William Senteza-Kajubi as a Change Agent in Uganda’s Education System with Specific Reference to Widening Access to University Education

2017 ◽  
pp. 34-50
Author(s):  
Fred E. K. Bakkabulindi
Author(s):  
Vincentas Lamanauskas

We live in such time period when there is a wish to get everything quickly and desirably for free. And, the quicker, the better. This applies to education as well. In fact, it is depreciated. Often it is said, that education does not add wisdom. There is some truth in this statement. If we speak about pseudo education acquired in any way and anywhere, then yes. However, a good, proper education is the outcome of rationality. These are related things, determining each other. It is thought, that today everything is rapidly changing, it is impossible, and there is no need of funda-mental “lifelong” education. This is an illusion, which does not let us see the essence. And a lot do not want and are incapable to see it. Like the house which can’t stand without good foundation, human’s good life is impossible without good education. The same can be said about society as a whole. Educated society is a warrant of state’s prosperity. Knowledge, abilities, values is, indeed, the true foundation of good education. A proper combination of these three components guarantees good education. Moreover, it would be nice if this component would entirely become integrated into given diplomas. Unfortunately, it has to be stated once again, that universities oriented or being oriented only to providing service will never be able to guarantee such integration. Thus, more or less it is agreed on an international level, that our contemporary society is not properly ready for the challenges of the 21st century. “A quick diploma” does not guarantee any-thing, in fact – neither individual nor society progress. Universities, being oriented only to giving “quick diplomas” are condemned. Education is not a game and universities are not “sandpits”. Unfortunately, it makes an im-pression that the number of “sandpits” is increasing, and wishing to play in them are getting more and more. We can be taught by others, but we can get educated only ourselves. An educated man is an independent man, knowing himself and making his own decisions. An educated nation is a na-tion knowing itself, independent and making its own decisions independently. Key words: educated people, education policy, educated nation, university education system.


Author(s):  
Valentina Vilevna Kuznetsova ◽  
Olga Anatolyevna Mashkina

The article attempts to show the interconnections and evolution of the Chinese education system, to analyze the problems that the country faces in modernizing education, which is considered as the most important factor in the country's innovative development and nation consolidation. In its search for the most effective solutions, China relies on both borrowing successful foreign models of education and at the same time striving to revive its own cultural, historical and educational traditions and concepts. In the speeches of the Chinese leaders, the development of education plays an important role in the consolidation of the whole nation for the implementation of the national strategy for achieving world leadership by 2050. To realize this “Chinese dream” requires a lot of creatively thinking personalities. At present, in China there is a real contradiction between the government’s orientation to training personnel capable of creating new technologies and the practice of learning based on the mechanical storage of knowledge. The article shows what measures are being taken to change the consciousness and thinking of the younger generations of Chinese, how the model of school and university education is changing. The analysis confirms that the attitude to education as one of the most important life and cultural values has been preserved in Chinese society. After the events in Tiananmen Square (1989), ideological control over students and teachers intensified in the country. In general, the current educational policy is pragmatic and includes both the import of knowledge and technology from abroad, and the maintenance of Maoist ideals and traditional values.


Author(s):  
Nikolaos Vettas

Education affects the Greek economy in two main ways. Expenditure for education services is a significant part of national income, hence, a better design of the education system directly contributes to overall higher efficiency and welfare. Education also contributes toward building 'human capital', a high level of which is a condition for competitiveness without a need to resort to lower wages. Public spending for education tends to be lower than the EU average, however households tend to privately spend significant amounts, especially due to the high value they assign to university education. Overall, the Greek education system is significantly underachieving its potential and its overall performance is mediocre. Lack of appropriate incentives appears to be the cause for many of the failures, as neither education units nor individuals are seriously evaluated and systematically rewarded for their progress. The State exercises excessive control over the entire system, making it too inflexible, formalistic and averse to change and adaptation to new conditions. Before the crisis, and as long as a relatively high number of graduates could find employment in sectors of the economy not exposed to competition (including the public sector), and as long as the State budget could contribute the funds that kept the system functioning, there were no incentives for reform. Education has been hit hard during the crisis: funding has decreased significantly, the institutions and rules have not improved and many high quality people have migrated abroad. However, as public finances and household savings will remain under pressure for the foreseeable future, the reform of the education system in Greece becomes an urgent priority and an important condition for growth.


