School of Statistics and Planning (SSP) Collection

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https://dissertations.mak.ac.ug/handle/20.500.12281/5609

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    Assessing factors affecting academic achievement among undergraduate students at Makerere University. A case study of bachelor of statistics students
    (Makerere University, 2026) Akampura, Flavius.
    This study assessed the factors affecting academic achievement among undergraduate students at Makerere University using Bachelor of Statistics as a case study. Specifically, the study examined the influence of demographic, socio-economic, student-related, university, peer and social environmental factors on students’ academic achievement. The study used primary data collected from 188 undergraduate students using a structured questionnaire administered through the kobo collect tool. The study used a cross-sectional research design and stratified simple random sampling technique were the collected data was analysed using Stata 16 software through univariate analysis, bivariate analysis and multivariate analysis using the Multiple Linear Regression to determine the combined influence of the explanatory variables on students’ academic achievement. The key findings showed that 54.26% of the students were aged between 23 - 25 years, 51.06% were female, 59.57% were privately/ self-sponsored, 83.51% were not employed, 46.28% attended more than 5 lectures per week, 85.64% reported having the ability to overcome academic challenges and 32.98% often accessed internet/ e-learning resources. Study habits and time management (F = 4.670, p = 0.004), learning resources (F= 3.830, p = 0.005), source of tuition (t = 2.434, p = 0.016), motivation and self-efficacy (t = -2.440, p = 0.016) and peer influence (t = 2.402, p = 0.017) were significantly associated with academic achievement. The multiple linear regression was statistically significant (F = 4.34, p = 0.000) and R2 = 0.197. After controlling for other factors, only learning resources and source of tuition remained statistically significant predictors of academic achievement. Students who very often accessed internet/ e-learning resources had significantly higher CGPA (β = 0.554, p = 0.014) than those who never accessed them while privately/self-sponsored students had significantly lower CGPA (β = -0.191, p = 0.003) than government sponsored/ scholarship students. The study concludes that access to learning/ e-learning resources and source of tuition are the key determinants of academic achievement among Bachelor of Statistics students at Makerere University. It recommends that Makerere University improve access to internet/ e-learning resources by expanding digital learning infrastructure and computer facilities while government and scholarship providers should increase financial support to reduce the burden on privately sponsored students. The study also recommends continued promotion of effective study habits, academic mentoring, counselling services, peer learning groups and greater utilization of available learning resources to enhance students’ academic achievement.
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    Analysis of financial risk tolerance among undergraduate university students: a case study of school of statistics and planning, Makerere University
    (Makerere University, 2026) Akankunda, Violah Princess.
    This study analyzed financial risk tolerance and its associated factors among undergraduate students at the School of Statistics and Planning, Makerere University. Specifically, the study sought to determine the level of financial risk tolerance and examine the socio-demographic, financial knowledge, and financial experience factors associated with financial risk tolerance. A cross-sectional research design was employed. Data were collected from 298 undergraduate students selected from the Statistics, Actuarial Science, Quantitative Economics, and Population Studies programs using a structured questionnaire. Data were analyzed using Stata SE 15.0. Descriptive statistics were used to summarize respondents' characteristics and levels of financial risk tolerance measured using the Grable and Lytton Financial Risk Tolerance Scale, while chi-square tests and ordinal logistic regression were used to examine factors associated with financial risk tolerance. Descriptive analysis showed that the majority of respondents (63.42%) exhibited a moderate level of financial risk tolerance, while 25.17% had high financial risk tolerance. At the bivariate level, gender, understanding of inflation, and frequency of mobile money usage were significantly associated with financial risk tolerance, whereas the remaining socio demographic, financial knowledge, and financial experience variables were not significantly associated. Multivariate analysis using ordinal logistic regression revealed that gender and understanding of inflation remained significant predictors of financial risk tolerance. Male students were more likely to exhibit higher financial risk tolerance than female students, while respondents who did not correctly understand inflation were less likely to exhibit higher financial risk tolerance. The study concludes that undergraduate students at the School of Statistics and Planning generally demonstrate moderate financial risk tolerance, and that gender and financial knowledge, particularly understanding of inflation, are important determinants of financial risk tolerance. The study recommends strengthening financial literacy programs within universities by placing greater emphasis on practical financial concepts such as inflation, savings, budgeting, and personal financial management to enhance students' financial decision-making. Future studies should include students from other universities and adopt longitudinal research designs to provide broader evidence on financial risk tolerance among young adults.
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    Retirement savings knowledge and attitude amongst informal workers in Uganda. A case study of Kamwokya market vendors.
