Babignura 4b

Internationalizing Uganda’s Higher Education Sector

Addis Ababa – June 5-6th, 2013

William BabigumiraDeputy Executive Director

Uganda Export Promotion Board

UEPB

Key Country Highlights

Geographical & Demographical

Male; 7.27Female;

7.04

Gender distribution in labor force (millions, 2012 est.)

17,127 primary schools, enrollment 8.2 million pupils

Urban Population:

13.5%

Population: 35.6 million (2012 est.), growth rate: 3.2%

31% SER

Rural Population:

86.5%

12,305 Gov’t 2,822 Private04/12/2023 2

10% IND 59% AGRIC

46% SER 22% IND 32% AGRIC

1987

2005

Source: UNCTAD

19601963

19661969

19721975

19781981

19841987

19901993

19961999

20022005

20082011

-

5.00

10.00

15.00

20.00

25.00

30.00

35.00

Uganda: Exports of Goods & Services as % of GDP (1960 - 2011)

Series1

%

Edu. Sector emp. 2.6%

Source: The Conference Board Total Economy Database™

Introductory notes

Education in Uganda has grown very rapidly over the past 15 years.

This rapid expansion is owed, in part, to three major policy initiatives: Universal Primary Education (UPE), Universal Secondary Education (USE) and liberalization of the education sector (a painful process with multiple actors; dev’t partners, political class, civil society, private sector…) ...

This development has consequently caused enrollment in higher education Institutions to grow. Currently, Uganda’s Universities pass out over 30,000 graduates every year.

Internationalization has also occurred over the last decade. The National Council for Higher Education estimates that export of education services yielded US$ 36 million in the year 2010 (which infers 2% contribution to total services exports – est US$ 1.31 Billion in 2010)

UEPB developed first ever services exports strategy (2005) which highlights export of education services as a one of the priorities….04/12/2023 3

Uganda’s Higher Education sector• 148 tertiary Institutions in 2006 to 181 in

2010 of which there are now 29 Universities

• 2 “other degree awarding Institutions” and 3 University Colleges.

• In the decade 2000 - 2010, average annual growth in enrolment 15%

• Between 2006 - 2010, total student enrollment increased from 137,190 to 183,985

• In 2011, 196,570 students enrolled in in all tertiary Institutions with 140,096 (71.2%) enrolling in Degree Awarding Institutions (Educ. Abstract, 2011).

• However, overall enrollment remains below African & International Benchmarks

( Sources: NCHE, 2012)

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2006

2010

57,721

80,391

0

0

Uganda: Higher Education Female enrollment (2006, 2010)

%enrollment Femal Students

Source: UEBP/COMSEC/NCHE study

Foreign Students EnrollmentIn 2011, 9% of all students in tertiary

Institutions in Uganda are foreign students. The majority attend University.

There were a total of 15,293 foreign students enrolled in degree awarding Institutions in Uganda (Education abstract 2011)

51% are female students

Inbound mobility ratio (IMR) of 9% (2006 & 2010)

04/12/2023 5Male Female total

10,557

5,366

15,923

1,004 7821,786

Uganda: Foreign Student Enrollment in 2011

Degree Awarding Non-degree Awarding

Uganda

Tanzania

Rwanda

Kenya

Burundi

Continental weighted average

REC weighted average

0.0% 5.0% 10.0% 15.0% 20.0% 25.0% 30.0%

Outbound Mobility Ratio

20092006

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics

Number of Foreign Students

Education Sector: Ownership

The private sector continue to invest in the Education sector

Uganda Investment Authority statistics of planned/registered investments was US$ 154.7 million from 2002 – 2012, most of these were local investors

In year 2011, census shows that from a total of 164 tertiary Institutions, 115 are private (70.2%) and 49 government (29.8%)]

19.5% of these are degree awarding Institutions 04/12/2023

12%

30%58%

Uganda: Secondary schools by Ownership type (2010)

Community Government Private

70%

30%

Uganda: Share of Tertiary Education by Ownership

Private Public

Higher Education: Segmentation & Course Choice

• Majority of international students (22%) studied business related programs in Uganda.

• Information and communication technology programs were also popular (15%), health sciences (15%), peace and conflict studies (13%), education (11%) and law (11%)

• Science programmes were popular mainly in public universities, where there is a strong focus on science education.

