| dc.description.abstract | This study set out to establish whether restructuring promotes or blocks organizational efficiency with specific reference to the recent college formation experience at Makerere University. Theoretically, the purpose of restructuring is to enhance efficiency of the university in terms of addressing students’ and lecturers’ demands and also financial and material efficiency. The study assessed the level of efficiency in terms of; (a) handling of students’ matters such as; limited availability and inadequacy of reading materials in libraries, the unsatisfactory quality of teaching, delays in processing students’ transcripts and certificates, delays in processing and releasing students examination results, missing examination results, irregularities contained in students research and field attachments, and emerging fees structures among others; (b) the attention given or not given to lecturers’ demands such as improved remunerations in terms of salaries and allowances, delays in salaries and allowances payment; (c) the factors responsible for improved or delayed efficiency in the college system, and (d) how efficiency would be improved after implementation of college system at Makerere University.
In terms of methodology, this study was largely qualitative and was based on information that was already gathered. Secondary research included collecting information from critical sources such as (i) Makerere University websites; (ii) university records; and (iii) published articles in magazines. The study revealed that Makerere is now a collegiate university where the governing authority and functions are divided between a central administration and a number of constituent colleges. Despite undeniable progress towards a new kind of university structure, restructuring remains incomplete. Critical issues of equity, efficiency and sustainability remain unresolved. For example, there are still delays in attending to the concerns of students, students’ academic performance has not improved, academic and support staff salaries and wages have remained poor, records management and procurement functions have not improved. This has been characterized by recurrent student and staff strikes due to the inefficiency of the policy.
Based on the findings of the study, two key recommendations emerge. First, restructuring should be transformed from theory to practice; and from half to fully blown decentralization of powers and resources from the central administration. This calls for government support and capacity building to enable various stakeholders understand the process. Second, given the unwillingness of the central administration to fully transfer powers and resources to the colleges, Makerere University should consider rolling back to the structure of faculties and departments so as to resolve critical issues of equity, efficiency and sustainability and improve attention to the concerns of students and remuneration of the teaching staff. | en_US |