    (Makerere University, 2026) Mbiri, David. Brian. Lara. L
    Retirement is a stage of life where involvement in certain social activities and desirable conducts become less or narrow. Retirement life without savings requires continuous employment or working and the life style remains the same with that of the young aged although the individual reaches retirement age. Lack of proper retirement planning preparation will generally bring some disappointment during retirement. Thus, saving for retirement is extremely important. The main aim of the study is to examine the extent to which knowledge, attitude and other factors contribute to the low retirement savings in Uganda’s informal sector. This quantitative cross-sectional study involved distribution of 171 sets of questionnaires to respondents who were self-employed and informal sector workers in Kamwokya market. Univariate analysis, Pearson correlation and linear regression were performed on the variables in the study using STATA. The results of the study revealed significant relationships between saving for retirement and marital status, knowledge on whether one will have enough for retirement and also knowledge of the presence of an authority that protects the interests of members and beneficiaries of retirement benefit schemes. There were no relationships between the other unmentioned variables/factors and saving for retirement. The researcher therefore concluded that one’s knowledge on saving for retirement was most likely to influence their ability and willingness to save for retirement. The demographic factors hardly have an effect on saving for retirement, whereas ones attitude totally has no effect on their ability to save for retirement. There is therefore a need for sensitization and education of masses on various aspects within the retirement benefits sector, and this knowledge will instil some confidence within Ugandans so that they can save for their retirement in the available schemes and financial institutions. On top of incentives for this young sector, the government should look into the Retirement Benefits sector Appeals Tribunal and the Liberalisation Bill, which will bring about transparency and competition in the sector respectively.
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    Development of School Management Information System for Good Hope Nabulagala Primary School using Python and Django
    (Makerere University, 2026) Nakiganda, Christine. J
    This dissertation details the design, development, and implementation of the GSMIS, a bespoke multi-portal web application engineered for GHNPS. Historically, the institution’s reliance on manual, paper-based record-keeping fostered data fragmentations and a high propensity for clerical errors in academic grading. Leveraging the Django web framework and Python, the GSMIS digitizes the institutional lifecycle by centralizing learner registration, mark entry, and terminal report generation. A core technical feature of the system is the four-tier RBAC model, which enforces data integrity and privacy across Administrator, HOD, Teacher, and Parent portals. Methodologically, the study employed an Iterative SDLC, integrating specialized Python libraries to automate complex weighted grading algorithms that synthesize mid-term and end-of-term assessments The grading engine was stress-tested against a 56 academic records of P.6 Cohort, demonstrating a 40% reduction in clerical errors and 100% mathematical consistency in ranking logic. Furthermore, the system enhanced financial transparency and parental engagement by providing real-time access to digitized academic reports. The study concludes that localized, bespoke software solutions are critical for bridging the digital divide and fostering data-driven decision-making within the Ugandan primary education sector
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    Domestic savings and economic growth in Uganda: a time series analysis (1994 – 2023).
    (Makerere University, 2026) Pimer, Najibah
    This study examines the effect of domestic savings on economic growth in Uganda over the period 1994–2023, motivated by an apparent paradox in which gross domestic savings more than doubled, from approximately 7.7% to 18.8% of GDP, while GDP growth trended downward over the same period. Guided by the Harrod-Domar model, the Solow growth model, and the Loanable Funds Theory, the study pursues two specific objectives: to analyze the trend of domestic savings and economic growth in Uganda from 1994 to 2023, and to examine the long-run and short-run effects of domestic savings on economic growth over the same period. Annual secondary data on GDP growth, gross domestic savings, gross capital formation, and inflation were obtained from the World Bank World Development Indicators, while real interest rate data were sourced from Bank of Uganda annual reports. Trend analysis confirmed a statistically significant rise in domestic savings alongside a statistically significant decline in GDP growth. Augmented Dickey-Fuller tests showed that all series are integrated of order one, I(1), justifying the use of the Autoregressive Distributed Lag (ARDL) bounds testing approach. The bounds test confirmed cointegration among the variables at the 1% significance level. The long-run estimates show that domestic savings has a negative and marginally significant effect on GDP growth, a result consistent with the Keynesian paradox of thrift and with structural weaknesses in Uganda's financial intermediation. Gross capital formation and inflation were statistically insignificant in the long run, while the real interest rate carried the expected negative sign without reaching conventional significance. In the short run, none of the differenced explanatory variables were significant, but the error correction term was negative and highly significant, confirming rapid adjustment toward long-run equilibrium. All diagnostic tests confirmed the statistical validity of the model. The study concludes that savings mobilization alone is not sufficient to accelerate growth in Uganda and recommends that policymakers prioritize deepening financial intermediation, lowering the cost of credit, and improving the productivity of capital formation so that mobilized savings translate more effectively into output growth.