Author(s):  
Chunfang Zhou

This chapter aims to formulate a proposal of developing engineering creativity by problem- and project-based pedagogies in STEM programs in university education in China. It will introduce the increasing needs of engineering creativity in China, deepen understanding of the concept of creativity and engineering creativity, and provide a review of diverse models of problem- and project-based pedagogies in STEM programs. This further brings a discussion on how to develop engineering creativity in STEM programs in Chinese universities in order to overcome the barriers caused by traditional education system and culture. A series of strategies will be proposed including supporting student group work, designing interdisciplinary project, facilitating staff development, and developing creative communities, etc. Briefly, this chapter has the significance of developing engineering creativity in China both theoretically and practically, and also implies how to develop problem- and project-based pedagogies in STEM programs in other cultures around the world.


2015 ◽  
Vol 7 (3) ◽  
pp. 254-271 ◽  
Author(s):  
Silke Tegtmeier ◽  
Jay Mitra

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to direct attention to recent research on women’s entrepreneurship with a focus on university education. A literature review and a summary of authors’ selected papers provide both a context for and an introduction to the articles in this special issue. Design/methodology/approach – This introduction provides an overview of the literature on female entrepreneurship with specific reference to the context of university education. Searches on Web of Science and in this journal were conducted to provide a systematic overview of the area of research. This introductory article ends with a set of propositions for future research engagement. Findings – This paper finds that the quantum of past research endeavours remains limited despite the growing significance of the subject. This paper also finds that developing a focused approach that is based on a female ontology of entrepreneurship, and one that identifies specific contexts, and appropriate methodological considerations that enable enquiry at different levels, are of value to future research. This paper offers four different propositions that address key areas or fields of entrepreneurship research. Research limitations/implications – This paper provides a unique set of propositions together with a framework which helps to both explore new knowledge creation and locate new research within the main fields of entrepreneurship while providing room for extending those fields. Practical implications – This overview provides a framework for universities and policymakers to enable them to take into consideration the critical issues of entrepreneurship in general, and female entrepreneurship in particular, when developing programmes and tools for university education. Originality/value – This paper provides a summary of the trends in research on women’s entrepreneurship with reference to university education. This leads to the development of a set of propositions and a framework for identifying and exploring new research questions that need to be addressed to close important research gaps in the field of entrepreneurship.


2013 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 37-55
Author(s):  
PG Okoth

This paper discusses the nexus between research and quality assurance in contemporary higher education, with specific reference to Uganda Martyrs University. Starting with discussion of the concept of research—touching on the conceptualization of what constitutes research; disambiguation of key terms and concepts in research; and discussion of major research paradigms and designs—the paper discusses the place of research as an aspect of quality assurance in university education. Thereafter, it articulates a case for research in higher education and discusses the state of research, quality assurance and the meeting points of the two at Uganda Martyrs University.Keywords · Research · Quality assurance · Higher education


2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 115-134
Author(s):  
Manjola Lumani Zaçellari ◽  
◽  
Heliona Miço ◽  

