General
President Museveni Launches National Mindset Education Programme
Over time, it has been realized that the citizens’ negative mindsets are some of the key national constraints to development and social transformation. Consequently, the Ministry of Education and Sports signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the International Youth Fellowship (IYF) to focus on creating a system which delivers a radiant mindset and competencies amongst the labor force, responsive to the demands of the country.
The duo, in conjunction with Makerere University, School of Psychology and the Ministry of ICT and National Guidance organized a four-day National Mindset Education Camp whose objective was to sensitize the youth, educators and other stake holders on the importance and necessity of Mindset Education in the Country. The camp taking place from 29th July to 1st August 2017 at Makerere University is in line with the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) that was signed between IYF and the Ministry of Education and Sports in August 2016 to implement a Mind Education Programme in Uganda.
Officiating at the camp on Sunday 30th July 2017, H.E Gen. Yoweri Kaguta Museveni, the President of the Republic of Uganda launched the Mindset Education Programme aimed at developing citizens with positive attitudes and correct mindsets for national development.
In a speech read by Hon. Beti Kamya, the Minister for Kampala Capital City and Metropolitan Affairs, President Museveni noted that there is need to change the pessimistic attitude that some Ugandan youth have towards life and encourage them to work hard for prosperity. Through Mindset Education, he believes this can be achieved.
“The mind dictates our actions, so when we have an education of the mind as well as a changed attitude, we control our actions. It is our hope that this Mind Education programme will create a strong mind in us to overcome the difficulties we encounter in our lives. This is because knowing that there are always solutions is motivating enough,” the President wrote.
The President mentioned that through the use of mind education, they will be able to promote leadership skills, reduce unemployment and moral deterioration levels and create a unified mindset. Through this, people will start appreciating resources and the current situations to effect change in the country. He said that that Uganda is a rich country whose development is greatly deterred by the negative attitudes of her citizens.
“Uganda is a rich country, but we are still behind because of the poor attitude and mindset to the critical elements that bring about development. Our country is endowed with a lot of resources, both human and physical; all we need is a change in attitude. We need a holistic character education that will bring a substantial advancement by a precise change in the mindset of our people,” H.E Museveni said.
He said that the Mindset Education Programme should awaken the youth and other Ugandans to realize their potential because their ability to be lazy or to work depends on what and how they think. He added that it should also enable them to have cautious mindsets, be properly informed and prepared to embrace the positive attitude about the vast resources in the country.
He thanked the International Youth Fellowship who have partnered with the Ministry of Education and Sports and Makerere University to initiate the action to address the attitude problem in the country, starting with the youth. He affirmed Government’s commitment to addressing the problem of poor attitude of the citizens in order to fix bad situations caused by poverty, ignorance and disease.
The Acting Vice Chancellor of Makerere University, Prof. Barnabas Nawangwe informed the participants that all the aspects the National Mind Education camp aspired to promote were in line with addressing youth mindsets and challenges responsive to national and global needs.
“The dynamic nature today calls for greater support to the young people. With the persisting challenge of youth unemployment, poverty and the rising culture of individualism, it is right that the mindset of the youth are recaptured and re-guided on the path of progress that values the concept of holistic existence,” Prof. Nawangwe noted.
Prof. Nawangwe advised that the young people, being the future of the nation, should be equipped with relevant knowledge and skills to enable them contribute to societal transformation and economic development. He said knowledge and skills alone without mental and spiritual preparation are not sufficient enough for meaningful progress.
Prof. Nawangwe who is also the Deputy Vice Chancellor (Finance and Administration) welcomed the partnership with IYF that puts emphasis on mind education, particularly influencing attitudes and perspectives. He commended the Ministry of Education and Sports for endorsing the Programme and IYF for choosing Makerere University to host the Camp.
Rev. Ock Soo Park, the founder of International Youth Fellowship said that the organization has changed a number of lives of young people globally through mindset education. It teaches the youth and their leaders about the world of hearts, self-control and having a bright and radiant mind.
He pledged to work hand in hand with the government of Uganda and the Ministry of Education and Sports to promote Mindset Education in the country.
Representing the Ministry of Education and Sports, Mr. Nsumba Lyazi, the Director for Basic and Secondary Education at the Ministry and Chairperson of the organizing committee for the camp disclosed that the available literature shows that for one to succeed in life there is need to have a positive mindset. This means having good habits and practices that give one a positive living. According to him, majority of the Ugandan youth are in schools today. If they are given the right education, they will be able to have a positive living and develop good behavior and practices that will enable them to live a better life.
”If the youth who constitute the biggest part of our population are well propelled with good behavior and practices, there is no doubt that our nation will prosper. That is the main reason why we are here in this camp. When you go back to your areas, be ambassadors of mindset education to ensure change and development in your societies and our nation,” he said to the participants.
