News

DO MORE RESEARCH AND IMPROVE RANKS, MAKERERE TOLD

Makerere University has been advised to invest in more research and capacity building projects if it is to improve its international rankings, and remain a top academic institution, and centre of excellence.
Dr. Katunguka Rwakishaya, who was speaking during the launch of a five-year research project on sleeping sickness at Hotel Africana on Thursday, said the university administration needs to inject more into health, animal, agriculture, education, and economic research, so as to be maintain its highly credible international image.
The project, which will be directed by Makerere University, in partnership with scientific research organs in Kenya, Tanzania, Democratic Republic of Congo, Congo Brazzaville, and Sudan, yesterday received UShs 17billion from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, to kick start.
“This is a plus for Makerere which is still a leading university in Uganda, because it will attract development” Rwakishaya said.
The don also called upon the administration and government to ensure facilities and finances to train people in research, proposal writing, budgeting and accounting, and prompt report compilation and delivery, which will increase the 86-year old institution’s competitiveness.
“The people in authority don’t care about anything except how they can benefit,” Dr. Rwakishaya said, cautioning Makerere’s administration to put more effort in maintain the university’s performance.
Last year in August, Makerere University dropped to its lowest point on the rankings of the top 100 universities in Africa, from 54th position to 59th, according to Webometrics, a Web Ranking website which measures activity and visibility of the institutions as an indicator of impact and prestige of universities.The findings of the 5-year project, which started in November last year, will be used in the control sleeping sickness, scientifically known as trypanosomiasis, monitoring, informing, and guiding national control programmes to combat the disease which plagues both human beings and livestock, promoting food security and rural welfare.
“We want to improve the quality of lives of our people and animals,” said Dr. John Enyaru, the project’s co-ordinator.
“We also must publish, because if we do not, we shall perish,” he added.
Sleeping sickness has in the past greatly affected parts of Uganda including; the West Nile region, , Kumi, Soroti, Mukono, Kayunga, Jinja, and Pallisa districs.
In 2003, tsetse flies spread to 70 percent of the country, putting 5.1 million people at a risk of catching sleeping sickness.
The Department of Biochemistry at Makerere University, which is hosting the regional programme, will also produce research journals of the findings, one area which has also contributed to Makerere’s poor international rankings.