Mission

The UCLA Academic Senate provided a grant to study the impact of the World Bank on higher education in developing countries. Two countries were chosen as case studies: Thailand and Uganda. Each country has a unique history, culture, and approach to education. Thailand was the first country I visited. While there, I was able to interview staff members from the World Bank, officials from the Thai Ministry of Education, and professors in science and engineering programs who have benefited from the World Bank loan to Thailand. These loans were provided to enhance science and technology programs at various institutions of higher education. The money from the loan provided equipment for teaching and research for twenty of the best public universities in Thailand. The photo on the right is from a lab that benefited from the Bank loan to Thailand.

Uganda was the second country I visited. A loan from the World Bank was recently procured for the advancement of science and technology. Given their history of borrowing, as well as the trials and tribulations of Western colonialism, perceptions of development by Ugandan officials and the World Bank was quite different from views represented in Thailand. In both countries, I took photos of the universities I visited as well as labs for science and technology. One professor in Uganda suggested that I visit a village while in the country so that I could have a glimpse into the difficult educational path from village life to a university. The photo on the left is a picture of a school in a village a couple of hours away from Kampala.

Both countries face several challenges to developing their higher education sectors. Funding, access, and development are all key areas that need support. While the Bank has had a varied history of supporting this sector, a larger commitment has been made to developing science and technology in the university setting. This area of research shows promising results for incubating indigenous research that will serve local and global needs.