Dialogue in Pursuit of Development - Are you looking for one of ...

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participatory techniques were employed such as role plays on contentious
issues. However, if an issue divided the group then the facilitator would
review both positions and it would come back on the agenda at the next
meeting. Overall teamwork and synergy was promoted, arguments avoided,
feelings dealt with immediately and productive work encouraged.
Through this participatory process the C-14 developed an initial grant
proposal based on incremental steps that was owned and understood by the
whole group. Rockefeller funded the primary research and the expenses of
the planning meetings. The C-14 had three mandates. First, to undertake
primary research on the demand for human resources from the perspective
of the districts. Second, to plan how Makerere University could mount a
programme to create the capacity to meet the changed needs for graduates
brought about by the government policy on decentralization; and third, to
develop a proposal for funding the programme to be presented to the
Rockefeller Foundation and the World Bank.
The proposal developed by the C-14 was unique in many ways: it was the
first time the Government of Uganda and Makerere University were brought
together in such a planning process (previously Makerere had kept itself
separate by attending to its own planning which invariably involved blaming
the Government for neglecting its financial and other requests and resulting
in misunderstandings over the years); it was developed out of original
primary research carried out as a result of the ‘demand’ for human resources
(as opposed to the normal ‘need’ based starting point and from the
perspective of the district rather than central government); the participatory
facilitation process enabled the Government and Makerere to ‘fast track’
the planning process. The goals, objectives, priorities and activities as well as
the mechanism for implementation were oriented towards promoting innovation,
delivering training to the districts, improving the quality of education
for all graduates and contributing to the transformation of both
Makerere and civil society.
Grant synergy between Makerere and the Government
The planning process identified separate problems facing the Government
of Uganda and the University. These gave the rationale for working together.
The government problem statement was:
In pursuit of modernization and motivated by the desire to achieve popular
participation, the Government of Uganda implemented a policy of decentralization
in the early 1990s. However implementation of this policy was
undertaken without a comprehensive human resource programme at the
national and local government level. Consequently this has adversely affected
the implementation of decentralization and other programs at the
local level.