What kind of scientists does Uganda need?
Mar 27, 2005
AS plans to train and produce more scientists gain momentum, a cloud of uncertainty still shrouds government’s new policy to emphasise the teaching of science and technology in schools.
By Stephen Ssenkaaba
AS plans to train and produce more scientists gain momentum, a cloud of uncertainty still shrouds government’s new policy to emphasise the teaching of science and technology in schools.
While the policy has been well received among different sections of the society, there is a feeling that critical as it is to development of Uganda, science and technology for its own sake may not bring about the much needed growth.
“You don’t start by saying that I have civil engineers, therefore I need roads. You start by setting a plan for road construction.
“This is where policy makers have gone wrong. There seems to have been a rush to train more scientists without finding out what kind of scientists the country needs and in what areas,†says Dr Zerubabel M. Nyiira, Executive Secretary of the Uganda National Council for Science and Technology (UNCST).
He says that before going ahead with such a big policy, the Government should have started by defining a long-term development strategy and worked out a plan to implement it. This, among, other things involves a sound education system with sound training programmes.
“Right from kindergarten to primary school there should be science training for children to expose them to the discipline. But as you train the people to become scientists, you also develop the institutions to absorb them when they finally leave school,†says Nyiira.
He said that as more scientists emerge, the country risks losing them because of its inability to absorb them.
“What capacity does Uganda have to absorb all the scientists that it is training right now? What institutions do we have to absorb all these scientists who come out of training as engineers, pharmacists, physicians and other kinds of scientists. Are there any plans to pay these scientists well in order to retain them?
“If we train scientists and don’t pay them well, they will go to where they are paid better.
For example, a qualified scientist who receives a salary of sh200,000 will definitely find employment in South Africa where he or she would be paid $5000(sh10m) to do the same job. This is a loss to the country,†he said.
He adds that investing a lot of money in training scientists at university will not necessarily produce productive scientists. Government would rather invest in polytechnics and technical schools to develop the potential of future scientists.
He says that there is need to tailor the curriculum implementation towards practical subjects in which students are challenged to explore phenomena on their own other than being exposed to principles which they will later on reproduce in exams.
Above all, Dr Nyiira says it is the political will and commitment to translate all these policies into practical programmes that will drive the nation forward.
George William Ssemivule, the headteacher King’s College Budo agrees with Dr Nyiira.
“Government needs to come up with clear policies on science and allocate more resources to science teaching as well as motivating scientists. Right now, young scientists in schools have no motivation because the most poorly paid people today are the scientists.
Governments should stop paying lip service to science and come up with practical solutions, he said.
A Makerere University lecturer said some of these policies have been undertaken without adequate planning.
“Emphasising sciences will not single handedly lead to the development of this country, especially if it is done at the expense of arts and humanities.
“You cannot say that you need more nuclear physicists than sociologists or psychologists,†says the university lecturer who preferred anonymity.
But Dr. Richard Akankwasa, the director of education, contends that while there are still a few gaps to be filled, it is not just government’s role but everybody’s responsibility to ensure an effective policy on science and technology.
For a long time, we have produced few scientists, only 15.3% in private and public universities and only 16.6% overall, including tertiary institutions.
“We need to root science and organically link it to society and its needs. It is not going to be a one trigger shot but a it is a challenge for all of us,†said Akankwasa.
While he supports government policy on science and technology, Fagil Mandy believes more needs to be done.
“There is need to invest in industry, infrastructure, food processing and other areas to make our scientists part and parcel of this intricate system of development,†says Mandy, an education consultant and former commissioner of education in the ministry of education and sports.
But Michael F. Crawford, a senior World Bank specialist on Human Development in health and education in East Africa refocuses the debate saying that: “The major point is not so much what kind of science as how this science is done. In many ways quality is as important as the discipline itself in developing an effective science policy for this country.
This requires government to adopt a comprehensive approach with a good balance of skills, merit based allocation of resources that pays attention to excellence and political commitment, he said.
