Obstacles hindering the effective governance of universities in Uganda,

Abstract

There has been global emphasis on improving the ability of universities to cope with the challenges of the 21st century. This article focuses on the obstacles hindering the effective governance of universities in Uganda and reports on a section of a doctoral thesis on developing and sustaining effective governance of universities in Uganda. The study adopted a mixed method approach involving both public and private universities. Phase 1 was a quantitative design while phase 2 employed a qualitative research design. The study revealed that the key obstacles to university governance in Uganda were government interference, bureaucracy, lack of commitment, conflicting values, inadequate funding and poor remuneration The study recommends the following: (1) Universities should be given more operational autonomy and be more accountable within the Ugandan policy framework. (2) Governance challenges be reduced by maximising delegation and decision-making, increasing governance financing and balancing bureaucracy in management. (3) Appropriate structures, systems, processes and procedures for decision-making and implementation are required. (4) A mechanism for funding universities should be developed both internally and externally.