General

Call For Contribution To Mak@100 Book Chapters

Published

4 years ago

September 9, 2021

Mark Wamai

The Main Building, Makerere University against an almost clear blue sky. Date taken 15th March 2013, Kampala Uganda, East Africa. — The Main Building, Makerere University against an almost clear blue sky. Date taken 15th March 2013, Kampala Uganda.

INTRODUCTION

Makerere University (Mak) is due to celebrate a century of existence in 2022. Among the significant highlights of these centenary celebrations, the University plans to publish an easy-to-read and well-documented book that critically reviews its successes in living to the Motto: “We Build for the Future”, since its inception in 1922 as a technical institute. Under this theme, the book will address several sub-themes and issues such as: How Makerere has met the changing East African market needs for skilled labour since 1922 and how, as a premier regional university, it is now positioned to develop research leadership in the region; whether or not Makerere has sustained its research leadership status as a postcolonial university that had influenced other sub-Saharan universities, and how this is reflected in the curricula What are the new courses that have emerged to locate Makerere as a nation-building institution? What ground-breaking researches and knowledge is being produced in the University? What has been the relationship between the University and the states it was built to serve, and how has this affected Makerere‘s performance over the years? Since a university that has come of age is assessed based on its ability to be independent/autonomous, how has Makerere performed? What funding strategies are in place in this regard? What has emerged as Makerere‘s identity: an ivory tower or a service university that offers service to empower the hinterlands? What are Makerere‘s overall influence and image in the region, and what explains this? What would Makerere like to become in the next 100 years? These are some of the broad questions to guide the formulation of thoughts for the chapters from diverse disciplinary perspectives.

EDITORS: ABK Kasozi, Josephine Ahikire and Dominica Dipio

BOOK TIMELINE

Submission of abstracts (Max. 500 words): December 31, 2021

Submission of draft chapters (Max 10,000 words): March 30, 2022

Submission of Final Chapters: June 30, 2022

Book Publication – June to October 2022

Send abstracts to: mak100.bookproject[at]mak.ac.ug

Copy to: josephine.ahikire[at]mak.ac.ug, abkkasozi[at]yahoo.com, ahikirejosephine[at]gmail.com

THE THEMES AND BROAD AREAS OF FOCUS

Section 1: Providing skilled human resources for East African Society

(i)The technical school which opened in 1921

The colonial state established Makerere Technical School to produce low-level technicians. The school taught skills needed by the East African countries of Kenya, Uganda, Tanganyika, and Zanzibar. Students were taught carpentry, building, general mechanics, and some tailoring. Many of the trainees were absorbed by the E. African states and their markets. The question to answer by writers for this section is: What was the trajectory of the technical school and its offshoots in enhancing the lifestyles of the people of East Africa?

(ii) Makerere College and Kampala Technical College

A formal College was founded in 1922 as “Uganda Technical College”, but in the same year, the College was renamed Makerere College, teaching technical subjects and courses in education and the arts. The writers on this section should focus on the demands for skilled labour; what Makerere was called upon to deliver, and whether Makerere truly built the future of the parties involved. In 1928, vocational courses were separated from the College and were transferred to “Kampala Technical College”. What became of the latter College, and were vocational courses wholly divorced from the university system?

(iii) Makerere graduates to university status, 1949

The 1945 Judge Asquith’s Report on higher education gave the blueprint for establishing institutions of higher learning in British African colonies to provide high-level African civil servants such as doctors, engineers, agriculturalists, a few lawyers, and production of knowledge through research to the colonial states. In 1949, the institution became Makerere College, the University of East Africa, giving certificates of the University of London. When Makerere became a university, it assumed, like other universities, multiple functions. These functions included the production of knowledge for development, skilled and thinking individuals who would use known wisdom to create better knowledge and improve themselves and their societies. The University College was expected to be the leading teaching and innovation centre in East Africa. The areas to review in this section are the expectations of the colonial officers and their African collaborators who worked hard to establish the University. Did the institution fulfil those expectations? Did their aims go beyond human resource production? How did the production of graduates by Makerere change East African society in the eleven years before independence? The writers should assess the colonial workforce needs from 1935 to 1960, find out what Makerere was called upon to produce and whether it achieved those targets.

(iv) Skills needed for independent East Africa

In the period 1950 to 1963, Makerere remained the only University College for East Africa. There was an increased demand for educated graduates in almost all disciplines, including science and humanities-based ones. Makerere was called upon to produce graduates to increase educated Africans in the civil service and the private sector.

The education Makerere was giving was ideology-free, which Kenya and Uganda did not object to. But Tanzania felt that the instruction given must enhance patriotism and service to communities. Chapters dealing with topics in this section must review the needs of the three East African states in the period 1950 to 1965 and assess the place of Makerere therein.

(v) Skills needed for the digital age

From around 1980 through the current period, the digital age has transformed how goods and services are produced and delivered. It is only those societies that use technology that are likely to sustain a reasonable standard of living. To what extent has Makerere transformed its activities to exploit the digital age for itself and the society it serves.

