Suboptimal Utilisation of Resources in Sub-Saharan African Higher Education Institutions: the Case of Teaching Space at Makerere University
Date
2012
Authors
Ssempebwa, Jude
Owolabi, S. O.
Bakkabulindi, F. E. K.
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
African Journals Online
Abstract
Many higher education institutions in Sub-Saharan Africa are underfunded.
Consequently, they are operating with encumbering resources constraints that threaten quality
assurance. Accordingly, they are working to expand the availability of these resources.
Notwithstanding, it is taken for granted that once available, these resources are optimally utilized
and that, in instances expanding their availability is not possible, compromising on some elements
of the quality of higher education is inevitable. The problem is that this presumption could disguise
inadequacies in the utilization of the resources, with the consequence that the institutions’ need for
the resources is exaggerated. Preoccupation with expanding the availability of resources could also
stifle the innovation of creative ways of making the best use of the resources available. This means
that the institutions need to evaluate their utilization of these resources—to pinpoint their need for
the resources and potential for quality assurance. This paper reports the findings of a study that
responded to this need, taking the case of teaching space at Makerere University. The objective of
the study was to verify the hypothesis that the University is teaching space constrained. The
findings were that the resource is overly underutilized albeit this was disguised by occasional
overutilization of the same space, a concomitance that only multidimensional evaluation could
unearth. Accordingly, the study gives credence to the hypothesis that shortages of resources at the
University, and similar institutions, are ostensible. Therefore, it is recommended that these
institutions subject their utilization of resources to rigorous evaluation.
Description
Keywords
Resources management, Higher education funding, Educational administration