General
PHEA funding to help Mak develop Educational Technology
In February 2008, Makerere University was one the seven universities in Africa invited by The Partnership for Higher Education in Africa (PHEA) to participate in the development and implementation of Educational Technology. PHEA is a joint project of Carnegie Corporation of New York, The Ford Foundation, the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, the Rockefeller Foundation, the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, and the Kresge Foundation.
In February 2008, Makerere University was one the seven universities in Africa invited by The Partnership for Higher Education in Africa (PHEA) to participate in the development and implementation of Educational Technology. PHEA is a joint project of Carnegie Corporation of New York, The Ford Foundation, the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, the Rockefeller Foundation, the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, and the Kresge Foundation.
The other universities invited were Kenyatta University , Kenya, University of Dar-es-Salaam , Tanzania, The Catholic University of Mozambique , University of Ibadan and University of Jos in Nigeria
This invitation was honoured and Makerere University was asked to develop an Educational Strategy and identify a number of priority areas which could be funded by the PHEA. The three projects that have been identified for funding are:
i) Makerere University E-Content Project (MUECP)
ii) Makerere University E-Portfolio Project (MUEPP)
iii) Makerere University Research Project under Department of Gender & Women Studies.
These 3 projects totaling US$ 450,000 have been finalized and are awaiting implementation. It was in line with this that Mr Neil Butcher, Open Educational Resources (OER) Africa Strategist, paid a courtesy call on the Ag. Vice-Chancellor Prof. Venansius Baryamureeba and the Ag. Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Academic Affairs, Prof. Lillian Tibatemwa-Ekirikubinza. He was accompanied by Prof. Ann Floyd, Former Pro-Vice-Chancellor, The Open University UK , Dr. Jessica Aguti, Director, Institute of Adult and Continuing Education (IACE) and Mr. Tito Okumu, E-learning Manager , IACE.
The two teams discussed the proposed Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) and strategies for Implementation of the three projects.
Prof. Baryamureeba thanked Mr. Butcher for his visit and hoped that the three projects would foster the development of electronic content especially at a time when Makerere University is opening up upcountry campuses in Jinja and Fort Portal.
The three projects will be overseen by the Grants Implementation Committee, which is also overseeing several University projects.
By Agnes Namaganda
On July 22nd 2022, Makerere University–Child Health and Development Centre (Mak–CHDC) launched a draft manual for the National Parenting Standards. The Centre has been working together with the Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development (MGLSD) with funding from UNICEF (United Nations Children’s Emergency Fund), to develop standards that are agreeable to all organisations in the country that are involved in parenting work. The draft manual was being presented to members of a consortium that brings together all these organisations together, called the Parenting Agenda Consortium.
“We produce many documents and they are shelved,” Irene Ayot Chono, who was speaking on behalf of UNICEF said. “We hope that this document will not be one of them,” she emphasized.
Dr. Godfrey Siu, the Principal Investigator from Mak-CHDC who presented the draft manual to participants, emphasized that if any organization is doing parenting work, there should be a minimum package that they should offer.
Draft Manual Content
The manual which will have several modules. These modules will be delivered face-to-face in 1.5 hour sessions. Some of these include; Module 6 which will focus on “understanding responsible masculinity and fatherhood” and on “understanding the concept of head of family.”The draft manual also proposed that Module 11 focuses on Parenting in the 21st Century. Some of the sessions in this module will include Children and Technology, Contemporary Influence on Children and Modernity, Culture and Morality.Module 9 will focus on Parenting for Adolescents and some of the suggested sessions within this module are Needs for Adolescents and The Art of Communicating with Adolescents. Module 5 will focus on Preventing Violent Parenting and Promoting Alternative Discipline Strategies while Module 10 will be about Parenting to Address the Mental Health for Children and Adults.
Participants’ suggestions
After the presentation, participants raised several suggestions for discussion and consideration. These included whether there should be a module on spirituality since Uganda is a strongly religious nation. There was also the concern of how children in remand homes should be parented. Another concern raised by a participant was as to whether teachers who make an undeniable contribution to parenting, should be taken through the parenting manual.
In her closing remarks, Ms. Juliana Naumo Akoryo, the Director of Cultural Affairs at the Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development (MGLSD) said that the manual is for the parenting organisations to utilize and not for MGLSD.
Ms. Chono also adjured the team behind the manual to use picture illustrations in the manual that can be relatable by the Ugandan parents.
Contact: Agnes Namaganda – agnesvioletnamaganda@gmail.com
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