Get workable solution to varsity funding snag

Funding of public universities has been the subject of debate in higher education in recent years without a resolution in sight.

Last week, Principal Secretary Simon Nabukwesi, who is in charge of university education and research, brooked the subject once again, stating that the government was seeking alternatives to secure sustainable funding for the institutions. That is a timely move. 

Several options have been proposed in the past, among them differentiated unit cost — which means that courses are costed and funds allocated on the basis on how much it takes to mount a programme.

This is a departure from the conventional practice where courses are given an equal amount of money, irrespective of what is required.

However, the government has been reluctant in implementing this fully because, among other factors, it is bound to raise questions about compensation for lecturers and raise the overall budget for university education, which the government may not meet.

University funding

The other option proposed is to raise the fees that universities charge to students, with the argument that the current figures are too low, having been in force for more than two decades, and do not reflect the actual reality of offering the courses. This is replete with challenges such as backlash from students and parents, given the high poverty levels.

University funding, however, has to be examined within the broad framework of the development of the sector in the past three decades. Universities expanded exponentially because of high demand from high school leavers.

The government was a victim of its misadventures in its pursuit for popularity and political interest. Universities also grew parallel degree programme without much thought and, not surprisingly, the model collapsed when enrolments fell sharply after examination cheating was eliminated in high schools in 2016.

The stakeholders must now seek a workable solution.