During its meeting held on 16th March 2021, the University Council approved 40 scholarships for female learners effective academic year 2021/2022. The move doubles the 20 scholarships, which the University grants female scholars each year under the Female Scholarship Initiative. The Female Scholarship Initiative targets admitted female students who are academically talented but financially constrained. The Council also resolved that the scholarship award criteria shall provide special consideration for female scholars with disabilities.
The Universities and Other Tertiary Institutions Act obligates public universities to give the opportunity of acquiring higher education to all persons wishing to do so regardless of disability, race, political opinion, colour, creed, or sex. This statutory obligation and other instruments, namely, the University’s Strategic Plan, the National Development Plan, Africa’s Agenda 2063 and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, guide the Council’s action on gender equality promotion.
Makerere University has been at the forefront of addressing historical gender imbalances in access to higher education. In 1990, the University established an ambitious affirmative action scheme where female students get 1.5 points on admission to the University. This initiative would impact female students enrolment to the extent that 30 years later, in 2020 and 2021, Makerere University graduated more female than male students. Current student enrolment figures demonstrate a consistent pattern that Makerere will continue to deliver more female scholars.
In 2019, the University Council adopted another affirmative action framework, which provides for a 40% enrolment quota for female students in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) Disciplines .
At the Macro level, Makerere University’s gender action priorities currently focus on increasing the number of women in academic and administrative leadership, increasing female students’ enrollment in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM), and curbing sexual harassment. The number of female professors grew from 30 to 39 in 2020. The University also appointed two female College Principals who became the first to hold the positions since the commencement of the Collegiate system in 2010. In 2020, women’s membership of the University’s top management rose from 25 per cent to 27 per cent.
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