Section II: Production of knowledge through research and innovation

When Makerere became a university, it was expected to produce and expand knowledge by providing researchers with facilities for creating, disseminating, storing information and data for use by society and institutions of higher learning. Although not emphasized as its primary task, the Asquith Report identified research as one of the functions of the various university colleges the British Empire was to establish in Africa. Has Makerere contributed to knowledge, the development and improvement of the thinking capacity of its target areas? Writers on this section have several sub-themes and therefore chapters to think about, including:

Writers, poets, and actors

In the period 1950 to 1970, Makerere-based writers contributed to the dissemination of knowledge. These writers included Ngugi was Thiong’o, Okot p’Btek, Peter Nazareth, Ali Mazrui, Audrey Richards, Paul Theroux, V.S. Naipaul, Mahmood Mamdani, Samwiri Karugire, Mathia M. Kiwanuka, Phares Mutibwa and others. A chapter to assess the contribution to knowledge by Makerere staff and students in this period would say a lot about how the university contributed to building an informed society in East Africa.

Visual Artists

Since 1940, the Margaret Trowell School of Fine has produced artists whose work has contributed to the shaping of Makerere University’s social consciousness. It has documented Makerere’s challenges and successes over the years. The art works, both in storage in the Makerere Art Gallery and those in private and public spaces, reveal Makerere as an enduring institution which has used every opportunity to push its research agenda. Artists such as Gregory Maloba, Sam Ntiro, Elimo Njau, Francis Nnaggenda and Kefa Ssempangi have, through their work, provided a variety of perspectives on Makerere’s history. A narrative of Makerere University’s journey of ten decades through the lens of Makerere Artists is proposed.

Knowledge production

There was a lot of knowledge produced at the East African Institute of Social Research (now MISR), the Medical School and the Faculty of Agriculture from 1950 to 1970. A survey of what was achieved in research at Makerere in that period would add to our knowledge of the institution’s contribution to knowledge in East Africa.

Management of research and post-graduate production

Management of research and production of high-level person power such as PhD holders is a topic that a book on the achievements of Makerere should highlight. To what extent has Makerere contributed to developing high-level human resources and creating the next generation of knowledge producers?

Section III: Makerere’s contribution to democratic governance and the building of social institutions in East Africa

Universities contribute to democratic governance and the building of social and political institutions by equipping their graduates with the intellectual skills to understand and analyze social and political issues before taking appropriate positions. Makerere has supplied East Africa with political leaders, including presidents, prime ministers, ministers, judges and journalists. Writers of chapters in this section might organize these achievements by roles such as:

Political leaders
Religious leaders
Institutional developers
Famous politicians and political thinkers

Section IV: Makerere’s contribution to the economic development of East Africa

Universities support economic growth by the general training of the labour force and providing knowledge linked to a country’s innovation system. This is more so now when most critical development is knowledge-based; universities should be the reservoirs of intellectuals and experts. To what extent has Makerere supplied the market with skills and knowledge to move East African economies forward? Writers for this section need to have a thorough understanding of East African economies and the extent to which the university has influenced their performances.

Section V: Makerere and Curriculum Development in East Africa

Universities strengthen lower levels of education by training the needed teaching personnel and triggering relevant curriculum changes at the lower levels of education. Lower-level syllabuses are structured to fit into the admission requirements of universities. The question to ask is: To what extent has Makerere influenced what is taught at the lower levels of education? Should Makerere take credit or blame for the slow curriculum development and the failure of Africanising what is taught in East African schools and universities?

Section VI: Challenges

There are several challenges to Makerere’s ability to build the future for a society that contributors must investigate if readers are to participate in appreciating the successes or failures of Makerere University.

Governance of the University

The governance of a university is key to the delivery of good higher education. Like other universities, Makerere has passed through several hiccups in its desire to provide higher education.

Though it is difficult to govern institutions differently — or better – than the way society is managed, we expect higher education institutions to handle themselves well, to be autonomous but at the same time accountable to the public in the way they manage their financial and academic processes. Higher education institutions, particularly universities, must accept the Government as the final protector of the public good in higher education to achieve autonomy and accountability. In Uganda the oversight roles of the Auditor General for financial matters and the National Council for Higher Education must be accepted. At the same time, governments must understand that universities perform best when they are institutionally free and protected from state micromanagement. The writers in this section must survey the history of how the University has been governed and how it has passed through the East African region’s various political storms since 1922.

The university and the Uganda state

The history of the current university in Uganda is tied to, and reflects, the rocky history of the Uganda state since the 1945 anti-colonial riots. The Ugandan university has prospered and declined amidst the fortunes of the Uganda state. Like other African countries, university education was introduced in Uganda to create an intelligent collaborating elite to manage the colonial state. After independence, the post-colonial leaders were determined to build a collaborating middle class and avoid the emergence of a hostile educated elite. A well-researched chapter on the university’s relations with the state between 1922 and 2022 would be an excellent monument to reveal how Makerere survived and built a society in that period.

