Equitable Power Dynamics, Transactional Relationships, and Mutual Learning as Correlates for Transforming Higher Education in Uganda: A Case of Kisubi University

Kikomeko Joseph — 2026-10-15

This academic paper explores the interrelationship between equitable power dynamics, transactional relationships, and mutual learning as key correlates for transforming higher education institutions (HEIs) in Uganda, with a specific focus on Kisubi University. The objective of the study is to investigate how the evolution from transactional arrangements to relational partnerships can foster co-creation, mutual trust, and sustainable transformation in university governance, pedagogy, and stakeholder engagement. Anchored in the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), Uganda’s Vision 2040, and National Development Plan IV, the study adopts a qualitative case study approach using secondary data, institutional reports, and documented interviews. The findings reveal that traditional hierarchical power structures and transactional mindsets constrain inclusive transformation, whereas equitable power sharing and mutual learning catalyze institutional innovation, academic freedom, and stakeholder ownership. The study concludes that embedding co-creative relational frameworks within university systems enhances institutional responsiveness, inclusivity, and resilience. Recommendations include policy reform for governance equity, redefinition of institutional partnerships, and enhanced pedagogical autonomy. The findings offer practical and policy-oriented insights into restructuring Uganda’s higher education landscape through relational, inclusive, and empowering models of engagement.

Reform Pathways for the Examination and Admission System of International Graduate Students in China: A Sino-American Comparative Perspective

Zhiyuan Sun — 2026-10-15

Over the seven decades since the founding of the People’s Republic of China, China’s education for international students has passed through five developmental stages, entering a phase of rapid expansion after the launch of reform and opening up. Since the beginning of the twenty-first century, the share of international students enrolled in degree programmes—especially postgraduate programmes—has risen continuously, while their disciplinary distribution has extended from language-related fields towards non-language fields. Drawing on lessons from a comparison with the United States and on China’s own conditions, the examination and admission system for international students should be adjusted and refined. At the macro level, the reform principle of separating admission from examination functions should be upheld; at the micro level, the language proficiency examination system should be further standardised and a corresponding academic aptitude examination system established, so as to raise the overall quality of the selection and training of international graduate students in China.

Research and Advances in Education

Equitable Power Dynamics, Transactional Relationships, and Mutual Learning as Correlates for Transforming Higher Education in Uganda: A Case of Kisubi University

Reform Pathways for the Examination and Admission System of International Graduate Students in China: A Sino-American Comparative Perspective