The Politics of Higher Education Reform: The Case of Makerere University

The political and economic crises of the 1970s and 1980s left an indelible mark on social services in Uganda. Using Makerere University as a case study, the paper shows how the adverse consequences of the crises unleashed on the educational sector were revised through reforms along 'liberal' lines. Under funding of education, a major outcome of the crises led to a brain drain and a deterioration in the quality of teach ing and learning. Governance in the higher education sector was adversely affected as the central authority of the University increasingly found it difficult to demand or receive the co-operation of students, staff and faculty. However, from the early 1990s, an extensive institutional reorganisation of Makerere University was embarked upon. The paper argues that these reform measures in the areas of financing, administra tion and programmes, have put the University on a path of transformation that is radical and irreversible.