The purpose of this study is to analyse the legislative measures and their implementation regarding the participation of children, parents and teachers in creating an educational program in pre-university education system, as a need for better involvement in school of all the actors, as well as the need for the children’s wellbeing. In addition, the study aims to bring parents’ and teachers’ views on the obstacles they face when they try to collaborate and participate in school life and in designing an educational program. Qualitative methods are used to achieve the aim of this study. The data were collected through document analysis (legislation, strategies, and regulations) for analysing how the law addresses participation of children, parents and teachers’ in school and through semi-structured interviews with parents and teachers from two primary schools so that they can state their perceptions on participation in school life. Each of them was posed 12 different interview questions. After evaluating the responses, some important issues were identified. The participation of children, parents and teachers in Albanian education system has changed in recent years, even promoted as a key that leads to success. However, because of the monist system, where such participation was neither legally recognised nor culturally accepted, this trinomial collaboration has not been easily introduced and integrated in the Albanian educational system. However, parents do not feel very involved in school life, or appreciated when they try to get involved, even though it is legally admitted the need for the collaboration between family and school. They neither take part in the approval of the curricula of the educational institution, nor in the selection of school textbooks as provided by the law. Research has shown that schools as bureaucratic and conservative institutions need to have clear written policies to encourage the participation of the parents and children when drafting an education program. However, when teachers were asked about parents’ participation in school, they said that in many cases parents neglect the collaboration with the school and appear usually when there are problems or troubles, while the participation of children in creating an educational program is still lagging behind.


sjesr ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
pp. 370-382
Author(s):  
Sadia Asif ◽  
Imran Afzal ◽  
Rahat Bashir

A critical examination of the trends, issues, and challenges in policy and practice of English language education in Pakistan is the main concern of this paper. This is done first by describing the practice of teaching English in varied instructional situations. Second, the paper historically reviews the language education policies since Pakistan’s independence in 1947. Third, the consequences of using English as the medium of instruction are discussed. A longitudinal large scale study is done to highlight the fact that English as medium of instruction at primary school level can distort the teaching and learning activities for students and teachers in rural areas of Pakistan and student drop-out rate can even get higher in those areas. The data was collected from the interviews of twenty teachers working in government and semi government schools at primary level. Based on the information obtained from the target participants, teaching at the same level but in different schools, the author argues that mother tongue education at the primary level is the most appropriate method to enhance the educational performance of students and a positive approach to bilingual education must be taken to resolve the challenges associated with the medium of instruction policies in the education system of Pakistan. Moreover, the data also shows that adopting English as a medium of instruction in Public schools may lead to low motivation level among students and it can hinder the development of English as a second language among learners. Furthermore, a difference in home language and school language may also hamper development and concepts formation in students at school level. Therefore, it is recommended that before implementing any language as medium of instruction at school level, one must review the history of Pakistani education system and must keep in mind the linguistic differences of the society and unavailability of resources is also a major hindrance in implementation of any language policy.  The results of this study confirm that the pedagogical effectiveness could only be achieved through the mother tongue and provides clear evidence for the usage of native languages as a medium of education in schools.


2020 ◽  
Vol 22 (8) ◽  
pp. 189-206
Author(s):  
E. K. Khenner ◽  
C. Frieze ◽  
O. Zane

Introduction. The  problem  of  the  relatively  small  number of women professionally employed in computing (computer science and information technology) is relevant throughout the world. Despite the fact that IT professionals are widely in demand, women in many countries, including theUSA andRussia, make up no more than a quarter of their total number, which requires explanation. One of the major reasons for this phenomenon, according to the authors, lies in the education system.The aim of this article was to analyse the factors affecting gender imbalance in IT professions, by comparing two countries in which information technology has historically played an important role, and which are very different from each other in many ways – economic, political, educational system and others.Research methodology. The present research is based on the comparison of data on IT education in schools and universities, and the degree of involvement of girls and women in computing in theUSA andRussia.Results. Both in theUSA and inRussia, gender imbalances in IT professions are formed largely in the field of education. Cultural stereotypes about computing as a male-dominated profession are produced by the media. Such stereotypes can discourage some girls and young women from studying computer science and also result in imbalance formation. The education system needs to increase the confidence of girls and young women in the possibilities of realising their abilities in the field of computer science and information technologies. Educational institutions should help to eliminate the negative attitude towards girls’ choice of IT professions.Scientific novelty. For the first time, general factors in the field of education were identified that affect gender imbalances among IT professionals inRussia and theUSA – the countries with significantly different traditions and educational systems.Practical significance of the present work is to justify the conditions for improving school and university education to solve the problem of gender inequality in IT industry.


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