What do you think Brazilian educator and philosopher Paulo Freire would say about our classroom today huh? For many university students in Uganda, this question lingers unspoken each time we sit through lectures where the lecturer speaks and we simply listen.
Freire, who criticised education systems that treat learners as passive recipients of knowledge, would likely challenge the top-down relationship that still defines much of higher education here.
His ideas push us to imagine classrooms where dialogue, participation, and shared learning replace silence, rote copying, and unquestioned authority.
To begin with, most of us students know the routine: enter class, listen to the lecturer, copy notes, and leave. This style mirrors what Freire once called the ‘banking concept of education,’ where knowledge is simply deposited in students. At Makerere University, however, some lecturers are rethinking this approach, especially after recent digital education training supported by the University of Edinburgh’s MasterCard Foundation Scholars Programme. In September 2024, 12 lecturers from different universities attended training on research methodology and digital pedagogy, learning how to create more interactive learning environments.
Notably, the change is not simple. Dr Michael Gallagher from the University of Edinburgh, who facilitated the training, points out the challenges: ‘This was an intensive three days of teaching, learning and discussion. very valuable to the scholars but also to us in understanding the context of digital education in Uganda.’ Yet many students wonder how this will work in reality. In lecture halls where 200 to 400 students squeeze in, how practical is dialogue, crazy right?
Professors like Anthony Muwagga Mugagga acknowledge the difficulty but remain hopeful, encouraging a gradual shift:
Beyond that, for many of us, technology feels like the missing link. Blended learning, which combines online and in-person teaching, is being embraced by several universities. Tools like Miro boards, WhatsApp groups, and online forums are giving students a chance to engage outside crowded lecture halls. These platforms give students more confidence to share ideas, discuss freely, and connect with lecturers on a level that traditional classrooms rarely allow. In the same vein, some private universities are already branding themselves as leaders in student-centred learning, promising participatory and dynamic environments. Some institutions are redesigning assessments to focus less on rote memorisation and more on collaboration, critical thinking, and real-world problem-solving.
For students, this means being evaluated not just on how well we remember notes, but on how we apply and communicate ideas. Despite the excitement, challenges remain. Large classes make dialogue difficult, cultural norms of respecting authority discourage some students from speaking up, and financial limitations restrict access to reliable internet and digital tools-especially in rural universities. Nevertheless, change is slowly taking root. The transition is not about overthrowing the respect between students and lecturers but about reshaping it into a two-way relationship where both can learn from each other.
In light of this, this shift is more than a teaching method-it prepares students for a future that requires critical thinking, teamwork, and communication. The Ministry of Education and Sports’ Digital Agenda Strategy 2021-2025 also supports this direction, encouraging ICT integration to raise the quality of education.
Looking ahead, whether this transformation succeeds will depend on consistent institutional support, resources, and lecturers’ willingness to adapt. Ugandan universities, the relationship between lecturers and students is slowly changing. The voice of the student is beginning to matter-not just as an echo of the lecturer’s words, but as a meaningful part of the dialogue.