Computing & IS
Gender Mainstreaming Directorate to set up Day-Care Centres & Men’s Spaces
Most of the conversation in the public tends to portray a picture that when we talk about gender, gender equality and gender mainstreaming, it is about women and girls.
Officials from Makerere University Gender Mainstreaming Directorate observed that, there is a kind of a divide that exists between men and women that need to breach by creating men’s spaces to specifically build what they termed as male allies.
Strategies proposed involve college identification of male champions who passionately love gender equality and conversations around gender to organize, male-only dialogues and discuss men and boys issues and, to prepare male students by grooming them as ideal men through the different male talks.
The Gender Mainstreaming Directorate (GMD) is currently carrying out college tours to solicit support to create men’s spaces as a forum for involving men and boys to speak for gender equality and also deal with issues that affect men and boys in the university.
A team from the Gender Mainstreaming unit led by Director represented by Ms. Susan Mbabazi was on 23rd May 2023 holding a consultative meeting with staff and management of the College of Computing and Information Sciences on the university Gender Mainstreaming initiatives to solicit support to advance the initiatives.
The team also tabled a proposal for the creation of Day-Care centres for nursing mothers and fathers both centrally and at college levels.
The Senior Gender Officer in the Directorate Mr. Eric Tumwesigye said the male allies for gender equality are men that have been identified and trained to enhance conversations for gender equality. In any space in the university where issues of gender equality are discussed, these men will be the mouthpieces that are going to speak for gender.
“But also, we need men’s spaces to discuss men’s issues. One of the things we have neglected is the fact that men have issues as men, and the issues that come from the way they have been nurtured and brought up”, He said
Tumwesigye contends that society is struggling with drugs and many other crimes because of the traditions believed in and the way men and boys are brought up. Men he says, need to sit as men, understand their issues and how they can be resolved.
“Boys are dropping out of colleges and schools because of the way they have been brought up. They are in betting, chewing tuition to take care of their girlfriends and want to keep this high life profiles they cannot sustain. The gender-based violence between the boyfriends and the girlfriends, the sexual harassment issues are because of the way men are brought up”, Tumwesigye explained
Tumwesigye emphasised the need for men to come out and appreciate that the tradition is a privilege to them, and that, in most cases, disadvantages women and girls and, sometimes that kind of entitlement leads men in bad spots very difficult to recover.
Creation of Day-Care centres at Makerere University
The gender officer asserts that it is now a global conversation beyond Makerere and that it is not enough to discuss issues of increasing women faculty and women in leadership positions. The questions of domestic care have a lot to do with women’s ability to succeed in other areas.
The Gender Mainstreaming Directorate wants to see that women and girls with babies who join the university as staff and students do not withdraw from being productive because they have to take care of the baby at home.
Mr. Tumwesigye said, the directorate has had conversations with Norwegians and colleagues from the School of Public Health and would like the centre and colleges to identify administrative units turned into Day-Care centres where staff and students can bring their babies, and take care of them.
“We want to discuss and get the standard of what it would take so that we help our colleagues who have babies to be able to come with them in these facilities with someone to take care of them. So when you bring your baby, you have registered your baby and you know that when you come back you will find them here. But in case someone wants to come with a maid, we don’t encourage it in public service”, Tumwesigye added
Tumwesigye said the plan is to have adult caretakers trained and have basic structures such as a room, beddings and play centres within these day-care centres.
The Day-Care centres for Mothers and Nursing fathers
Most people are mistaken that babies are for mothers. Makerere’s daycare centres will also take care of nursing men.
“We have men who have babies, maybe their mothers are on study leaves, their mothers are gone, their mothers went for other things, maybe even have the mother in the house, but she is occupied and it is the father taking care of the baby.
So instead of the father driving back and forth to check on this baby, he will just come from home with your baby, place them in the daycare centre and in the evening go home with the baby.” Tumwesigye said adding that students will also be catered for.
” Students should also have space in the day-care centres at colleges. We should encourage them because if they don’t bring these babies, it is going to affect how they concentrate in the library and in the lecture room because they have a babies to run after”, Tumwesigye argues
The Directorate calls upon all colleges to identify and allocate spaces to Day -Care centres and also integrate budgets for these centres within their annual plans. These budgets he said, can also stem from the Gender Mainstreaming Directorate but decentralised in the colleges.
Speaking on behalf of the Director, Gender Mainstreaming Directorate, Ms. Susan Mbabazi, said the team was in the college to consult about how the directorate can implement the gender mainstreaming programs of the University together.
“We are implementing the Gender Policy, and regulations against sexual harassment. We need the support of each one of the stakeholders of this university. We are moving around colleges to talk to the college management, but also the college membership about what we are doing and about the support that we shall need from them,” Mbabazi said.
At the moment, Mbabazi explained that the directorate was collecting data on the situation analysis of gender mainstreaming initiatives in the university and seeking the support of the colleges to update the statistics.
Statistics sought include; the gender representation of men and women as staff in leadership and academic positions, university committees and as students.
Ms. Mbabazi commended the College of Computing and Information Sciences for promoting gender in research and, in terms of gender representation of staff and the many upcoming women.
“We are so excited that the level of associate professor is 50-50% male and women. We have been informed that the general representation of women and students is good and we want to see how to get this model and share experiences, especially with other colleges where we think that the numbers of women are still fewer. ” Mbabazi commended.
The Ag. Principal College of Computing and Information Sciences Dr. Peter Nabende called upon all staff to support the university initiatives by reporting gender-related cases pledging management support to the Gender Mainstreaming unit.
Dr. Nabende welcomed the move to create day-care centres to serve students, male and female staff as a means of protecting the innocent babies and mothers who enrol to the university.
