Education
Prof. Muwagga Mugagga takes over as Principal CEES
Prof. Fred Masagazi Masaazi, on February 11, 2022, handed over the office of Principal College of Education and External Studies (CEES) after serving for 9 years. Prof. Masagazi handed over office to Prof. Anthony Muwagga Mugagga at a ceremony attended by Deans, HoDs, Directors and Human Resources Directorate representatives and officials from Internal Audit. Prof Masagazi has led CEES for two terms from 2013 to 2021.
Prof. Masagazi congratulated Prof. Mugagga upon being appointed Principal and also thanked his Deputy Principal, Assoc. Prof. Paul Muyinda Birevu, for his continued support during their service to the college.
Prof. Masagazi appreciated all the Deans, HoDs, administrative heads, staff and students of the college for the support accorded him during his tenure. He advised the incoming Principal on certain aspects such as financial budgeting, which has to be done well before the budget call, accountability which has to be done quarterly and audited by the office of the Auditor General. He also advised Prof. Mugagga to see to the regularization of employment for contract staff and stop-gap measure staff. Prof. Masagazi told the incoming Principal that he had started on the process of reviewing the college establishment, and asked him to follow this up with management.
During his tenure, Prof. Masagazi registered several achievements which include;
- Promoting and maintaining Team work and a peaceful co-existence among staff. This has enabled the college to contribute to the university’s core business of teaching and learning, research and knowledge transfer partnerships
- Facilities. The college acquired extra teaching space and offices which includes former Lumumba kitchen, CCE dining hall, a flat housing the officer of the registrar and Bursar
- Research dissemination: Mak-RIF has supported a lot of research in the college. This the Prof. hoped would continue because it builds the junior researchers’ capacity to undertake research and write grant proposals
- Institute of Distance and e-learning: The institute was operationalized and Dr. Mayende appointed as its director. The team has been involved in e-learning trainings for staff and students of the university especially during the Covid-19 outbreak which necessitated on-line teaching. The Principal appreciated the Director for a job well-done.
- Staff promotions: A number of staff have been promoted since 2017.
- Renovations of facilities: Some buildings we painted.
- The college made a request to university management for a new building and face lift for other buildings.
- The annual Senteza Kajubi lecture, which has been organized twice, has given CEES prominence in discussing the challenges affecting the education sectors well as solutions.
All these great achievements were however not realized without challenges. Prof. Masagazi noted that that the government had cut the university budget by 40% which has greatly affected budget realization. He said the cuts had affected teaching practice and forced the college to only prioritize teaching and learning activities, ignoring the support functions. The college is also dealing with the issue of under-staffing in some administrative and academic units which creates work overload for the existing staff. The college is facing a challenge of obsolete ICT facilities. The outgoing Principal said the Directorate of ICT had been notified of the state of affairs.
The college has got some of the oldest buildings in the university, some as old as 100 years. This calls for renovation. Because of the increase in student numbers, the college is in need of new buildings to house more lecture space and offices. The college offers external courses such as Bachelor of Commerce External and Bachelor of Sciences External which need to be streamlined, the outgoing Principal advised.
The incoming Principal was informed about the student leadership whose activities are funded by the college, however, their needs are usually higher than the allocations, which needs to be discussed with the student leaders in an effort to find harmony.
Prof. Masagazi’s parting advice included the college’s need to consolidate the achievements and continued provision of leadership on matters of education in the region. He called on all staff to contribute to the university’s strategic plan of transforming the university into a research-led institution. This will be done through writing/winning grants, publishing, supervision of graduate research and establishment of a grants office. He called for the continuation of the college’s seminar series and dissemination conferences. Building a long lasting relationship with the Ministry of Education is of utmost importance. Prof. Masagazi called for the implementation of the Principal’s publication award and organization of the alumni day. He too decried the low representation of females in management of the college. He advised on the streamlining of centres so that they can generate some income for the college. He called on IoDEL to continue fostering the use of online- teaching and learning in the college.
In his acceptance speech, Prof. Mugagga thanked God for his mercy and elevating him to the position of Principal. Reflecting on the day’s sermon 1Kings:11 in which God abandoned King Solomon when he sinned, Dr. Mugagga pledged not to abandon God, lest God forsakes him. He thanked the outgoing Principal for mentoring him and the staff of the college for supporting him, saying he will continue to learn a lot from them.
