Mayanja, Muhammad K. (2004) “Privatization, internationalization and GATS in the perspective of the African universities” in The implications of WTO/GATS for higher education in Africa: proceedings of Accra workshop on GATS, 27th–29th April, 2004, Accra, Ghana. Accra: Association of African Universities.
Privatization = the process of involving non-governmental agents to deliver educational programs at various levels. Could be for-profit; could be non-profit.
Internationalization = “ . . . the process of integrating an international/intercultural or global dimension into the purpose, function (teaching, research and service) and delivery of higher education” (p. 139) Could be for-profit; could be non-profit.
Makerere – where Mayanja is Director of Planning and Development - has a target of 10% international students enrolled in the University in its 2000-2006 Strategic Plan.
13 private universities established in the last ten years (approx. 1994-2004)
Kampala University – for profit – 60% of its 6,000 students are non-Ugandan. Islamic University (Mbale) and Bugema Adventist University (Bugema) are examples of religion-affiliated non-profit, lower cost institutions, with significant non-Ugandan enrollments.
UNISA – University of South Africa – distance learning, virtual classroom – is also now in Uganda, and serves as an transnational institution of higher education, working through a local contracted agency (DAMTEC).
UNISA is enabled in Uganda via student interest and demand for such programs, and not through the two countries agreement in GATS. For Mayanja, this raises the question of Why GATS? What are the benefits of GATS when such programs are already happening between African countries?
Two major rules of GATS legislation/agreement that will affect smaller countries:
(1) Most Favored Nation (MFN) – if you allow one competitor in one field of endeavor into your local economy, you are bound – under GATS statutes – to allow every similar competitor. Similarly, if you exclude any competitor for any reason, you must exclude across the board.
(2) National Treatment – no special favors (discrimination) for domestic suppliers of a given commodity. And, once a supplier is in-country, there can be no discrimination for or against them.
Mayanja asks what fee structure (private students attending university; international student attending university; Tanzanian/Kenyan “international” students in Uganda via East African Protocols)? Would National Treatment mandate that only a single fee structure be used?
Uganda is a signatory to GATS, but NOT for higher education efforts. The United States and China each requested GATS status (the USA for lawyers trained in the States but wishing to practice in Uganda; the Chinese for Ugandans to come to China to teach English).
