General
Mak, St. Augustine Sign MoU to Strengthen Capacity Building in Human Resources
Makerere and St. Augustine International University (SAIU) on Tuesday, 30th October 2018 signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) aimed at strengthening capacity building, especially in human resources. While Makerere has for decades been the region’s premier trainer of human resources in a wide range of disciplines, SAIU; established in 2011, has distinguished itself as a private not-for-profit institution that offers scholarships to bright, but economically disadvantaged students.
“Makerere is not only training students but also producing quality human resources for the entire education sector” remarked the Chairman Board of Trustees, SAIU, H.E King Caesar Augustus Mulenga. A philanthropist and 1996 Bachelor of Commerce graduate of Makerere University, H.E. Caesar Augustus Mulenga is also the Honorary Consul of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam to Uganda.
“As an employer, I often encounter challenges in finding PhD holders who are also well oriented with teaching. We therefore desire as part of this collaboration, to have staff of Makerere come over and help us develop quality programmes and good administration,” remarked the Chairman SAIU.
H.E. Mulenga further added that Makerere University’s contribution to training quality human resources is vital for the building good institutions in Uganda. “Good human resource is key and that is why one of the areas under this MoU is to strengthen capacity building in Human Resources,” he said.
As part of its institutional philanthropy SAIU offers fifty scholarships every year to bright but economically disadvantaged students to attain higher education. “Our strategy, by picking these students from the rural setting, is that once they graduate, they will go back to their own communities and help them. Due to the overwhelming need, we have also started scholarships at the diploma level and Medical Assistants who already hold Diplomas are being helped to upgrade so as to better serve the community” remarked H.E. Mulenga.
In his remarks, the Vice Chancellor, Prof. Barnabas Nawangwe welcomed H.E. King Caeser Augustus Mulenga and thanked him for officially visiting his alma mater, Makerere University.
“It is our strategy as Makerere University to help all other Universities grow because when they are strong, we are all stronger. We must also appreciate Your Excellency and St. Augustine International University for enabling bright but disadvantaged students to access higher education. It is very clear that you didn’t start the university to make money but to invest in our youth and we thank you for this very philanthropic gesture” remarked Prof. Nawangwe.
The Ruhinda North Member of Parliament and Chairperson, Finance, Planning and Administration Committee of Council-Hon. Thomas Tayeebwa who attended the signing ceremony thanked Prof. Barnabas Nawangwe and the University Management for collaborating with SAIU, noting that the only way for Makerere to remain the best and continue scaling to greater heights is by reaching out to help newer institutions.
“I commend H.E. King Mulenga for starting St. Augustine International University and reaching out to disadvantaged students but as an alumnus, I also call upon him to come and support his alma mater Makerere University. As alumni, we need to come back and give scholarships to bright but disadvantaged students and support the Makerere University Endowment Fund” remarked Hon. Tayeebwa.
Hon. Tayeebwa also stressed the need to overhaul the universities admission system, which presently, appears to favour students from well-to-do backgrounds, whose parents can afford to pay tuition at Higher Education Institutions. He proposed the district quota system and student loan schemes targeting the disadvantaged as possible solutions.
Prof. Nzarubara Gabriel is the Vice Chancellor of SAIU and long serving member of the medical fraternity. The specialist Surgeon with teaching and research interests in anatomy earned his Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery (MBChB) from Makerere and served the University from 1974 until his retirement in 2009. Speaking at the ceremony, Prof. Nzarubara thanked Prof. Nawangwe for facilitating Makerere’s collaboration with SAIU.
“As a teacher, I always do my best to train my students to be good doctors because one day, they might be my doctor and it will be sad if I didn’t do my best with them. Makerere should therefore take great interest in the aspect of staff exchanges because one day, these students are going to treat us” added Prof. Nzarubara.
Contributing to the day’s discussion, the University Secretary, Mr. Charles Barugahare noted that research in health and training of health professionals attract a good percentage of donor funding to Makerere University. He therefore urged SAIU to write joint proposals with the College of Health Sciences (CHS) so as to attract more funding to the collaboration.
The University Secretary also informed the meeting that the University Council had passed a policy enabling Colleges to start the own endowment funds. He cited the School of Law and the College of Business and Management Sciences (CoBAMS) as units that had already kicked off efforts to establish their own endowment funds.
The Principal CoBAMS, Assoc. Prof. Eria Hisali who was present at the ceremony welcomed his college alumnus H.E. Mulenga and supplemented that CoBAMS’ Endowment Fund will, just like SAIU’s philanthropy provide scholarships to bright but disadvantaged students. He shared that the Fund would tentatively be launched in November 2018 and invited the Chairman SAIU to join efforts to give back to his College. In the same vein, he thanked Hon. Thomas Tayeebwa for having already contributed to efforts to kick-start the CoBAMS Endowment Fund.
The MoU signing ceremony was also attended by the University Bursar-Mr. Evarist Bainomugisha, the Principal College of Education and External Studies-Prof. Fred Masagazi Masaazi, Personal Assistant to the Vice Chancellor-Mr. Gordon Murangira, SAIU Director of Operations-Mr. Henry Mbonye and other officials from SAIU.
Leading the parties through the signing procedure, the Senior Legal Officer-Mr. Goddy Muhumuza noted that this was the second MoU to be signed between Makerere and SAIU. He said that the terms of the MoU included exchange of staff and students, sharing of laboratory services and harmonisation of admission procedures for joint admissions among others. The MoU also stipulates that any intellectual property developed as a result of the collaboration will be shared according to contributions made by either party.
The MoU was signed on behalf of Makerere University by the Vice Chancellor, Prof. Barnabas Nawangwe and on behalf SAIU by the Chairman, Board of Trustees, H.E King Caesar Augustus Mulenga. Prof. Nzarubara Gabriel and Mr. Goddy Muhumuza signed as witnesses.
Article by 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.