Funding of the University, 1922-2022

The funding of Makerere is key to understanding almost all the challenges the university has faced in the past and is meeting now. Writers for this section should study the model the colonial state used in funding Makerere; its subsequent alteration by the 1970 Act to a state-driven one; the failure of the state to finance the institution fully; the throwing of the university to the waves of the market in the 1980s; the subsequent shortage of funds and the impact of the Structural Adjustment “Conditionalities” on Makerere.[1] Although the state allowed the market to operate in the financing of Makerere, the state retained its power to control the institution’s financial policy. Currently, most public universities have accumulated deficits. After such a review, it is necessary to point out what went right or wrong and what course the institution should take in financing all its activities.

Staff and Student strikes

Writers on this section should review staff and student strikes at Makerere, beginning with the 1928 and 1952 food strikes to the many activists from the 1980s when the university implemented neoliberal policies to the current period.[2] The core causes of these strikes are funding, relations with external forces and mismanagement. To write Makerere’s contribution to society, we must study its problems, shortcoming and the constraints under which it operates.

The type of University Makerere has been and should be in the next century

Carol Sucherman poses an interesting question, which Mahmood Mamdani grappled with at the University of Cape Town.[3] Has Makerere been a foreign (European) university in Africa or an African university? In his many speeches in Parliament, Abu Mayanja emphasized the Africanisation of the curriculum as a basis of decolonizing the minds of Ugandan youths.[4] It seems that this is an area where Makerere has not entirely constructed ideas for Africanising the University. But we cannot blame the institution for this failure. The current African university was an outgrowth of the European university. Universities as chartered communities of learners, teachers and knowledge producers developed over time from the Islamic through the medieval and enlightenment periods. Some of the earliest centres of learning included Athens ((500-300 BC), Alexandria (288 BC- 650 AD), Qarawiyyin (859 -), Al-Azhar 970-) and Timbuktu (C12^th – C18th). Many of these learning centres became corporate entities when rulers gave them charters or guarantees of freedom to teach and search for knowledge unhindered. The original aim of many universities founded in Europe before 1800 was to produce and defend the values and social legitimation of the founders of a given institution. The modern western university evolved out of religious centres of learning, mainly Christian Cathedral schools for the clergy. These included Bologna (1088), Salamanca (1134), Paris (1150), Oxford (1167), Cambridge (1209) and others. Later, other disciplines were added to theology for study as scholars realized that the development of the mind involved the mastery of multiple domains (Newman,1907). Al-Azhar, founded earlier in 970AD in Egypt, stuck to only religious teaching and research until the C19th.

In Uganda and many post-colonial states, higher education imitated and followed western traditions. Almost all university studies delivered at Makerere followed and were certified by a western institution, the University of London, whose certificates Makerere graduates received until 1963. The administration of the university and its curriculum followed and was never allowed to undermine the colonial administration, and any dissenting lecturers (like Mary Parker, who criticized the colonial policies of Kenya in her lectures) were not permitted to teach. With independence, it was expected that Makerere would develop a robust institutional personality, chart its course by defining what type of university it wished to be and serve society accordingly.

Umar Kakumba (PhD)
DEPUTY VICE CHANCELLOR (ACADEMIC AFFAIRS)/
CHAIRPERSON, MAK@100 PROGRAMME SUB-COMMITTEE

[1] Mamdani, Mahmood (2007). Scholars in the Marketplace: The Dilemmas of Neo-Liberal Reform at Makerere University, 1989-2005. Kampala: Fountain Publishers.

[2] Byaruhanga, Fredrick Karuhanga (2006). Student Power in Africa’s Education: A Case Study of Makerere University. New York: Routledge, Tailor and Francis Group

[3] Sicherman, Carol (2005). Becoming an African University: Makerere 1922-2000. Kampala: Fountain Publishers

[4] Abu K. Mayanja: Several speeches in Parliament e.g Hansard: “Motion: 1965/66 – Estimates of Expenditure”, 6^th July 1965, p. 2802; Hansard: “Motion – Address in Reply to the Presidential Speech.” January7, 1966 pp. 295 – 297; Hansard: Motion: Estimates of Expenditure- Ministry of Education, 6^th July 1965, pp.2799-2806.

Makerere-at-100-Call-For-Book-Chapters Download

Related Topics:#MakerereAt100 Book Centenary chapters featured history innovation Karugire Kiwanuka knowledge Mak@100 Mamdani Mazrui Naipaul Ngugi Okot publication Research Theroux

Up Next

Announcement of Mak@100 Centenary Celebrations Logo Contest Winners

Don't Miss

EALA General Purpose Committee Commends Mak ACEII Projects

General

Freshers’ Joining Instructions 2026/2026

Published

13 hours ago

June 24, 2025

Mak Editor

Prof. Buyinza Mukadasi makes his remarks. Inaugural comprehensive training program aimed at enhancing the pedagogical and professional competencies of its academic staff, 11th-14th December 2024, Fairway Hotel, organized by the Office of the Deputy Vice Chancellor (Academic Affairs), facilitated by the Centre for Teaching and Learning Support (CTLS), College of Education and External Studies (CEES), Makerere University, Kampala Uganda, East Africa.