For all its merits and demerits the science and technology policy will have to work within much broader perspective; one that emphasises as much quality as it does everything else.
Ends
AS plans to train and produce more scientists gain momentum, a cloud of uncertainty still shrouds government’s new policy to emphasise the teaching of science and technology in schools.
While the policy has been well received among different sections of the society, there is a feeling that critical as it is to development of Uganda, science and technology for its own sake may not bring about the much needed growth.
“You don’t start by saying that I have civil engineers, therefore I need roads. You start by setting a plan for road construction.
“This is where policy makers have gone wrong. There seems to have been a rush to train more scientists without finding out what kind of scientists the country needs and in what areas,†says Dr Zerubabel M. Nyiira, Executive Secretary of the Uganda National Council for Science and Technology (UNCST).
He says that before going ahead with such a big policy, the Government should have started by defining a long-term development strategy and worked out a plan to implement it. This, among, other things involves a sound education system with sound training programmes.
“Right from kindergarten to primary school there should be science training for children to expose them to the discipline. But as you train the people to become scientists, you also develop the institutions to absorb them when they finally leave school,†says Nyiira.
He said that as more scientists emerge, the country risks losing them because of its inability to absorb them.
“What capacity does Uganda have to absorb all the scientists that it is training right now? What institutions do we have to absorb all these scientists who come out of training as engineers, pharmacists, physicians and other kinds of scientists. Are there any plans to pay these scientists well in order to retain them?
“If we train scientists and don’t pay them well, they will go to where they are paid better.
For example, a qualified scientist who receives a salary of sh200,000 will definitely find employment in South Africa where he or she would be paid $5000(sh10m) to do the same job. This is a loss to the country,†he said.
He adds that investing a lot of money in training scientists at university will not necessarily produce productive scientists. Government would rather invest in polytechnics and technical schools to develop the potential of future scientists.
He says that there is need to tailor the curriculum implementation towards practical subjects in which students are challenged to explore phenomena on their own other than being exposed to principles which they will later on reproduce in exams.
Above all, Dr Nyiira says it is the political will and commitment to translate all these policies into practical programmes that will drive the nation forward.
George William Ssemivule, the headteacher King’s College Budo agrees with Dr Nyiira.
“Government needs to come up with clear policies on science and allocate more resources to science teaching as well as motivating scientists. Right now, young scientists in schools have no motivation because the most poorly paid people today are the scientists.
Governments should stop paying lip service to science and come up with practical solutions, he said.
A Makerere University lecturer said some of these policies have been undertaken without adequate planning.
“Emphasising sciences will not single handedly lead to the development of this country, especially if it is done at the expense of arts and humanities.
“You cannot say that you need more nuclear physicists than sociologists or psychologists,†says the university lecturer who preferred anonymity.
But Dr. Richard Akankwasa, the director of education, contends that while there are still a few gaps to be filled, it is not just government’s role but everybody’s responsibility to ensure an effective policy on science and technology.
For a long time, we have produced few scientists, only 15.3% in private and public universities and only 16.6% overall, including tertiary institutions.
“We need to root science and organically link it to society and its needs. It is not going to be a one trigger shot but a it is a challenge for all of us,†said Akankwasa.
While he supports government policy on science and technology, Fagil Mandy believes more needs to be done.
“There is need to invest in industry, infrastructure, food processing and other areas to make our scientists part and parcel of this intricate system of development,†says Mandy, an education consultant and former commissioner of education in the ministry of education and sports.
But Michael F. Crawford, a senior World Bank specialist on Human Development in health and education in East Africa refocuses the debate saying that: “The major point is not so much what kind of science as how this science is done. In many ways quality is as important as the discipline itself in developing an effective science policy for this country.
This requires government to adopt a comprehensive approach with a good balance of skills, merit based allocation of resources that pays attention to excellence and political commitment, he said.
For all its merits and demerits the science and technology policy will have to work within much broader perspective; one that emphasises as much quality as it does everything else.
Ends