To Assoc. Prof. Muyinda, with whom he contested for the position, Prof. Mugagga called for his support for the growth of the college and the institution at large. Prof. Mugagga expressed readiness to work with Assoc. Prof. Muyinda to ensure that the College of Education and External Studies continues to be a leader in e-learning and teacher education/training.
On matters of human resources, the new Principal noted that the college has a high staff down pyramid, characterized by many assistant lecturers and very few senior lecturers, a situation he called on the Director HR to review. The Ministry of Education has reviewed the curriculum at all levels of education which calls for the college to reposition herself to meet the needs of learners but also to provide psychosocial support to both students and parents, Prof. Mugagga said. “Many children have stayed out of school due to early pregnancies, so we need to start supporting them,” he said. He called on the Institute of Distance and e-learning to intensify its efforts in teaching because with the 2019 teacher education policy, more people are bound to undertake distance learning. Prof. Mugagga intends to grow the Centre for Lifelong learning to a commercial enterprise, which can generate funds for the college. He also wants the Centre for Teaching and Learning Support to take a central role in soliciting for profitable projects for teacher education.
Responding to the gender inequality in leadership of the college, Prof. Mugagga pledged to support more women to lead the college. He also pledged to continue to be both a Principal and a Professor who will continue to engage in the academic affairs of the college through supervision of graduate research.
Prof. Mugagga prayed for God’s mercy and guidance and called for the support of all the staff, saying “If I go wrong please correct me”.
The Director Human Resources represented by Mr. Deus Tayari Mujuni and the Director Internal Audit, Mr. Walter Yorac Nono also congratulated the new Principal and wished him smooth sailing in his new position.
Government through the Ministry of Education and Sports has been called upon to find ways of popularizing the subject of art and crafts in lower and higher secondary education.
Prof. Anthony Muggaga, the Principal of the College of Education and External Studies at Makerere University, said yesterday that the government should explore measures including making the subject compulsory.
“We should have at least a module for one term like we have General Paper or computer,” he said.
Prof. Mugagga believes that without popularizing Fine Art, the education sector will continue churning out students who lack critical thinking.
“Fine Art is what will cultivate a critical mindset amongst our learners. That is why we encourage children in nursery school to draw; we are trying to bring out what is in their minds,” he said.
“It is the same reason that art is considered therapy for mental health patients. When they draw, they express what is taking place in their minds.”
Prof. Mugagga was speaking at the launch of the findings of the pilot report for the Visual Arts Curriculum Review.
Dr Julius Ssegantebuka from Makerere University College of Education and External Studies and the lead researchers said the curriculum review project is intended to prepare secondary school art and design teachers, by equipping them with practical skills and values that match the modern world.
“During this second phase of the project, we had trial lectures and discussions with the teachers. We also embarked on removing obsolete content and replaced it with new content and also separated some of the art disciplines that were formally combined,” he said.
The updated curriculum he said, puts emphasis on research, group discussions, and field studies among others.
Speaking as chief guest at the launch, Dr Grace K Baguma, the Director National Curriculum Development Center commended the initiative.
“I commend Dr Ssegantebuka and the team for this initiative, which is aimed at contributing to the development of quality curricula that employ modern pedagogies that respond to societal needs,” she said.
On her part, Dr Moreen Muwanga from Kyambogo University called for the integration of ICT in the teaching of visual arts.
“Many of us have a phobia of handling a computer. Yet the students we are teaching are flexible and conversant with ICT,” she said.
The Acting Vice Chancellor, Assoc. Prof. Umar Kakumba has welcomed a delegation from the German Adult Education Association (DVV International) led by the Board Chair Hon. Martin Rabanus. The delegation was in the country to assess the impact of their partnership with Makerere University and the community.
DVV International and Makerere University, Department of Adult and Community Education have been partners since 1986.
The support has been in the areas of teaching and learning. DVV International supported the development and launch of the Master of Adult and Community Education (MACE) in 2007. Makerere University has since graduated many who now work as lecturers in Higher Institutions of Learning, programme managers, development workers, adult education trainers and so on. Before then, DVV International was supporting undergraduate students of the Bachelor of Adult and Community Education (BACE) with financial support towards internships and practical training during the Recess term of Year 2.
