Makerere University to merge faculties
MAKERERE University plans to merge all its 21 faculties into six colleges in a bid to improve the administration of the university. Three colleges should have been formed by 2012, while the remaining ones should be created by the end of 2017.
By Godfrey Kimono
MAKERERE University plans to merge all its 21 faculties into six colleges in a bid to improve the administration of the university.
Prof. David Bakibinga, the deputy vice-chancellor in charge of finance and administration, revealed the plan on Monday, while closing a four-day retreat, organised by the East African School of Library and Information Science in Mukono.
Three colleges should have been formed by 2012, while the remaining ones should be created by the end of 2017.
“The formation of a college system demonstrates the need to work closely with related units in the university and move towards academic quality assurance,†Bakibinga said.
He noted that the university required leadership building and management skills among all staff members, together with a good developed information flow and a records management system as it moved towards the formation of colleges.
He called upon all faculty leaders to adhere to the deadline and warned that the University Council would be forced to intervene and merge certain faculties without their approval in case they did not meet the deadline.
The restructuring process should improve the image of the university through better academic units, avoid course duplication, make longer-term disciplinary growth plans and ensure devolution of powers under the college deans.
Some of the faculties at the university include Arts, Social Sciences, Computing and Information Technology, Economics, Law, Education, Technology, Fine Art and Medicine.
A pilot project, which saw Mulago Medical School merge with the Institute of Public Health, has been completed successfully.
Makerere University dropped from the 23rd to the 54th position among the 100 best universities in Africa in just one year, according to a study by Webometrics, a Saudi Arabia-based group.
The ranking, posted on the Internet, sparked off angry reactions from Makerere managers who questioned the criteria used.
MAKERERE University plans to merge all its 21 faculties into six colleges in a bid to improve the administration of the university.
Prof. David Bakibinga, the deputy vice-chancellor in charge of finance and administration, revealed the plan on Monday, while closing a four-day retreat, organised by the East African School of Library and Information Science in Mukono.
Three colleges should have been formed by 2012, while the remaining ones should be created by the end of 2017.
“The formation of a college system demonstrates the need to work closely with related units in the university and move towards academic quality assurance,†Bakibinga said.
He noted that the university required leadership building and management skills among all staff members, together with a good developed information flow and a records management system as it moved towards the formation of colleges.
He called upon all faculty leaders to adhere to the deadline and warned that the University Council would be forced to intervene and merge certain faculties without their approval in case they did not meet the deadline.
The restructuring process should improve the image of the university through better academic units, avoid course duplication, make longer-term disciplinary growth plans and ensure devolution of powers under the college deans.
Some of the faculties at the university include Arts, Social Sciences, Computing and Information Technology, Economics, Law, Education, Technology, Fine Art and Medicine.
A pilot project, which saw Mulago Medical School merge with the Institute of Public Health, has been completed successfully.
Makerere University dropped from the 23rd to the 54th position among the 100 best universities in Africa in just one year, according to a study by Webometrics, a Saudi Arabia-based group.
The ranking, posted on the Internet, sparked off angry reactions from Makerere managers who questioned the criteria used.