AbstractsEducation Research & Administration

This study investigated the challenges brought about by liberalization policy especially on the quality of higher education in Uganda. It was an exploratory study that used a qualitative research paradigm and employed three techniques which were; interview, observation and secondary sources. The study was carried out in four universities (two public and two private), guided by the following research questions; i) Has the quality of education improved as a result of the liberalization policy? ii) Do universities have the necessary resources to provide quality education? The study revealed that the liberalization policy led to a systematic reduction in the role of the state to provide higher education as a social service to its people. Instead, market access principles penetrated and influence the provision of higher education. The study reveals that since Uganda is a poor country, it is hard for either the government or the private sector to adequately finance higher education not even with combined efforts and for that reason, higher education has remained in a sorry state despite the increased demand for it. Education support materials like text books, computers and infrastructure are inadequate. Teachers at higher institutions are not well-motivated and not facilitated to grow professionally, something that has kept a lot of questions regarding the quality of teachers. The curriculum for some study programs is said to have been out of context before and situation has been aggravated by the worsening conditions promoted by liberalization. The informants noted that liberalization has lowered the quality of higher education in Uganda. However, for study programs like Development Studies and Social Work and Social Administration, there is a remarkable improve because the programs a now more focused than before. The study recommends that; i) higher education curriculum be reformed with concerted efforts of the National Curriculum Development Centre and the teachers and the National Council for Higher Education reinforces the implantation of the newly and locally designed curricula that would be compatible to the learning environment and the country s needs. ii) Universities lobby for more financial resources to invest in the cause of improving the physical learning environment, teacher quality and the curricula. iii) Government review the terms under which liberalization policy is applied and examines the overall implication to the national economy.