Education for Sustainable Development: Implications for University Managers, Government and the Private Sector in Uganda

Abstract

Taking the case of Makerere University, this study delved into the rationale underlying university participation in development planning and steps that universities could take to enhance their partnership with government and the private sector. Data were collected from 381 respondents, who included academic staff, managers and student leaders at the University. The respondents suggested that the University should help the government in drawing and implementing development plans, adding that this could provide a means of overcoming its antagonistic relationship with the government. Regarding the steps the University could take to help government, they suggested that it could tailor its research and teaching programs to complement the latter's efforts; restrain from partisan politics; include more government representatives on its committees; and mobilize private sector support for its programmes. Regarding government's role in harnessing the University's contribution to national development, the respondents suggested that government should respect the University's autonomy as well as its members' academic and democratic freedom. Finally, the respondents argued for university-private-sector-alignment, urging that the University partners with relevant private sector actors to design curricula and research programmes that, respectively, produce graduates and information that are demanded in the contemporary market.