Ethical implications of affirmative action for state sponsored female students joining public universities in Uganda : the case for Makerere University

Abstract

This study was undertaken to highlight the need for integrating the Aristotelian theory of justice into social policy formulation in the university sector of Uganda. The study aims at enabling policies formulated treat equally endowed beneficiaries equally and the unequally endowed unequally. The study objectives are; exploring positive and negative ethical implications of affirmative active action for state sponsored female students joining Makerere University, and recommending policy alternatives to this policy. The study is a case study, and actual fieldwork is done at Makerere University. Purposively, 128 respondents are used in the study. A pre-guided questionnaire is self administered to 100 undergraduate students (50 male and 50 female). An interview guide is administered to 11 undergraduate students of Makerere University, 5 people in women organizations, 6 beneficiaries of this policy, and to 6 students in senior six-vacation. Study findings reveal that affirmative action for state sponsored female students joining Makerere University benefits "traditional" schools in the central region, despite remedies like the quota system. The study concludes that the policy treats unequally endowed beneficiaries equally. The study recommends a decentralized grading system