UNIVERSITIES | LECTURERS | MASTERS & PH.D. | STUDENTS

Makerere university has opened a Ph. D lounge for research and coursework for Masters and Ph.D. students.

Speaking during the launch of the Ph.D. lounge at the College of Health Sciences, Prof. James Tumwine, the dean of Medicine at Kabale University, noted the act is illegal, but people are not even ashamed of sharing their numbers on the posters.

“If we are to celebrate more than 100 years of Makerere University, and be the research-led university in Africa, we need to stop the crediting lecturers who write proposals for our students and give them no room to think,” Prof. Tumwine said.

Prof. Tumwine noted that if you move around various universities, among the popular posters you will see posted on kiosks, poles, trees, and most noticeboards are those advertising individuals and agencies who write research proposals and dissertations for students.

The said lecturers provide the students with topics, and if the supervisor approves it, the same lecturer embarks on the journey of collecting data, interpreting it, and writing the final thesis or project.

“If a student allows someone to do for them their final research, they miss out on a couple of skills that come with doing their research, such as learning communication and writing skills,” Prof. Tumwine said.

The issue of research has created debate in Uganda and the whole of Africa among elites, with many claiming that Africa contributes only a small percentage of the total research done across the world. This will not change unless students start researching at an early stage in their education.

Research is important because it can add value to upcoming policies.

To enable Master's and Ph.D. students to think, collect data, and write their research in a conducive environment, the College of Health Science has opened up a lounge that accommodates over 100 students to access the internet and the library.

“It is going to be a 24/7 lounge because some of the Ph.D. students are lecturers during the day, so we have provided them with an enabling environment to be able to complete their research on time and peacefully," said Dr. Alison Annet Kinengyere, a library and information scientist at Makerere University.

Makerere University Vice Chancellor Prof. Barnabas Nawangwe thanked the College of Health Sciences for thinking about students and also requested other colleges to copy the idea.

“This is a step in the right direction. I am impressed with what has been done. I am told the number of PhD students enrolling has increased, but some of them have no funding. Let them apply. We shall see how to help them,” Prof Nawangwe said.

During the event, different scientists launched an African Health Sciences journal and invited scientists to make sure that they publish their research in the journal at no cost.