General
Mak Self-Assessment Shows Improved Research Productivity despite COVID-19
The annual self-assessment of Makerere University conducted by the Quality Assurance Directorate (QAD) has shown an improvement in research productivity despite the disruptions to academic activity caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. According to a presentation by QAD Director, Dr. Vincent Ssembatya before the Chairperson Council, Mrs. Lorna Magara, Vice Chancellor Prof. Barnabas Nawangwe and Members of Management on 12th March 2021, research productivity improved from 992 publications in 2019 to 1,301 in 2020.
The breakfast meeting held at the Kampala Skyz Hotel in Naguru showed that by attaining this milestone, the University had hit its target of one publication per academic staff per year. It was nevertheless pointed out by Dr. Ssembatya that this was not an opportunity to for staff to rest on their laurels but to set their sights on new targets.
The Vice Chancellor reechoed the same sentiment by recognizing that the annual self-assessment exercise helps the institution to review both successes but failures, so as to come up with strategies on how best to improve. He thanked the Government of Uganda for the support through the Makerere University Research and Innovations Fund (Mak-RIF) that had contributed to the improvement in research productivity.
“Thanks to the capacity built by the Government, we now have some of the best laboratories in Africa. The College of Veterinary Medicine, Animal Resources and Biosecurity (CoVAB) is now working on a tick vaccine” remarked Prof. Nawangwe. CoVAB is home to state-of-the-art Level 2 and 3 biosecurity labs.
He added that Makerere has to set its sights on having more staff at levels of Professor, Associate Professor and Senior Lecturer if it is to become a truly research-led university, and thanked Chairperson and all present for sparing time to attend the important meeting.
The Deputy Vice Chancellor (Academic Affairs)-DVCAA, Dr. Umar Kakumba in his remarks likened the University to a human body with different systems all working together to ensure optimum performance of the individual.
“Organisations are made up of systems and self-assessment helps us to take a closer look at them and assess how well they are linked and functioning as a whole” said Dr. Kakumba.
He particularly pointed out the need to continuously refine and improve the curriculum so as to incorporate the changing needs of the private sector while supporting the basic components of traditional disciplines. Furthermore, the DVCAA pointed out the need improve institutional research translation mechanisms so as to boost uptake of findings by various stakeholders.
“Self-assessment provides the data that helps us as Management to inform our policies and base our decisions on evidence” noted the Acting (Ag.) Deputy Vice Chancellor (Finance and Administration), Dr. Josephine Nabukenya as she made her remarks.
She thanked the Director QAD for highlighting Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Nanotechnology as emerging areas in curricula and encouraged all present to use AI to analyze data and so as to transform the administrative and teaching functions.
“I urge us all to play a critical role, take the lead and be supportive as we sell this new idea to the rest of the University. We are digitizing our Human Resource services and the result will help us to use AI to analyze our data and improve productivity” said Dr. Nabukenya.
Highlights from the Self-Assessment:
- Female Student Enrolment in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) hit the 43% mark
- Graduate Student Enrolment is at 13% of entire student population but needs to increase
- International Students represent 43 nationalities with South Sudan having the largest proportion. International Students constitute on 3% of enrolment, with the College of of Health Sciences (CHS) having the largest proportion (9%).
- Females on average constitute 39% of Human Resources (Academic-29%, Administrative-51% and Support-50%)
- The Staff to Student Ratio stands at 1:22 against a target of 1:15
- The University has produced over 850 PhDs (over 210 Female) since the year 2000, with more than 50% (over 400) of these sponsored by the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida)
- The Staff to Grants ratio stands at 0.9 against the National Council for Higher Education (NCHE) standard of 1.
On the same occasion, the Director Gender Mainstreaming Directorate (GMD) Dr. Euzobia Mugisha Baine made a presentation on “The Gender Terrain at Makerere University“. Therein, she shared a more comprehensive analysis of the growth of female staff in academic positions from 2004 to 2018.
Females at the rank of Professor grew from 4% to 16%, while Associate Professors grew from 6% to 17% and Senior Lecturers from 19% to 36%. The growth was however marginal for females at the ranks of Lecturer and Assistant Lecturer, who grew from 25% to 28% and 29% to 31% respectively in the same period.
The analysis continued to gender representation in Governance where on average females constitute 23% of the Membership. Females make up 26% of the University Council and 17% of the University Senate while they make up 25% of Central Management and 36% of Deputy Managers.
When it comes to leadership at College level, females constitute 20% of the total number of Principals and 40% of Deputy Principals. At the School level, females make up 21% of the Deans and at Departmental level, 25% of the Heads/Chairs.
To help improve the gender terrain, the Director GMD recommended that that the University Council should call for a review of University Policies so as to ensure alignment with the Gender Equality Policy, inclusion of targets for female representation at all levels of the University Service as well as integration of gender equitable staff development and mentorship.
Delivering the closing remarks, Mrs. Magara expressed her delight on behalf of the University Council upon having been a part of the day’s discussions. She thanked the Director and Staff of QAD as well as Director GMD for well delivered presentations. “As an institution, business or individual, you cannot progress without analyzing data.”
Sharing a quote from the late Dr. Myles Munroe, “When purpose is not known, abuse is inevitable”, the Chairperson of Council said the annual self-assessment is indicative of Makerere‘s desire to continuously realign its strategic plan with its purpose.
“What is Makerere‘s purpose? Can your articulate the University’s purpose in Uganda, Africa and the World? What is our niche as Makerere?” challenged Mrs. Magara to her audience.
She noted that Universities have undergone transformation from the first, second and third generations in terms of the respective role played i.e. Defending truth, Understanding nature and Adding value, right up to the present fourth generation, whose role is Entrepreneurial development.
“My desire is that we should all become imaginal leaders with the ability to scan, plan and educate for the future” stated the Chairperson Council before tackling what she considers one of the University’s greatest strengths. “Makerere is the concentration of some of the most brilliant minds; we have the human resource that can drive the development of this country and a lot of good will that is drawn from our 100year history.”
Mrs. Magara observed that the COVID-19 pandemic has given Makerere University a platform to demonstrate leadership and innovation that can be felt right from the highest decision making level to the person on the street. She therefore urged staff to continually lift their eyes up from the environment they operate in to the great needs of society that they can help meet.
She thanked the University Management for inviting her to attend the self-assessment breakfast and gain better appreciation of inner dynamics that keep Makerere running. “Council is more than 100% committed to driving this University to achieve its purpose.”
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.
