Uganda’s current inflation rate stands at 28%. The question we should begin asking ourselves is , “What can we do to save our university from the effects of inflation?”  To some of us, this is our source of livelihood and we need to see the institution survive for as long as it serves the purpose and achieves its stated objectives. As prices of goods and services for the ordinary citzen increase, we should also know that the same is applying to the university.

Let’s try to avoid costs that are avoidable. For example, let us consider UCU with its various regional study centres and constituent colleges like, Kampala campus in the central region, Mbale campus in the eastern region, Arua campus in the northern region and Bishop Braham University College in the western region. To run coherently, these campuses have to keep in touch. Besides the university having regional study centres, the centers also have departments that are interdependent.These departments  are found in different blocks and locations.
 The University through its University Information Communication Technology Services (UICTS) department, has networked all departments with either Internet or telephone so that communication in the University is efficient and effective.  Technical and professional staff have been employed to ensure that there is efficient and effective connectivity and communication in all these areas.
The question is how do we utilise these ICT facilities and save the University from double spending?  For example, why should a study center or a department with effective and efficient ICTs not save the university from double spending?
Now, let’s  have a working understanding of Information Communication Technology (ICT). This can be very difficult to define and explain but here is a simple definition. ICTs are technologies used in acquiring, conveying, manipulating, storing, retrieving and disseminating of data by electronic means. Some examples are; mobile phones, Internet, computers, video cameras, scanners, television, radio and so on.
Considering the movement that occurs between regional and study centers by the university staff in an academic year and related to that budget it is shocking. I will not give figures let me try to just be qualitative in this discussion. You find a staff member  for example in Kampala Campus travelling to Main Campus three times a week to have  meetings with a head of department and the question is, “What is really that that cannot be wired or networked in this electronic era and especially at a point when all the resources are functioning efficiently and effectively?” All university departments are well networked that even intercoms are effective and efficient and the University UICTS team is always alert in responding to connectivity issues in any department.
Let us cut costs by optimally utilising these ICT. Let us  e-mail, read sent mail, give appropriate and timely feedback. Make telephone calls  instead of signing for transport and lunch allowance. Save the university the cost of paying for the hours that you spend transporting yourself up and down. It will create efficiency and save on the time we spend while doing our tasks.
If we cut on university’s expenditure, the university may save more in a given financial year and raise the increment it usually extends to its employees annually.
My dear colleagues as we think of fighting inflation, let us also think of cutting expenditure especially that of the institution that is the source of our livelihood. Let’s try everything within our midst to reduce on our spending.Remember, “Scarcity is the mother of innovativeness.”

The writer is a Senior Assistant Librarian  at Kampala Campus