In 2019, the Makerere University Council developed a 10-year strategic blueprint (2020 – 2030) to transform the university into a research-led institution. To realise this ambitious vision and align with the national development planning cycle, the 10-year blueprint was compressed into two strategic plans, beginning with the 2020/21 – 2024/25 plan. While Strategic Plan (2020/21–2024/25) prioritized building the foundational systems and infrastructure to drive a research-centred institution, Strategic Plan (2025/26–2029/30) focuses on deepening and internationalizing Makerere’s influence as a leading research university, enhancing its contribution to national and global development.

Guided by the Human Capital Development Programme of the Fourth National Development Plan (NDP IV), the plan focuses on optimizing enrolment capacity, expanding postgraduate and STEM disciplines, and strengthening graduate research training. We have set ambitious targets for program accreditation, doctoral completion, and scholarly publication in peer-reviewed journals, while advancing innovation and intellectual property development under four broad objectives.

I would like to emphasise that our research-led agenda is not about slashing undergraduate admissions, but rather growing the postgraduate numbers.

To achieve our strategic objective to promote quality, innovative, and responsive teaching and learning that transform students’ experiences and meet societal needs, we shall undertake key strategic interventions and actions. These include aligning education delivery with national needs by sustaining the undergraduate enrolment while expanding postgraduate students from 3,874 to 7,744 over the five-year period. This is in order to respond to NDP IV’s Programme Implementation Action Plan (PIAPs) to implement the 10-fold growth strategy.

Makerere is ready for the new curriculum-taught students

There have been questions about our preparedness to take on students who have undertaken the new competence-based curriculum in high school. I would like to reassure the public that Makerere University is not only ready but has always operated on a competence-based approach. As an institution of higher learning, Makerere University fully complies with the National Council for Higher Education (NCHE) Minimum Standards for Implementing Competence-Based Education (CBE) in Higher Education Institutions (November 2025) and the Ministerial Directive of 9 July 2025. This approach aligns with the University’s Strategic Plan 2025/26-2029/30 and its vision of producing research-led, versatile graduates who are ready to drive Uganda’s socio-economic transformation. Our teaching and learning approaches prioritise mastery learning, under which learners advance only upon proven proficiency.

Makerere Impact through Research and Innovation

Providing solutions to education issues: Biology performance

Makerere University would like to congratulate the country on the registered performance improvements in the recently released UACE results. We particularly celebrate the results in Biology, which coincide with the dissemination of findings from an initiative undertaken by Makerere University to address the poor performance that for a long time was an issue.

Previous studies had revealed that academic performance had remained low since the 1970s. This was particularly concerning because Biology is a foundational subject that accounts for between 70% and 100% of academic and research work across several colleges at Makerere University.

Makerere University, through the School of Biosciences in the College of Natural Sciences (CoNAS), under the supervision of the Office of the Deputy Vice Chancellor Academic Affairs, has, over the last fifty years, undertaken a two-phase initiative to address the challenge of poor performance in Biology at the Uganda Advanced Certificate of Education (UACE).

The College will hold a workshop on Thursday, 19^th March 2026, to disseminate these findings.

The findings focused on identifying the root causes of poor performance through analysis of:

1. The qualifications, competence, and availability of teachers and laboratory technicians,
2. The breadth and depth of the A-Level Biology curriculum,
3. The structure and coverage of topics in UNEB Biology exams compared to other A-Level subjects,
4. The state of laboratory and field infrastructure used in teaching Biology at A-Level, and
5. Students’ attitudes towards studying Biology at A-Level.

Media Contacts:

Makerere University: Ms. Eunice Rukundo, Deputy Chief Public Relations Officer, inquiries@mak.ac.ug, Telephone: +256785071002.

Direct inquiries on #MakImpact: Uganda National Biological Society (UNBIOS), Prof. Fredrick Muyodi, fjmuyodi@gmail.com, Telephone: +256772474231/Prof. Arthur Tugume, arthur.tugume@mak.ac.ug, aktugume@gmail.com

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