The Mindset Education Camp runs for 3 nights and 4 days during the months of July and August. It consists of programmes and trainings directed towards enabling the youth overcome their challenges and get a positive mindset through various mind lectures. The participants of the 2017 National Mindset Education Camp participated in various programmes including self-control training, diverse cultural presentations and music performances.
Article by: Mak Public Relations Office
The Gender Mainstreaming Directorate (GMD), Makerere University on 14th September 2021 presented findings from phase one of the study on Enhancing Women’s Participation and Visibility in Leadership and Decision-Making Organs of Public Universities in Uganda through Action Research. The study team led by the Director GMD and Principal Investigator (PI), Dr. Euzobia Mugisha Baine also consists of Assoc. Prof. Consolata Kabonesa, Dr. Anna Ninsiima, Ms. Frances Nyachwo, Ms. Susan Mbabazi and Mr. Eric Tumwesigye.
The team is also made of coordinators from participating Universities such as Busitema University-Ms. Elizabeth Birabwa, Kabale University-Sr. Dr. Eva Tumusiime, Mbarara University of Science and Technology (MUST)-Dr. Specioza Twinamasiko, Muni University-Ms. Amandru Stella Wawa, and Gulu Univeristy-Sr. Rosalba Aciro.
Funded by the Government of Uganda through the Makerere University Research and Innovations Fund (Mak-RIF), the study was inspired by the fact that women are persistently few in numbers as staff, more so in leadership and decision-making organs of Ugandan Public Universities. “This is despite all the various efforts at national and international levels; the numbers are not growing as fast as needed to meet development goals of the country” explained Dr. Euzobia.
Based on this background, the study team therefore sought to conduct a situational analysis of the gender terrain of the six public universities to obtain baseline information encompassing the composition of governance and leadership organs and senior staff by sex, as well as a needs assessment and profiles of potential mentors and mentees.
Furthermore, the team sought to explore the capacity to conduct gender-responsive research as well as the role of male staff engagement in gender equity interventions within the universities as the drivers of development.
Dr. Mugisha-Baine shared that results of the baseline would then be used to design participatory training manuals or guides on gender and leadership. The manuals would cover; Institutionalized mentorship, How to conduct gender-responsive research, gender and equity budgeting, among others.
“Within these manuals, we shall have a male staff engagement strategy in gender equity interventions in universities” she explained.
The development of the aforementioned materials would then be followed by their adoption and use to build capacity for women not only in leadership of participating and other public university but also beyond. “We shall periodically evaluate whether the capacity we have built has influenced women’s participation in leadership and decision-making organs of the university” supplemented the PI.
The capacity building trainings for women, it is envisaged, will lay the foundation for the formation of a functional Uganda University Women’s Think Tank, starting with the six participating universities. Dr. Mugisha Baine added that through this Think Tank, a monitoring and tracking system for gender representation in recruitment, promotion, retention/turnover and leadership of public universities shall be established and maintained.
At the conclusion of phase one, the study team had drafted participatory training manuals in gender and leadership with content on; gender specific critical analysis of the leadership spectrum of public universities, positioning of individual women within the institutional framework and strategies for their advancement, gender equity advocacy in the university setting, institutional mentorship, building capacity in conducting gender-responsive research, among others.
“This content will be validated by the participating universities before the actual research training is conducted” added the PI.
On behalf of the research team, Dr. Mugisha Baine thanked the Government of Uganda for providing the resources that facilitated phase one of the study and prayed that the Mak-RIF Grants Management Committee (GMC) would support the next phase of capacity building.
Speaking on behalf of the Mak-RIF GMC Chairperson, Prof. William Bazeyo, Dr. Helen Nambalirwa Nkabala thanked and congratulated the team led by the Director GMD upon the milestones registered in the critical research.
“We are very proud of that work that is being done by all researchers in Mak-RIF and we would like to most sincerely thank Management for all the support throughout this process” she remarked.
Dr. Nkabala encouraged the research team to continue disseminating and using the findings for the furtherance of gender mainstreaming, particularly through the aspect of male staff engagement in gender equity interventions.
Prior to delivering the keynote address of the day, the Executive Director National Council for Higher Education (NCHE) Prof. Mary Okwakol thanked the Vice Chancellor, Prof. Barnabas Nawangwe for inviting her to the important forum, noting that women’s participation in decision making and governance is a priority area of the Uganda Gender Policy 2007.
She commended Makerere University for being at the forefront of gender mainstreaming in Uganda, noting that this prominence was one of the reasons why the Gender in Education Policy 2007 provides for replicating the institution’s strategy in all other Higher Education Institutions.
