their examinations with complete honesty and a genuine desire to succeed on the strength of their own preparation. The university’s integrity framework is designed not to cast suspicion on the student body as a whole, but to create a level playing field in which every student’s results accurately reflect their own knowledge, effort, and intellectual ability. The culture of academic integrity is something that Makerere actively cultivates through orientation programmes, faculty mentorship, and ongoing student engagement on the values that underpin the university’s academic mission.
A Legacy of Excellence in Focus
Makerere University was established in 1922 as a technical school and has grown over the decades into a comprehensive research university offering programmes at the undergraduate, postgraduate, and doctoral levels across virtually every field of human knowledge. Today, with an enrollment of tens of thousands of students drawn from Uganda and across Africa, the university occupies a unique and irreplaceable role in the intellectual, social, and economic development of the region. Each examination season is therefore not merely a bureaucratic academic exercise but a living expression of this legacy of excellence.
The University Council, Senate, and Vice Chancellor have collectively reiterated their commitment to ensuring that the assessment process is not only rigorous and fair but also supportive of student welfare. Plans are already in place for timely marking and moderation of scripts, with results expected to be released within the stipulated periods as outlined in the academic calendar, allowing students to plan ahead for the subsequent semester or, for those completing their programmes, for graduation and the next chapter of their lives.
Alumni of Makerere University, many of whom occupy positions of influence in Uganda and beyond, frequently look back on their examination experiences as formative moments that shaped their professional discipline, their capacity for sustained effort, and their ability to perform under pressure. The lessons learned in the examination hall, they often say, extend far beyond the academic content being tested. They speak to the development of character, persistence, and the kind of intellectual confidence that only comes from having genuinely mastered a body of knowledge. In this sense, the examinations of Semester Two 2026 are not merely an ending but a beginning for each of the thousands of students who sit them.
Looking Ahead: Results, Graduation, and Beyond
Once the examination period concludes, attention will swiftly turn to the processes of marking, moderation, and results release. The university’s academic staff are expected to adhere to strict timelines in the submission of marked scripts and the entry of results into the university’s academic management system. External examiners, drawn from other universities and professional bodies, play an important role in moderating the standards of assessment across programmes, ensuring that Makerere‘s results are benchmarked against regional and international norms.
For students who are completing their final year of study, the conclusion of Semester Two examinations sets in motion the graduation process. Makerere University‘s graduation ceremonies are among the most celebrated events in Uganda’s annual calendar, attended by families, dignitaries, government officials, and members of the public who gather to witness the conferment of degrees upon a new generation of graduates. The graduation ceremony is a moment of immense pride for the university, for the families who have supported their children through years of study, and above all for the graduates themselves who cross the stage having earned their qualifications through genuine effort and dedication.
Students who do not achieve the required grades in one or more papers will have access to the university’s retake and supplementary examination provisions, which are designed to give genuine learners a fair opportunity to demonstrate competence without being permanently disadvantaged by a single poor performance. The university’s academic regulations provide clear and transparent guidelines on eligibility for retakes, the conditions under which supplementary examinations may be granted, and the procedures for lodging appeals. These provisions reflect Makerere’s understanding that the journey of learning is rarely linear and that fairness requires the system to accommodate the full range of student circumstances.
A Message of Encouragement
To every student sitting examinations at Makerere University this season, the message from the university community is one of solidarity and encouragement. The journey through university is not always easy, but it is invariably worthwhile. Every late night spent studying, every difficult concept wrestled into understanding, and every assignment completed under pressure has been preparation for exactly this moment. The examination hall is where months of intellectual labor are given form and voice, and every student carries within them the capacity to rise to the occasion.
The university’s academic and administrative staff, from the Vice Chancellor and the Deans down to the examination room invigilators and the groundskeepers who ensure the campus is clean and welcoming each morning, are all invested in the success of every student. Makerere is not merely a place of learning; it is a community built on mutual commitment to the advancement of knowledge and the development of human potential. Every student who walks into an examination venue this season walks in as a representative of that community and carries with them the hopes of their family, their region, and their country.
As Makerere University proceeds through its Semester Two examination period, the entire institution stands united behind its students. From the academic staff who prepared and marked the papers, to the support staff who maintained the examination venues, to the administration that coordinated the logistics and upheld the rules, everyone is working together toward a single goal: providing every student with the fairest possible opportunity to demonstrate what they know and what they are capable of achieving. Makerere University remains, as it has always been, a place where minds are shaped, potential is realized, and futures are built.
The Writer is a Volunteer in the Public Relations Office, Makerere University and the Mak Sharks PRO | Est. 2014
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