Speaking in his office on April 15, 2024, Assoc. Prof. Kakumba appreciated the Germany government for the support over the years. Saying through this support Makerere has continued to foster adult education by settling up Adult Education centres in Lira and Mbale for this purpose.
DVV International has over time supported staff in the area of research and publications. Some of the beneficiaries include Dr. Stella Achen, Dr. Twine Banakuka, among others. In early 1990s the organization helped to renovate the building housing adult and community education. The organization has also previously supported staff to acquire Masters and PhDs.
Prof. Kakumba appealed to Hon. Martin Rabanus to consider renewing the MoU between the two institutions in an effort to continue training adult educators.
Hon. Martin Rabanus applauded Makerere University for the achievements obtained so far and the contribution the partnership has enabled. “We are happy that we were able to provide adults an opportunity for them to get a certificate and improve their lives,” he said. “Thank you for the corporation for the last 40 years.”
Present in the meeting were the Principal of College of Education and External Studies(CEES), Prof. Anthony Mugagga, the Dean of the School of Distance and Lifelong Learning, Dr. Harriet Nabushawo and Dr. Stella Achen – Head of Department, Adult and Community Education.
Scholars have called for the inclusion of patriotism in the country’s curriculum, arguing that starting as early as nursery school will go a long way in transforming our society. The call was made during a stakeholders’ workshop organized to discuss the integration of patriotism in the teacher education curriculum among selected Public Universities a project supported by the Makerere University Research and Innovations Fund (Mak-RIF).
Lack of a shared Ugandan culture, beliefs & national value system is one some of the things that were identified as those that hinder the spirit of Patriotism.
It was also noted that the sense of patriotism demonstrated by most students who graduate from universities in Uganda is at its lowest. This, Dr. Dorothy Kyagaba, said is manifested in the persistent riots, rise of the crime rate, vandalism, rampant students’ death, Individualism which are detrimental to the nation.
Although legal frameworks & initiatives, National Patriotic Programs, trainings in secondary schools, and patriotism clubs in high schools exist, the sense of patriotism among universities is still disturbingly low, Dr Kyababa said.
To this end, the research teams seeks to analyze the teacher education curricula to ascertain aspects of patriotism among selected Public Universities in Uganda, to establish teacher trainees’ perception of patriotism among selected Public Universities and to build capacities of teacher trainees in integrating Patriotism among selected Public Universities in Uganda.
Some scholars have argued that using practitioners & teacher education to build a sense of patriotism in preservice teachers as a community of practice increases the odds that future generations will care about each other and love their country.
Speaking during the stakeholders’ meeting on April 15, 2024, the Principal of CEES, Prof. Anthony Muwagga Mugagga, said that many people confuse patriotism with being a member of a political party. This he said is far from the true meaning of the word. Patriotism according to scholars’ entails living in harmony with each other, limited violence, sense of unity, peaceful environments with each other, preserving a county’s heritage, interests, respecting each other’s culture, values, and love and commitment to the country’s democratic principles. To achieve this, Prof. Mugagga advised that people ought to be taught about self-management, honesty, emotional intelligence, etiquette, hygiene, entrepreneurship, soft skills and survival skills among other things.
In her remarks, the Assistant Commissioner of the National Secretariat for Patriotism Corps Dr. Tibamwenda Brenda demystified the Misconceptions about Patriotism emphasizing that it is not an NRM agenda or a recruitment group but it is rather a program that would help learners better through protecting the environment, cherishing hard work, honesty, accountability and fairness.
Prof. Betty Ezati, who also attended the meeting advised that patriotism ought to start at home. “Patriotism should start at home and pre-primary. For higher institutions of learning, let us train the teachers to love their country and in so doing, they will pass this on to the young generation,” she said.
In her closing remarks, the Principal Education Officer, Teacher Education Training & Development, Ministry of Education and Sports Mrs. Elizabeth Kisakye Nsamba emphasized “a need for a think tank to re-conceptualize Patriotism in Teacher Education with a well-structured programme”
The Stakeholders’ workshop was graced by key Stakeholders from the Ministry of Education and Sports, Uganda National Institute of Teacher Education, Uganda National Teachers’ Union, National Secretariat for Patriotism Corps Teacher Educators and Preservice teachers among others. The study will be conducted at the School of Education Makerere University, Faculty of Education, Kyambogo University and Faculty of Education, Mountains of the Moon University.
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