Building Blocks to Effective and Sustainable University Governance in Uganda

Abstract

The issue of university governance has become the subject of intense debate globally, triggering a contest for governance systems that are responsive to the changing demands of university stakeholders. This article focuses on building blocks for effective and sustainable university governance in Uganda and reflects on a section of a doctoral thesis on developing and sustaining effective governance of universities in Uganda. The study utilised a mixed method research approach and investigated governance practices at both public and private universities. It consisted of two phases. Phase 1 was a quantitative design and phase 2 was a qualitative research design. The study explored how universities can build and sustain effective governance. It was concluded that to build and sustain effective university governance, the following building blocks are critical: professional competence of members of the university board, quality governance structures, a participatory planning process and board participation in management. For effective university governance, the study recommended the following: (1) university boards should be composed of members with an appropriate level of professional competence related to university governance (2) universities should create appropriate governance structures where roles are segregated among the various committees to create the necessary checks and balances (3) ownership of plans, accountability and transparency should be ensured (4) the planning process should be participative and a maximum level of board participation in management affairs should be stipulated.