Simon Anguma
Department of Physics
Mbarara University of Science and Technology
email: mustmed@infocom.co.ug
Abstract. A public survey to establish the space-interested group in Uganda has never been done before. This paper gives the proportion of the space- interested group from a section of the informed sector of Ugandan society. The results are based on the answers to questionnaires and oral questions from 623 respondents from Mbarara University of Science and Technology. Nearly 90% of the respondents were space-attentive, while 72% of the space-attentives favour research geared towards development of civilian and scientific purposes. The survey has outlined the way forward to promote the development of basic space science in Uganda.
Sommaire. Il n'avait jamais été mené auparavant d'enquête publique pour mettre en évidence l'intérêt potentiel du spatial en Ouganda. Cet article donne le pourcentage de personnes intéressées venant d'une section d'un « secteur informé » de la société ougandaise. Les résultats sont basés sur les réponses à des questionnaires et à des questions orales soumis à 623 personnes de l'Université des Sciences et de la Technologie de Mbarara. Presque 90% des personnes interrogées sont attentives au spatial, alors que 72% de ces dernières privilégient une recherche visant au développement d'objectifs civils et scientifiques. L'enquête a ébauché les recommendations pour promouvoir le développement de la science spatiale fondamentale en Ouganda.
Research in space science and space exploration is one of the crucial areas that requires time and resources to achieve tangible results and it is undoubtedly clear that the study of space science is vital for the survival and well-being of humans, as it helps to regulate our activities, preserve our environment and develop the right perspectives about our solar system and the Universe as a whole[2].
Several nations besides the traditional space-faring ones have made major inputs in terms of time and resources in broadening the spheres of space science, both in our immediate and remote environments. However, more efforts and contributions are required globally to boost the pursuance of space science.
In Uganda, space science has never occupied any conspicuous course structure in the national curriculum at any levels, which I think is a representation of a missed opportunity. Further, the national budget over the years has had no vote designated particularly for space science research. However, the Government makes available some research grants to government-owned higher institutions of learning. These may not be sufficiently adequate to run empirical research efforts towards space exploration, therefore posing an impasse to the design and management of ambitious projects which may involve sophisticated equipment and methodology.
The United Nations and the European Space Agency, together with the efforts of many institutions established for space research and exploration, have made and continue to make further efforts in the direction of developing space science. Nevertheless, many have not benefited from these efforts, whereas a good percentage may be interested in contributing directly or indirectly to the expansion of our knowledge on space.
This survey was therefore conducted to ascertain the percentage of interested people from a section of the "informed sector" of Ugandan society and their perceived focus in developing this subject. It further sought to identify peoples' attitudes towards the on-going efforts in furthering space science and space exploration.
While all the respondents in this survey did not constitute a scientific sample, they did provide valuable information about the attitudes of an informed sector of the public on space science and exploration.
The survey was conducted by administering questionnaires and oral interviews to a randomly-sampled total number of 623 university students and staff. Out of the total, 84.91% (refer to Table 1 below) were students of different academic levels; 9.95% of the sample space was constituted of the academic staff, while 5.14% was constituted of non-academic staff.
This survey targeted mostly university students who are considered as the epicentre of future scientific development in space science. This sample constituted part of the informed sector of the public.
Analysis of the survey results showed that 89.73% (559 respondents) of the sample supported the unconditional continuity of all the on-going space projects world-wide.
Of the 89.73% "space-attentives", 71.91% (402 respondents) support space programmes mainly geared towards development of civilian and scientific purposes (refer to Figure 1 below).
9.15% (57 respondents) believe that space exploration ventures into the "unknown" and that these are very exorbitant projects with little or no immediate physical benefit to the human race, and that they are a waste of time and resources. They further believe that such resources should be diverted to projects which are tailored to address and mitigate immediate threats in the environmental and health sectors. The percentages may not add to 100% due to "no-response" answers and rounding of figures.
The results of the survey above clearly indicate that most of the respondents were "space-attentive" and this proportion is oriented towards continued research in space science and exploration inclined to benefit civilian and scientific purposes.
The following suggestions could possibly improve the status of space science in Uganda.
I am very grateful to Dr. Ngaka Willy of Makerere University and Dr. Fred Nuwaha for their valuable contributions towards the success of this paper. I am indebted to Mr. Julius Bunny Lejju of the Biology Department of Mbarara University for his valuable criticism in preparing this paper. This survey was supported by Mbarara University of Science and Technology, and I am grateful for the help and assistance offered by the university community towards the realisation of this paper.
WGSSA