Sustaining educational development in higher education in Uganda: Does equality of access alone matter?

Liberalisation of higher education in Uganda meant opening its provision, to also the private sector, and running of a public-private mix model at public institutions. In this process, the demand for university education and... [ view full abstract ]

Liberalisation of higher education in Uganda meant opening its provision, to also the private sector, and running of a public-private mix model at public institutions. In this process, the demand for university education and the numbers of students joining universities has increased, but also the composition of the student population has changed due to flexibility in the provision of study programmes and access routes. Consequently the student population now also includes non-traditional type of students whose learning and service support needs are in part different from those of the traditional students. In the current debates on learning for sustainable futures, it’s important to understand the equality, equity and inclusivity spaces of these new types of students especially in the traditional public and resource constrained institutional environments.

Using empirical data from an ongoing study at Makerere University in Uganda, this paper shows that whereas opening access has widened participation opportunities for those previously excluded, the policy and practice environments have largely remained traditionally inclined and more in favour of traditional students, resulting into improper inclusion and integration of these new types of students in the university system. The paper suggests some recommendations towards achieving sustainable educational development, through advocating for those policies and practices that promote quality equitable and inclusive education, for all learners.