To All First Year Students;

It brings me great joy to welcome you to Makerere University.

First Year students (Freshers) are by tradition given an “acclimatization” period of one week which is referred to as the “Orientation Week”. The Freshers report on Campus one week earlier than the Continuing students and during this week they are introduced to the key facilities as well as other important aspects of life at the University.

Schedule of Semesters for 2025/2026 Academic Year

Saturday 2^nd August, 2025 to Friday 8^th August 2025 (7 Days) – Orientation Week

Semester One
Saturday 9^th August, 2025 to Saturday 6^th December, 2025 (17 Weeks)

Semester Two
Saturday 17^th January, 2026 to Friday 16^th May, 2026 (17 Weeks)

Orientation Week

Saturday 2^nd August, 2025 – Friday 8^th August, 2025

During the Orientation week, arrangements are made to enable the Freshers meet and be addressed by Key Officers, Wardens and Student Leaders who welcome the students.

Arrangements are also made to enable the Freshers acquaint themselves with such key facilities at the University like the Library, University Hospital, Games and Recreation Facilities etc.

Freshers are expected to take advantage of the week to survey and acquaint themselves with the general Campus lay out. Another major activity during the Orientation Week is Registration.

All Freshers must ensure that they are registered with their respective Colleges/Schools/Departments/Halls/University Hospital.

Saturday 2^nd August, 2025
Resident Freshers report to their respective halls of residence or private hostels by 5.00 p.m. It’s the responsibility of each student to make his/her own travel arrangements to the University or private hostel.

Monday 4^th August, 2025
All freshers shall report to the Freedom Square for a meeting (Central orientation program) with the University officials at 9:00am.

College Orientation
Tuesday 5^th – Friday 8^th August, 2025 College orientation programs will follow during the orientation week. College Principals and Registrars will issue the orientation programs for their colleges.

Lectures will begin on Monday 11^th August, 2025.

Registration

For a candidate to be considered a bonafide student of the University, he/she must be registered. Registration is a mandatory requirement of the University which must be done within the first two (2) weeks from the beginning of the semester by every student. Privately sponsored students will pick their original admission letters after payment of 60% tuition and all functional fees from their respective colleges.

Registration will commence on Monday 11^th August, 2025 starting at 9.00 a.m. each day at the respective Schools.

Ensure that you complete all the required registration formalities within the prescribed time in order to avoid disappointments later. College/School Registrars will provide registration programs.

Registration Requirements

Admission to Makerere University is a provisional offer made on the basis of the statement of your qualifications as presented on your application form. The offer is subject to verification of your academic documents and payment of university fees.

For registration purposes, all first-year students MUST produce their original documents for verification.

Government sponsored students shall pay shs.163,154/= functional fees to Makerere University.

Privately sponsored students shall pay 839,954/= and 1,495,253/= for Ugandans and International candidates respectively for semester one and 132,250/= for semester two of year 1.

Full admission letters for government sponsored students should be picked from the respective Colleges/Schools beginning Monday 7^th July 2025.

The fees structure for privately sponsored students is attached to their provisional admission letters that should be down loaded from their ACMIS portal.

Students in the affiliated Institutions should pay fees indicated by their respective Institutions.

Fresher’s joining instructions concerning reporting, fees payment, academic policies and any important information from the different university units can be viewed from the Academic Registrar’s Department notice boards and University websites www.ar.mak.ac.ug and www.mak.ac.ug respectively.

All freshers MUST have laptop computers as one of the essential tools for study purposes for their programmes.

Other Fees
a) National Council for Higher Education fee (Per Year)-Shs.20,000/= (Payable to the National Council for Higher Education Account in Stanbic Bank).
b) UNSA Subscription fee (per year)-Shs.2,000/= (payable to Stanbic Bank, City Branch, A/C 0140007248501).

Change of Programmes/ Subjects

(a) Change of Programmes
Since selection for specific programmes was made according to each candidate’s performance and order of programme choices, taking into account the available subject combinations and time-table limitations, there is normally little need to change the programme or subjects. However, some places become vacant when some of the students admitted do not take up the offers. Such places are filled through the change of programmes/subjects.

Students who wish to change programmes first of all register according to the registration time-table for the programmes and subjects (where applicable) to which originally have been admitted. Each student who may wish to change his/her programme/subject combination is required to pay an application fee of Shs.6,000/= plus the bank charges to banks used by Uganda Revenue Authority.

(b) Change of Subjects
Students in the College of Humanities and Social Sciences, College of Natural Sciences or the College of Education and External Studies may wish to change their subjects.