” It gives them an opportunity to be comfortable , concentrate and it will enable them to work effectively and to complete their studies. We are fortunate to have these daycare centres for both staff and students, given the fact that all come from different backgrounds and have different experiences of life”. Dr. Nabende said.
The Principal pledged the college management readiness to support the directorate even in areas of technical expertise such as developing Apps to map the gender mainstreaming initiatives in the university.
Computing & IS
Project PIs & Accountants Urged to follow Budget Controls, Approval Structures & Policies
Principal Investigators (PIs), research assistants and accountants in the College of Computing and Information Sciences (CoCIS) on 23rd November 2023 were equipped with knowledge and skills on Accountability protocols to increase their knowledge on managing funds.
The half-day blended Workshop which attracted 30 participants was officially opened by the Principal CoCIS, Prof. Tonny Oyana and facilitated by the Manager Accounts and Reports Makerere University Mr. Lubowa S. Gyaviira and the Team Leader, College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences (CAES) Mr. Tom Vok Elwana.
The training highlighted the common accountability challenges, accountability procedures and approvals and submission of accountability reports.
Noting delays in accountabilities, Prof. Oyana said, he would like to see the college conduct research and grow big rather than being blacklisted by development partners and donors.
The Principal said, the college has established itself in four principle areas of research where it draws credibility namely; the Sensing Technology, Artificial Intelligence, Human Computer Interaction research and Information seeking research.
He observed that sometimes researchers under estimate the reasons to be financially knowledgeable and hence the need for the training.
“Everything happens because of money. If you are a poor manager of your money, then, you cannot pursue the activities you set. So, financial responsibilities and discipline are very important if you are to be a good negotiator”, He said.
Motivated by the need to build a system that is prudent and robust and building an inclusive place to learn, work and succeed, Prof. Oyana shared his experience of what he has learnt as critical.
“First of all, know your financial status and spend within those limits. Never destroy someone’s credibility. I also recommend responsible financial discipline and not to go by peer pressure.
The minute you indicate a budget, you have controls. You don not shift budget items from other controls. If you want to spend and move items that are 10% and above, you need to get permission from the treasury”, Oyana advised.
The Principal also advised researchers to learn and follow the approval structures and policies, stick to their values and ethics and, ensure funds are used for intended activities. He advised scientists to strive for excellence and make good returns to those that entrust them with the resources.
Prof. Oyana extended the call for discipline in the laboratories on grounds that laboratories run on ethics and honesty. He stressed that it is good practice to follow scientific evidence because Science does not depend on rumours but on data and evidence.
Oyana also urged every researcher to have a research gap, be visionary and ensure laboratories have good practices and procedures and, provide data and scientific evidence to back hypotheses.
He reminded researchers that the primary duty of research is contributing to the body of knowledge and secondly to train and mentor young scientists to contribute to their knowledge.
Accountability procedures and approvals
Giving an overview of Accountability procedures and approvals, Mr. Lubowa Gyaviira represented by Mr. Tom Elwana underscored the need for researchers to know the regulations for accountability when planning.
Key Accountability procedures as extracted from relevant laws, policies and procedures that govern public financial management include but not limited to; Public Finance Management Act 2015; Universities and Other Tertiary Institutions Act; Treasury Instructions 2017 and; Makerere University Financial Manual 2014.
Elwana said accountability helps to establish whether the funds advanced were used for the intended purpose and whether all documentation relating to the accountability was presented for review.
Section 10 paragraph 10.20.11 and 10.20.12 of the Treasury Instructions, 2017, requires all advances to be retired as soon as the necessity for their use ceases to exist or within sixty (60) days upon completion of the activity or by closure of business of the last working day of the financial year in which the advance was issued.
“The Makerere University Financial Procedures Manual 2014 under section 4.6.4 enjoins staff to account for all advances received within 14 days of the completion of the activity and in any case not later than 60 days.
Failure to comply with standing instructions leads to the withholding further advances; Recovery from payroll; and or Disciplinary action in accordance with laid down procedures”, he said.
Elwana explained that staff advanced funds should follow the accountability and approval process from the unit accountant to the Internal Audit/examinations and compliance office which delivers to the Secretary Directorate of Internal Audit, who shall ensure it is stamped received, recorded in the register.
He said, a report for accountability must be attached and receipts indicating clearly amount of advance being accounted for while outstanding advances at end of year will be posted to the general ledger to make up the funds balance.
“Balances on advances not utilized at the end of the work/research should be surrendered to the Head of accounts and a receipt should be issued.
Failure to submit accountability will necessitate refund of all unaccounted for funds by the implementer.
After clearance of all accounted funds, a Journal Voucher (JV) is issued to show clearance of total amount accounted for,” Elwana emphasized
Submission of projects to GAMSU, a MUST for implementation of any activity
Elwana told researchers that all project PIs must not only register their projects and budgets with the Makerere University Grant Administration, Management and Support Unit (GAMSU) but also submit quarterly reports to this unit.
“GAMSU has an application and is calling upon PIs to submit their projects for capturing in their data. Failure to be captured, they may not implement their activities”, Elwana warned
Makerere University established GAMSU, which is tasked with the responsibility of overseeing all projects and grants within the university. This measure, Elwana explained, was an agreement with Government to allow the university oversee and receive the grants instead of the funds going directly to the consolidated fund.
The key responsibility of GAMSU is to ensure that reporting is streamlined within the university. GAMSU requires quarterly accountability reports from all grants and projects.
Submission of all budgets by all projects and grants is also mandatory as part of the accountability reports required by the University and Government.
As a matter of emphasis, on submission of accountability reports, PIs were advised to pay attention to their MoUs since different funders have different requirements.
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