• Students from Kenya pursued business related courses;

• Tanzanians pursued mainly education as a subject;

• Somalis studied mainly social sciences, peace and conflict management

• Rwandans concentrated mostly on information technology.

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Most students are from Kenya, Tanzania, Sudan, Burundi and the D.R. Congo. International student are mostly found in private universities (KIU - 6,715, MUK - 2,444, BUGEMA - 862, IUU - 767, MUBS - 671, BUSOGA 575. Dominance of Kenyan students is driven by

i) high cost of education in Kenya, ii) close proximity, iii) close similarity in education

systems (standards, quality)

Higher Education: Attractiveness• Data from 2010 UEPB/COMSEC study suggests these choices are not

absolute, highlights some of the key manpower needs in these respective countries.

• Uganda’s education is cheap in terms of tuition fees, especially when compared to university education in other East African countries.

• The cost of living in Uganda is low, making it affordable for international students. A student can survive on US$230 for a whole semester in Uganda (including accommodation, feeding and transport). This compares very favourably with neighboring countries where costs are much higher.

• Uganda is a free country – foreigners have freedom in Uganda. International students can move about freely and not have their presence in the country challenged.

• The country provides a safe environment for studying.• International students described Ugandans as friendly and warm unlike

most of the neighbouring countries.• Uganda has a fairly strong education system; there are a diverse range of

academic programmes, types of university and quality of graduates.• Ugandan universities are also unique in the region in accommodating

special needs students, and in many cases these courses are the only ones offered in the region.

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Incentives for Investment in Education

Under Value Added Tax statute (1996), education services are treated as an exempt supply, therefore not subjected to VAT.

Qualifying education services under this statute include

• Pre-primary, primary or secondary• A technical college or university• An institution established for the promotion of

adult education, vocational training, technical education, or the education or training of physically or mentally handicapped person

• Education materials such as textbooks, laboratory equipment are zero-rated so an investor can claim for a refund from Government for any VAT they pay on inputs (items purchased as education materials)

• Government removed all forms of taxes on ICT and computer equipment .

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Regulating the Higher Education Sector For quality standards & regulation • Ministry of Education & Sports• Education Service Commission• National Curriculum Development

Centre• Uganda National Examinations

Board (UNEB)• Joint Admissions Board• NCHE: The National Council for

Higher Education (NCHE), a statutory agency and watch dog for quality of relevant higher education (set up by the Universities & other Tertiary Institutions Act 2001)

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For Internationalization• Ministry of Trade, Industry and

Cooperatives• Uganda Export Promotion Board

(UEPB)• Ministry of Foreign Affairs • the Commission for Higher

Education (CHE) in Kenya• the Tanzania Commission for

Universities (TCU)

Regional bodies• East African Community (EAC)

secretariat• Inter University Council for East

Africa (IUCEA)

Supportive Regulatory regime

04/12/2023 11

Statutory instruments No.63 (2007): Minimum entry

requirements for admissions to Universities or other tertiary institutions

Statutory instruments No.35 (2008):

The Universities and other tertiary

institutions (basic

requirements and minimum standards for procurement

education and training)

regulations, 2008


The Universities and other

tertiary institutions

(basic requirements and minimum standards for procurement

education and training)

regulations, 2008


Equating of degrees,

diplomas and certificates

Statutory instruments No.34

(2008): The universities and other

tertiary Institutions (quality assurance) regulations, 2008

Under sections 123 and 128 of the Universities & other Tertiary Inst. Act, the illustrated regulations are in force for effective management and enforcement of standards at the tertiary education level

Supportive Regulatory regime – Cont’d

04/12/2023 12

Under sections 123 and 128 of the Universities & other Tertiary Inst. Act 2001, the following regulations are in force for effective management and enforcement of standards at the tertiary education level

Statutory instruments

No.80 C Application

for a provisional licence to

establish and operate a

private university

Statutory instruments No.85 (2005) Institutional standardsStatutory

instruments No.61 (2007)

Letters of Interim

Authority for private

Universities and

provisional licence for

private other degree

awarding Institutions

Statutory instruments No.80 (2005) Establishment & operation

of Private Universities and private

tertiary Institutions.

