By Henry J. Opio
I am a great admirer of Prof. Byramureba. But in a country where you cannot trust institutional systems, there is no guarantee that the strings of allegations against him and the University Council are unfounded. Sometimes Governing Councils make grave mistakes that cost their institutions lots in reputation and quality. There is no doubt that something is terribly wrong at Makerere, at least administratively. For a University in which the college system has just been adopted, continuous fallouts with Senior Staffs and College Heads are inconsistent with indicators of long term success. But these hiccups are not limited to Makerere only.
I still recall vividly well, a question put to Busitema Vice Chancellor in a 2009 Council Meeting. A member pointed the non-exhaustion of the University’s wage bill and sought her opinion on the recruitment of Deputy Vice Chancellors. “To be honest, I don’t know” She replied. Her personal inclination prior to the meeting was that the University at such an early stage risked suffering from administrative power struggles which was a potential thwart to progress. I wanted to share her opinion at that time. She had served as the maiden DVC at Gulu University from kick-off, so I am sure the seasoned administrator knew what she was talking about.
Busitema, unlike Makerere, started off with such a unique multi-campus based structure. Whether or not the new College System at Makerere is fueling the fallout is debatable, but stories of power struggles in institutions that are divided along certain lines of interest or mergers are not new. The fragile thing about Busitema is that its creation is based on upgrade of pre-existing institutions that were in no way inter-linked. As Benard Luyiga, a member of Makerere Governing Council points out, Administrative Style, which includes response to Staff and students’ challenges, can be a big weakness. It can work to the detriment of the institution. The impact of its miscalculation can surpass positive reforms and many years of great achievements.
I always said and still maintain that Busitema University is the future of Uganda’s Education. Its Multi-Campus model and nature of courses is an idea well bred. But it comes with massively unique challenges and there is no local destination to borrow notes from. Firstly, it is very expensive to run the University due to the nature of courses, operational distance and staff acquisition and development. As a result, it is very easy to find fault with the Management of the University. Secondly, Students and staffs from other Campuses hardly perceive themselves as accorded the same attention with their colleagues at Busitema. Already, there is an apparent conspiracy by all these campuses during Guild Elections and other activities against Main Campuses. I am not sure about the staff. This is a matter that cannot be treated lightly. The threat is that potential critics can use students and staffs from these campuses as cracks to drill insurmountable destabilization in the institution.
Management and the University Council therefore, need to embark on a conscious effort to respond more proactively to students’ and staff challenges especially in areas that affect service delivery and quality of education.
The University Council needs to sufficiently steep in the intellectual traditions that would enable them accept the notion, that the expansion of knowledge is the raison d’être or mandate of every university, and as a result of this process, a university contributes to the full development of individuals. In effect, Busitema will inevitably become either directly or indirectly a critic of society, because new knowledge always involves questioning the status quo. The university can exercise no control over knowledge any more than it can control human nature.
There is need for a comprehensive framework for dialogue and conflict resolutions. In fact Busitema needs a unique conflict management model. Sometimes, institutions unnecessarily rush for punitive measures against protesting staffs and students. I know the Busitema Vice Chancellor as a very pro-dialogue educationist but to entirely rely on the administrative structure provided for by the Universities and Other Tertiary Institutions Act is suicidal for Busitema.
Finally, there is need to involve all stakeholders in critical decision making.
The Writer is the first Guild President and
Student Member of the Governing Council (2009/10) Busitema University
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