The Office of the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic Affairs) – DVC AA has established a programme for nurturing the next generation of academics. Under this programme, recent Graduates of PhD studies will be availed the opportunity to make public, findings from their doctoral research.

The Office of the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic Affairs) – DVC AA has established a programme for nurturing the next generation of academics. Under this programme, recent Graduates of PhD studies will be availed the opportunity to make public, findings from their doctoral research.Apart from knowledge sharing, the seminars seek to enhance networking among intellectuals both within and outside Makerere University. Furthermore, it is believed that research findings provide a rich ground for policy reviews and enhancement of national development goals.

The PhD Seminar Series Programme was launched on 2nd September, 2010 with Dr. Euzobia Baine, who made a presentation on "Gender and Teaching Education in Uganda: Responses to Contemporary Changes"

Prof. Lillian Tibatemwa-Ekirikubinza, DVC AA welcomed The Chief Guest Dr. Abel Rwendeire and the audience to the launch of the dissemination series. She acknowledged the progress made during the last five years, where fifty-one out of the total one-hundred sixty-nine members of staff who attained PhDs were women. Prof. Tibatemwa-Ekirikubinza further recognized the role played by dissemination of research in not only providing accountability to the university, but also according the Makerere community an opportunity to take notice of research conducted at the university.

“The whole Nation should be informed about the relevance of Makerere as a leading research institution” she said. Professor Tibatemwa-Ekirikubinza then paid tribute to the Makerere-media partnership, through which the latter successfully disseminates information to the public, keeping it up-to-date with groundbreaking research findings.

Dr. Baine in her dissemination noted the central role played by teachers towards the successful implementation of all education reforms, hence her focus on Teacher Training Institutions (TTIs). She observed some reforms like: affirmative action, the 1992 white paper on education, UPE and later USE, girls and the education movement as undertaken by the Government since 1989, all aimed at reducing gender disparities in education

To make a proper assessment on the impact of the reforms, Dr. Baine chose to assess the ways in which teacher education has responded to contemporary changes in education sector regarding promotion of gender equality in education. In so doing, her aim was to contribute to the nurturing of a more gender responsive teacher training system for Uganda.

She also observed that much of what is learnt at school is acquired informally through daily social practices and procedures through interaction with teachers, peers and role models, a process that is highly gender-based. As such, a school is one of the important centers of socialization and one of the key influences on the state of gender relations in later years, and teachers can as well enforce gender equality policies in schools as part of their responsibilities.

However, sexual harassment in the teaching and learning environment was identified by Dr. Baine as one of the key causes of persistent gender inequalities, especially high drop out rates for girls. She further discovered that whereas institutions acknowledged the existence of sexual harassment and instituted programmes to address it, they oftentimes considered preserving the reputation of the harassers, who are usually colleagues, an act that only serves to compound the problem.

Dr. Baine concluded her dissemination by passing the proposals for improving gender responsiveness in Teacher Training Institutions and these included;

• Mainstreaming gender in all functions and expanding horizons regarding what it means and is required to promote gender equality.
• Networking and support among gender equality advocates in TTIs. Institutions are driven by collective individual action.
• Ideological re-orientation (both a need and a strategy) for example, affirmative action must be linked to historical advantages accorded to males, not the deficit view of women.

Article by Jafar Ssesanga