Effectiveness of Female Student Representatives’ Participation on Public University Councils in Uganda

Abstract

The study aimed at exploring the experiences of female student representatives’ participation on public university councils in Uganda. The Ladder of Citizen Involvement was used to extract meaning and comprehension from views of participation levels. The study used a phenomenological research approach that included unstructured interviews, transect walks, and letter writing, as well as a two-level narrative analysis technique to extract plots and themes from the stories. Due to many obstacles, female students do not have enough ground to actively participate in leadership and governance, according to the findings. Lack of appropriate leadership capacity, insufficient resources, and gender stereotypes are among the reported restrictions. As a result, it is established that female student representatives on public university councils in Uganda were merely symbolic! As a result, it is suggested that the higher education sector intentionally promote female students in their pursuit of effective leadership roles.