Internationalization and Regionalization of Higher Education in Uganda: A Descriptive Analysis

Abstract

Internationalization of higher education in Africa can be traced to the very onset of higher education on the continent, a feature that is intricately intertwined with colonization. Wherever it has been embraced the influence of internationalization on higher education has not been uniform; it varies from country to country and from region to region. In the development process, Olusola (2009) argues that African countries and other low developed countries could use knowledge to narrow the income gap between them and the economies of the developed world. In this write up the authors adopted the definition by Knight (2008) who takes internationalization of higher education to be the process of integrating an international, intercultural, and global dimension into the purpose, functions (teaching, research, and service) and the delivery of higher education. The authors interviewed Deans, Heads of Department, and staff from the Department of the Academic Registrar regarding the internationalization practices in higher education in Uganda with special focus on Makerere University. They assessed the challenges being faced in successfully implementing internationalization and suggested practical intervention measures to ensure success of internationalization. It was concluded that given the current world trend where the world is becoming a global village no single university can afford to operate in isolation. The teaching, research and outreach activities of all universities, Makerere University inclusive must respond to the world trends or else the products of the system will be at a disadvantage.