Students should be aware that changing one subject may result in a change of College. Before students apply to change their programmes, Colleges and Subjects, they are encouraged to seek advice on the cut-off point(s) for programmes, requirements for specific subjects and possible subject combinations.

Change of programme/Subjects will be done online on payment of an application fee of Shs. Six thousand (6000/=) plus the bank charges to banks used by Uganda Revenue Authority (URA).

Students are notified and warned that change of programme or transferring to another subject combination or College without proper authority will be liable to discontinuation from the University.

A student who has been permitted to change his/her programme or subject(s) will be issued with a letter stating so, and on receipt of such a letter that student should complete the ACCEPTANCE part and return a copy of each to the Undergraduate Admissions and Records Office, the former College/School and the new College/School.

The change of programme/subjects will be done online from Monday 4^th August, 2025 to Tuesday 12^th August, 2025.

N.B: It is advisable that only those students who meet the cut-off points for the desired programmes /subjects may apply.

Prof. Buyinza Mukadasi
ACADEMIC REGISTRAR

Makerere-Freshers-Joining-Instructions-2025-2026 Download

General

UVCF Makes Case for HEAC Programme

Published

1 day ago

June 23, 2025

Mark Wamai

Members of the UVCF pose for a group photo with their host, Acting Vice Chancellor Prof. Buyinza Mukadasi (4th L) after the extraordinary sitting on 23rd June 2025. Extraordinary sitting of the Uganda Vice Chancellors Forum (UVCF) meeting to discuss Higher Education Access Certificate (HEAC) programme and Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) Act, 2025, Senior Common Room, Makerere University, Kampala Uganda, East Africa on 23rd June 2025. Extraordinary sitting of the Uganda Vice Chancellors Forum (UVCF) meeting to discuss Higher Education Access Certificate (HEAC) programme and Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) Act, 2025, Senior Common Room, Makerere University, Kampala Uganda, East Africa on 23rd June 2025.

An extraordinary sitting of the Uganda Vice Chancellors Forum (UVCF) meeting at Makerere University on 23^rd June 2025 has made a special appeal for the scientific evaluation of the impact of the Higher Education Access Certificate (HEAC) programme as its future hangs in a balance. The sitting was hosted by the Acting Vice Chancellor, Prof. Mukadasi Buyinza and addressed by the Executive Director UVCF, Prof. Eriabu Lugujjo, Chairperson UVCF and Vice Chancellor Busitema University, Prof. Paul Waako and representative from the National Council for Higher Education (NCHE), Dr. Maria Nakachwa and a representative from the HEAC programme, Prof. David Orema.

Welcoming members of the Forum to Makerere University, Prof. Buyinza Mukadasi expressed warm regards from the Vice Chancellor, Prof. Barnabas Nawangwe who was away on official duty. Turning to the agenda of the day, he said “I find the proposed items on the order paper quite pertinent given the time, as we offer guidance and input towards our next journey in higher education.

The Host, Prof. Buyinza Mukadasi (L) makes the opening remarks. Extraordinary sitting of the Uganda Vice Chancellors Forum (UVCF) meeting to discuss Higher Education Access Certificate (HEAC) programme and Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) Act, 2025, Senior Common Room, Makerere University, Kampala Uganda, East Africa on 23rd June 2025. — ***The Host, Prof. Buyinza Mukadasi (L) makes the opening remarks.***

“We believe that by the close of the day, we should be able to come up with a position paper that will inform the next course of action in this regard” remarked Prof. Buyinza Mukadasi in reference to the scheduled updates from NCHE on the HEAC Programme.

The ED UVCF, Prof. Eriabu Lugujjo in his remarks thanked Makerere University for accepting to host the extraordinary session at short notice. Commenting on the successful reconstruction of the Main Building he said, “90% of the Vice Chancellors gathered today had not been here since the conflagration so we wish to commend you on the quality of work, especially the preservation of history.” He reiterated the host Vice Chancellor’s hope that the sitting would come up with unified resolution on important issues pertaining to the Higher Education sector.

Prof. Eriabu Lugujjo makes his remarks. Extraordinary sitting of the Uganda Vice Chancellors Forum (UVCF) meeting to discuss Higher Education Access Certificate (HEAC) programme and Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) Act, 2025, Senior Common Room, Makerere University, Kampala Uganda, East Africa on 23rd June 2025. — ***Prof. Eriabu Lugujjo makes his remarks.***

The Chairperson, Prof. Paul Waako thanked the Africa Renewal University for the warm hospitality accorded during the 75^th meeting of the UVCF and congratulated Universities upon participating in the National Science Week and Summit 2025.

“This is a very good forum for institutions to interact, share progress on innovations and catch up with how far the country is progressing in science, technology and innovation. The new addition this year was the Science Summit, which is supposed to bring together all scientists in this country and out of that we would like to generate a position paper on science, technology and innovation, which we are insisting should be discussed by Cabinet every year” Prof. Waako remarked.

