University education for sustainable national development: Implications for University Leadership, Management and Society

Abstract

This paper discusses the social and philosophical underpinnings of the role of education in economic development in Uganda. It is partly based on a study on bureaucracy and the management of the challenges facing Makerere University carried out by the writer in 2006 using a sample size of 381 respondents representing a population of 50,000. The results show that the issue of a university being used as an instrument for mobilizing support for government policies is contentious but that cooperation with Industry and the Private Sector to design academic programmes and curriculum for training a labour force which is employable and geared towards national development is favoured. The findings confirmed the divergence in perception about the role of higher education per se to National development. The capacity of universities to produce desired results with regard to the promotion of National Development is discussed. The paper concludes with the observation that in pursuing the objectives and goals of the Higher Education Institution, the university top leadership, as well as management have to play a decisive role in making higher education fulfill the expectations of society, but points out that not every thing society demands is in fact worthy. It is recommended that university education strives to inculcate a positive attitude towards the kind of change that society demands through curriculum innovativeness.