Prof. Okwakol whose keynote address was punctuated incisive personal examples reaffirmed the statistics that women are generally not visible in leadership of Universities. That notwithstanding, in instances where they rise to leadership and decision-making positions, they are regularly subject to roles traditionally deemed as women’s inconsiderate of their managerial seniority and experience.
She nevertheless rallied the women to play their respective roles in enhancing participation and visibility at a personal level. The following were some of the strategies she proposed; work hard to acquire academic credentials so as to compete favourably with men, acquire necessary administrative training and experience, network among women, join professional networks as well as do research and publish.
On joining professional networks, she shared her personal experience as a young zoologist who joined UNESCO’s Tropical Biology and Fertility Programme. “Within a short time I was appointed Coordinator for Africa and after two years, I was elected as a Member of the International Board of Management. After serving for two years, I became Vice Chairperson of that Board and finally I became Chairperson of that International Board.”
At the institutional level, Prof. Okwakol appealed to the Chairperson Council and Vice Chancellor to proactively recruit women who meet the requirements for leadership positions even if it means actively seeking out the reluctant ones. In this regard, she shared that it would be useful for the university to develop a database of women and their qualifications to ease this process.
She shared that NCHE has in recognition of female underrepresentation at every level in Higher Education approved the establishment of a Gender and Equity Unit with the aim of promoting inclusive gender participation in the sub-sector.
“This unit has been placed under the Directorate of Quality Assurance and Accreditation which implies that as we look out for and regulate quality, gender will be a very important aspect of that regulation” she reassured.
Prof. Okwakol concluded by urging participants to read the; Third National Development Plan (NDPIII), Uganda Vision 2040, and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) noting that there is no way all three can be achieved while women are left behind because they each make a case for inclusion of the female gender.
“What we are addressing here are historical injustices” said Prof. Barnabas Nawangwe as he commenced his remarks, “And in the case of Makerere University, it is well known that the institution started as a male-only institution and we all know the original motto was ‘Let us be men’” he added.
Citing examples from history such as; Marie Curie – one of the smartest physicists, Hatshepsut, Nefertiti and Cleopatra – prominent Pharaohs of Egypt, George Eliot, Rosa Luxemburg and Hypatia – all great philosophers as well as Chancellor Angela Merkel – first female Chancellor of Germany, the Vice Chancellor said there is no plausible argument that there are things women cannot do as well as their male counterparts.
He said it was against this knowledge and in a bid to correct historical injustices that Makerere University pioneered initiatives such as putting in place affirmative action for girls, establishing a Gender Mainstreaming Directorate as well as a School of Women and Gender Studies. The Vice Chancellor nevertheless stressed the need to go beyond pioneering to protecting these gains through legislation. “Historically we have seen that discrimination can only be addressed by laws and policies.”
Prof. Nawangwe thanked the Government for providing funds to support Mak-RIF as well as the Funds GMC and Secretariat for ensuring that these funds are put to good use. He equally thanked the Chairperson of Council, Mrs. Lorna Magara for her not only her support but also sparing time to attend a good number of the research dissemination events.
Delivering the concluding remarks, Mrs. Magara acknowledged that the study was timely and relevant the contemporary University, as one of the critical drivers of the national and international development agenda. She therefore reechoed the Vice Chancellor’s thanks to the Government of Uganda for generously supporting the University’s research through Mak-RIF.
Turning to the keynote speaker she said, “I thank Prof. Okwakol for ardently discussing the critical issues affecting the female gender, the strategies to overcome the challenges, including sharing her inspiring personal experiences.”
Mrs. Magara equally thanked Prof. Okwakol for her very instructional analysis, providing mentorship guidance with the resultant impact of enhancing the female gender in decision-making positions. In the same breath she congratulated the PI and her team upon successfully concluding phase one of the project.
“Phase one has generated insights in understanding the status of women in leadership in public universities, the legal and policy framework and its implications on women’s visibility, the institutional mentoring systems and the gaps therein” she observed.
The Chairperson of Council acknowledged that the challenge of underrepresentation of women in leadership roles cannot be resolved at an individual level. She therefore advocated for broad based strategies that can address deep-seated structural and cultural biases facing women. “These include developing mentorship networks, enacting laws and policies that address the imbalances and providing training programmes to address the leadership gaps.”
She therefore pledged the University Council’s unwavering support to the Gender Mainstreaming Programme by ensuring an enabling policy environment that facilitates gender-responsive teaching, learning, research innovation and community service.
The research dissemination was moderated by the Principal Public Relations Officer (PRO), Ms. Ritah Namisango and the Director Communications, Learning and Knowledge Management, ResilientAfrica Network (RAN) and PRO Mak-RIF, Ms. Harriet Adong.