The Chairperson UVCF, Prof. Paul Waako. Extraordinary sitting of the Uganda Vice Chancellors Forum (UVCF) meeting to discuss Higher Education Access Certificate (HEAC) programme and Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) Act, 2025, Senior Common Room, Makerere University, Kampala Uganda, East Africa on 23rd June 2025. — ***The Chairperson UVCF, Prof. Paul Waako.***

The Chairperson UVCF noted that the extraordinary meeting had been called on short notice to feed into ongoing discussions at high levels regarding the HEAC programme and the recently passed Uganda Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) Act, 2025. He noted that the TVET Act has big implications on Higher Education training at Diploma and Certificate level, warranting a discussion by Vice Chancellors.

Stakeholders from NCHE and the Commissioner for Higher Education and Training in the Ministry of Education and Sports (MoES) were invited to enrich the discussion. Equally invited were; Prof. David Orema who worked with NCHE to develop the HEAC programme and the first training programme at Busitema University, Incoming and 24^th Guild President of Gulu University and HEAC beneficiary Mr. Alex Opio Ongom, a student representative from Kabale University, and the first female graduate engineer from Buyende District – also a HEAC beneficiary.

Dr. Maria Nakachwa presents on the HEAC programme. Extraordinary sitting of the Uganda Vice Chancellors Forum (UVCF) meeting to discuss Higher Education Access Certificate (HEAC) programme and Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) Act, 2025, Senior Common Room, Makerere University, Kampala Uganda, East Africa on 23rd June 2025. — ***Dr. Maria Nakachwa presents on the HEAC programme.***

Giving an overview of the HEAC programme, Dr. Nakachwa observed that Uganda remains a hub of Higher Education in the region and the programme acts as a good bridge for international students who need to meet entry requirements of Ugandan institutions. She also pointed to the fact that the HEAC programme acts as a remedial programme for students who sat and completed the Uganda Advanced Certificate of Education (UACE) but did not attain sufficient grades to enroll for Diplomas or Degree programmes.

“Looking at the recently released UNEB exams, people with one principal pass were 29,000. Where are they going? Are they going to repeat? Very few do. In 2023, 18,000 students got one principal pass. Should we deny them access to the Ugandan Higher Education?” she pondered.

Prof. David Orema makes his presentation. Prof. Buyinza Mukadasi takes UVCF Members on a guided tour of reconstructed Main Building. Extraordinary sitting of the Uganda Vice Chancellors Forum (UVCF) meeting to discuss Higher Education Access Certificate (HEAC) programme and Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) Act, 2025, Senior Common Room, Makerere University, Kampala Uganda, East Africa on 23rd June 2025. — ***Prof. David Orema makes his presentation.***

Dr. Nakachwa added that NCHE, which is mandated by the Universities and Other Tertiary Institutions Act to set minimum entry requirements to any certificate, diploma or degree programme developed minimum standards for the HEAC programme in 2016, with institutions having the leeway to add two or three courses to help students cope with the rigour.

“This is well prescribed in Instrument 34 of 2008. It is a Level 4 of the Uganda Education qualifications framework because it is Post-A-Level, and the Higher Education Certificate Programme was approved by the National Council for Higher Education in 2016” elaborated Dr. Nakachwa.

She added that the HEAC is intended for four categories of students; 1) foreign students whose education system differs from Uganda’s, 2) a remedy programme for students with A-Level qualifications but not admissible for Diplomas and Bachelors, 3) holders of vocational qualifications i.e. holders of national certificates from the Directorate of Industrial Training (DIT) intending to pursue higher education, and 4) a bridge for the science/arts divide for students who may have passed sciences at O-Level but pursued arts at A-Level and thereafter, seek to pursue clinical or nursing programmes.

HEAC programme beneficiary and first female graduate engineer of Buyende District. Extraordinary sitting of the Uganda Vice Chancellors Forum (UVCF) meeting to discuss Higher Education Access Certificate (HEAC) programme and Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) Act, 2025, Senior Common Room, Makerere University, Kampala Uganda, East Africa on 23rd June 2025. — HEAC programme beneficiary and first female graduate engineer of Buyende District.

HEAC Beneficiary and Kabale University Student. Extraordinary sitting of the Uganda Vice Chancellors Forum (UVCF) meeting to discuss Higher Education Access Certificate (HEAC) programme and Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) Act, 2025, Senior Common Room, Makerere University, Kampala Uganda, East Africa on 23rd June 2025. — HEAC programme beneficiary and first female graduate engineer of Buyende District.

Furthermore, she noted that the change in nomenclature from the Higher Education Certificate (HEC) to the Higher Education Access Certificate (HEAC) programme was as recommended by a 2022 review, that also recommended an increase in subject content for the Biological and Physical sciences tracks of the programme. The HEAC also offers a third General track for arts. Nevertheless, students on all three tracks are required to interact with content in the three areas of; Life Skills Education, Study Skills and Academic Writing, and Foundations of Mathematics and Statistics.

