Opinions
Proliferation of Varsities Undermines Intellectual Quality
From the Outside Looking
What might amount to a stimulating sight on Market Street, in Kampala, is the newly established offshoot of Victoria University Uganda (VUU). It marks the extension of its profile from its (Is it Main Campus?) along Kampala Road, in the building which used to be the East African General Insurance (EAGEN) structure.
On its wall on Market Street is the arresting dictum: Victoria University; “We are the University Of You.” It is an interesting grammatical labeling. The use of the word “Of” is presumably intended for the people to see it as their own: a possession. In other words, it is not merely, purposely to be “for” use. Who is to possess it?
If this was the intention of the dictum, it would be carrying a relevant application. The VUU extension is at the end of the extra-busy Market Street. Here, there is a hotch-potch of activity that shows its nearness to the main Taxi Park; and the many shops hawking all types of wares intended for the people on their way to traveling wherever they are going. Certainly, they will not be thinking of hunkering down to study. Such an aura of the presence of a “university” would be far from the learning atmosphere.
Even if the VUU lecture rooms are noise-proofed, when the students climb down to Market Street, they are met by noise calling for all kinds of wares; and lumpens (Bayaaye) masquerading around for their livelihoods. This definitely takes away their attention from the classroom work. VUU may have been thinking of imitating the Islamic University in Uganda (IUIU), which set up a campus in Kibuli slums; but at least they have a credible center in Mbale.
It is a far-cry from an institution like Makerere University, Kampala (MAK), which is situated in a vast piece of land, serene and quiet. The selection of this site by the British Colonials more than a Century ago was no mistake for a place of study. They may have been thinking of the setting of their own such places like the University of Cambridge in East Anglia.
About 50 years ago, MAK was the only university in Uganda; and was marked as a place of academic excellence. It was ranked among the top ten world universities. The number of students in a lecture room would not exceed 35. The yearly intake was around 2,000 students, so they would get the best academic and intellectual attention.
And the professors would school them to the best level of intellectualism. Those were the days of the unequalled teachers like Professors Ali Mazrui and J.B. Webster. It has to be known that teachers like Dr. Samwiri Karugire, were the colleagues of the likes of Webster. And they set records that have not been matched up to now. These last two occasions occasioned historical research in several parts of the country that added to the national acquisition of recorded knowledge. And this was done by students for their manuscripts.
With the extent to which the number of universities has reached so far, that is no longer achievable. There are now 42 licensed and chartered universities all over the country. There are some universities that I believe readers have not heard of before. You have Team University, here in Kampala; African Rural University in Kagadi (What would that be doing?); All Saints University in Lango; and, Valley University of Science and Technology in Bushenyi.
VUU alone takes nearly 2,000 students a year, a number that MAK used to do then. Lecture rooms in MAK can contain up to 1000 students. There is no longer a possibility of tutorials, where a few students are taken into the details of their lessons by the lecturers. That explains why today’s graduates are half-baked.
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