Statutory instruments No.80 B A: Checklist of quality and Universities

capacity Indicators for assessment

of Universities

and Programmes

Universities and other tertiary Institutions act is a dynamic piece of legislation which embraces a dynamic higher education sector, however needs urgent revisitation to address chartering and accreditation issues …

Marketing Uganda’s Higher Education • Uganda Export Promotion Board (UEPB) Partnered with the Commonwealth

Secretariat (COMSEC), the NCHE and selected Universities to improve the competitiveness of Uganda’s higher education sector in the EAC and COMESA. Project dubbed, “Strategic Marketing Framework and Internationalisation Survey Findings”

• Basic field research conducted (survey, data analysis)

Post research, discussion symposium noted the following:

1. Delegates agreed with developing a collective brand name for Uganda’s Higher Education sector (the makings of a “hub”).

2. The Symposium provided a useful opportunity to develop a platform for universities to lobby for support and to influence government policy.

3. Universities working collectively could approach the Ugandan embassies in the region and overseas to market Uganda’s HE sector.

4. A framework for joint promotion & marketing could include both the UEPB and NCHE, but clarity was needed about the relationship between the sector and these agencies. 04/12/2023 13

A brief competitiveness perspective• From a competitiveness perspective, Uganda’s higher education sector is able to

provide the right quantity but not the fully desired quality of education services

• Able to provide the service at “cost” and in “time”

• However, inadequate strategy or lack of it thereof, continues to inhibit full competitiveness potential

• Understanding the needs, expectations, purchasing habits of the target segment is critical for packaging the right quality and quantity of service.

• Addressing acquisition, allocation and monitoring of the right quantity and quality of human, financial, physical, Information and network resources makes the service delivery best suited for private channels of distribution.

• H.E COMSEC/UEPB initiative could only address network resource development (VC forum…) and information resource (web portal, study guide etc.), but is ill equipped to deal with financial, physical and human resource development.

04/12/2023 14

Marketing Uganda’s Higher Education Education Symposium in 2010 agreed to the following action plan.• setting up international marketing (IM) work plans and

objectives; • using the assets of foreign embassies and the Ministry of

Foreign Affairs (MFA) to market themselves and their programmes;

• working jointly to set up “Study in Uganda” as a single web portal with links to all the universities’ websites;

• reorganising the VCs Forum to form a strategic umbrella body (“Universities Uganda”) for the higher education sector to provide active leadership on the burning issues affecting the sector;

• creating a network of university marketing executives and managers to implement a national Uganda HE marketing campaign and develop a community of practice to share ideas, experiences and promote collaboration;

• participate in a NCHE education fair as individual universities and collectively as the Uganda HE sector;

• using support from the UEPB to scale- up university marketing activities at education fairs in the EAC.

04/12/2023 15

UEPB, COMSEC & NCHE developedThe first ever“Guide to Studying In Uganda”

Marketing Uganda’s Higher Education • In July 2012, UEPB held an

education fair in Rwanda, took 9 Ugandan Universities into the market

• Fair was a resounding success registering over 2000 visitors and over 300 enquiries. Fair beefed up by a concerted media campaign in Rwandan newspapers and radio.

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The Ugandan Minister of Education and Minister of Trade open the Kigali Education fair, July 2012

Harmonising education in the EAC common market

Partner States have agreed to create comparable frameworks to: • promote equal access to education opportunities ….• harmonised competencies … • harmonised curriculum, quality assurance and accreditation

systems …(EAC Education Harmonisation report, April, 2011).

But progress remains the preserve of partner states. Little harmonization

• Liberalization of education services is to be achieved in accordance with the Schedule on the Annex on Free Movement of Persons (EAC treaty) … developments in this area are not up to speed.

• These reforms could be further cemented by various MRA’s

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Challenges to Internationalization of H.E

Countervailing factors preventing significant growth in numbers of international students in Uganda• Inadequate university/tertiary infrastructure: • poor teaching facilities, • the quality of teaching, • overcrowding, poor student services • lack of focus on the needs of international students. • Low ‘export intensity’ together with growing demand

from local students …

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Conclusion• Policy reforms are needed to support the sector to achieve

appropriate quality standards and also export readiness

• Policy initiatives supportive of regional marketing activities,

• Policy synergies to link supportive sectors (edu-tourism)

• Support for multi- lingual and -multi-religious students,

• Statistical collection competencies and capacities are urgently needed (IMR, OMR, enrollment, revenue, etc …)

• Supportive policies towards opportunities for job placements with industry.

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