Sharing results as at December 2024, Dr. Nakachwa noted that 21 out of the 56 registered Higher Education Institutions in Uganda are accredited to run the HAEC programme, with a total of 3,908 students enrolled. “We have learnt some lessons which include; having the regulatory frameworks reviewed is critical, and continuous engagement with stakeholders is paramount.”

Prof. Buyinza Mukadasi takes UVCF Members on a guided tour of reconstructed Main Building. Extraordinary sitting of the Uganda Vice Chancellors Forum (UVCF) meeting to discuss Higher Education Access Certificate (HEAC) programme and Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) Act, 2025, Senior Common Room, Makerere University, Kampala Uganda, East Africa on 23rd June 2025. — ***Prof. Buyinza Mukadasi takes UVCF Members on a guided tour of reconstructed Main Building.***

The presentation by the National Council for Higher Education guided the discussions for the rest of the UVCF sitting, which concluded with the resolution to develop a position paper. Thereafter, the UVCF was led on guided tour of the reconstructed Main Building by the Acting Vice Chancellor, Prof. Buyinza Mukadasi.

General

Mastercard Foundation Board pays its inaugural visit to Makerere University

Published

2 days ago

June 23, 2025

Bernard Butare

Prof. Barnabas Nawangwe, H.E. Ellen Johnson and Ms. Reeta Roy, pose for a photograph at the Main Building Entrance. Mastercard Foundation Board Inaugural visit to Makerere University led by H.E. Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, former President of Liberia, 17th June 2025, Kampala Uganda, East Africa.

On Tuesday, 17^th June 2025, a distinguished delegation from the Mastercard Foundation Board visited Makerere University for the first time since the establishment of the Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program at the university. The visit underscored the progress achieved through the partnership and its positive impact on the university community, Uganda and the African continent over the past decade. The delegation was welcomed to Makerere by the Vice Chancellor, Prof. Barnabas Nawangwe, accompanied by Prof. Buyinza Mukadasi, Acting Deputy Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs, and Prof. Justine Namaalwa, the Program Director for Mastercard Foundation at Makerere University.

The high-profile delegation was led by Her Excellency President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, the former President of Liberia and the first woman to hold the presidential office on the African continent. She serves on the Board alongside other members such as Mr. Zein M. Abdalla, the Board Chairperson; Ms. Jennifer Fonsted; Mr. Jim Leech; Mr. Stephen Toope; Ms. Sewit Ahderom; Ms. Baroness Valerie; Hon. Louise Arbour; Ms. Tsega Gebreyes; Mr. Jay Ireland; Mr. Michael Sabia; Ms. Carole Wamayu; Ms. Robin Washington; and Ms. Reeta Roy, the President and Chief Executive Officer of the Mastercard Foundation. Additionally, the Board members were accompanied by the leadership team of the Mastercard Foundation, including Mr. Doug Kasambala, Chief Financial Officer; Ms. Ivy Mwai, Education and Skills Lead; Mr. Adrian Bukenya, Country Director for Mastercard Foundation-Uganda Programs; and Ms. Rachel Nandelenga, Head of Country Program Communications.

Prof. Barnabas Nawangwe, welcoming H.E. Ellen Johnson, Ms. Reeta Roy and other members of Mastercard Foundation Board to Makerere University. Mastercard Foundation Board Inaugural visit to Makerere University led by H.E. Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, former President of Liberia, 17th June 2025, Kampala Uganda, East Africa. — ***Prof. Barnabas Nawangwe, welcoming H.E. Ellen Johnson, Ms. Reeta Roy and other members of Mastercard Foundation Board to Makerere University.***

The Mastercard Foundation Board conducted a series of meetings with various stakeholders at Makerere University. The meetings begun with the University Leadership, which featured key figures such as Rt. Hon. Daniel Kidega, the Deputy Chairperson of the University Council and Chairperson of the Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program Advisory Board at Makerere; Prof. Barnabas Nawangwe, the Vice Chancellor; Prof. Buyinza Mukadasi, the Acting Deputy Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs and Chairperson of the Steering Committee for the Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program; and Mr. Yusuf Kiranda, the University Secretary.

While addressing the delegation, Vice Chancellor Prof. Nawangwe expressed gratitude for the partnership between the Mastercard Foundation and Makerere University. He highlighted the Foundation’s impact on Africa’s higher education sector and the livelihoods of young people across the continent.

Prof. Barnabas Nawangwe, Prof. Buyinza Mukadasi and Prof. Justine Namaalwa, interacting with Members of the Board. Mastercard Foundation Board Inaugural visit to Makerere University led by H.E. Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, former President of Liberia, 17th June 2025, Kampala Uganda, East Africa. — ***Prof. Barnabas Nawangwe, Prof. Buyinza Mukadasi and Prof. Justine Namaalwa, interacting with Members of the Board.***

“We are privileged to host Her Excellency Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, along with other Members of the Board of Mastercard Foundation and the Foundation’s President and CEO, Ms. Reeta Roy, for the first time at Makerere University. The Mastercard Foundation has significantly impacted Uganda and Africa’s higher education sector and the livelihoods of young people, for which we are very grateful,” Prof. Nawangwe remarked.

