by Calestous Juma, Professor of the Practice of International Development and Faculty Chair of the Innovation and Economic Development Program at Harvard Kennedy School

In a resounding attack on his country's higher educational system, Uganda's President Yoweri Museveni has dismissed arts courses as useless. He said it was "unfortunate that many universities continue teaching very useless courses at degree level rendering their graduates jobless after graduation."

On the surface of it, Museveni might appear to play up the traditional rivalries between the arts and the sciences. Social scientists have justifiably responded to such attacks by underscoring how they contribute to social development.

Indeed, it was largely through the role of the social sciences and humanities that Africa was able to agitate for independence and create post-colonial states. Museveni himself sharpened his debating skills as an arts student at the University of Dar Es Salaam in Tanzania.

Museveni's critique is not about the clash of the disciplines. Much of the curricula, pedagogy and location of African universities have their roots in the needs of the 1960s. The first generation of African universities focused on the arts because their primary function then was to training functionaries for the public service.

The times are changing faster than most universities can adapt to new development needs. Running a state bureaucracy requires following procedures and respecting hierarchies, growing a dynamic economy demands pushing entrepreneurial frontiers. Government is largely about preserving tradition; entrepreneurship is about disrupting it.

It is for this reason that Museveni advised universities "to teach courses that impart life skills and science in line with the country's increasing need for professionals." The focus here is to promote different kinds of professionals in emerging sectors such as energy, agribusiness, industry, services and healthcare.

Expanding research and technical skills

In essence, Museveni is calling for creation of a new generation of "developmental universities" which focus on building skills, fostering entrepreneurs and championing new research. Attempts to promote this kind of education are often resisted by incumbent universities which defend the status quo. They seek to defend themselves against the possible erosion of their influence and access to power and finances.

Published: September 5, 2014 in Al Jazeera

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