Prof. Nawangwe also expressed appreciation to the Mastercard Foundation for its partnerships with Makerere University, which began with the Scholars Program and now encompasses additional initiatives such as the E-learning Initiative and, most recently, the Climate Resilience and Sustainability Collaborative project.

During the meeting with the Scholars Program staff, the Program Director, Prof. Justine Namaalwa, had the opportunity to outline the achievements of the first 10 years (First phase) of the Scholars Program at Makerere University and shed light on the future of the second phase of the Program at Makerere University.

Rt. Hon. Dan Kidega, Prof. Buyinza Mukadasi and Mr. Yusuf Kiranda interacting with the Board Members during their meeting with the Scholars Program staff. Mastercard Foundation Board Inaugural visit to Makerere University led by H.E. Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, former President of Liberia, 17th June 2025, Kampala Uganda, East Africa. — ***Rt. Hon. Dan Kidega, Prof. Buyinza Mukadasi and Mr. Yusuf Kiranda interacting with the Board Members during their meeting with the Scholars Program staff.***

Among the achievements highlighted by Prof. Namaalwa during the first phase were the following:

The Program supported 1,032 young people, of whom 76% were females and 24% were males.
As of January 2025, 965 Scholars had graduated, achieving an exceptional completion rate of 94%.
Scholar Alumni have moved on to various pursuits, including formal employment (34%), entrepreneurship (11%), and further education (3%).
Strengthening the Student Mentorship Engagements through capacity-building sessions for 97 university staff across the colleges, which benefits both the Scholars and other students.
Drafting the Makerere University Career Guidance and Mentorship Policy to streamline mentorship engagements across the university. The Policy is currently under review by the University Council.
As of 2024, the Scholars Entrepreneurship Fund has created 86 jobs across various communities.
The Scholars made a positive impact on communities through their Annual Day of Service, supporting twelve communities by constructing boreholes for clean water access in two communities and building and equipping classrooms in three communities.

Prof. Justine Namaalwa, making a presentation to the Board during the meeting with Scholars Program staff. Mastercard Foundation Board Inaugural visit to Makerere University led by H.E. Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, former President of Liberia, 17th June 2025, Kampala Uganda, East Africa. — ***Prof. Justine Namaalwa, making a presentation to the Board during the meeting with Scholars Program staff.***

Prof. Namaalwa also elaborated on the accomplishments thus far in the second phase of the Scholars Program by highlighting the following;

101 Scholars recruited into the Program across different categories.
Prioritizing the safety of students and staff, emphasized by the well-articulated Makerere University Safeguarding Policy and its implementation activities.
A fully operational Disability Inclusion Support Centre.

A Board Member posing a question to Program Staff during their interaction with the team. Mastercard Foundation Board Inaugural visit to Makerere University led by H.E. Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, former President of Liberia, 17th June 2025, Kampala Uganda, East Africa. — ***A Board Member posing a question to Program Staff during their interaction with the team.***

On the other day’s activities, the Board also had the chance to view a mini-exhibition showcasing projects implemented by the alumni scholars. Furthermore, they engaged in a focus group discussion with both the Scholars and alumni.

On their part, the Board members expressed gratitude to Makerere University Management, led by Prof. Nawangwe, for the tremendous achievements the university had attained through the implementation of the Scholars Program and other initiatives aimed at uplifting underprivileged young people in Uganda and Africa. The Board members also expressed their appreciation to Prof. Namaalwa and the Scholars Program for the excellent job done in implementing the Scholars Program and for the continuous support provided to the Scholars and Scholar-alumni.

Ms. Reeta Roy, the President & CEO of Mastercard Foundation inspecting one of the alumni stalls during the exhibition. Mastercard Foundation Board Inaugural visit to Makerere University led by H.E. Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, former President of Liberia, 17th June 2025, Kampala Uganda, East Africa. — ***Ms. Reeta Roy, the President & CEO of Mastercard Foundation inspecting one of the alumni stalls during the exhibition.***

The Vice Chancellor, Prof. Nawangwe, concluded the day by presenting each visitor with an unforgettable souvenir of Makerere, which included exquisite Makerere University coffee mugs and executive pens.

Prof. Nawangwe presenting a souvenir to H.E. Ellen Johnson at the end of her visit to Makerere University. Mastercard Foundation Board Inaugural visit to Makerere University led by H.E. Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, former President of Liberia, 17th June 2025, Kampala Uganda, East Africa. — ***Prof. Nawangwe presenting a souvenir to H.E. Ellen Johnson at the end of her visit to Makerere University.***

Mr. Bernard Buteera is the Principal Communication and Public Relations Officer of the Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program at Makerere University

More photos from the visit