Makerere’s parenting course breakthrough

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Makerere University recently graduated its first cohort from its newly introduced parenting course.

The three-month certificate course, with the potential to upgrade to diploma and postgraduate status, attracted parenting practitioners from both the public and private sectors across the country.

Participants were equipped with practical skills in designing, implementing, and evaluating evidence-based parenting interventions relevant to local settings. They then had to design a parenting project for their communities before they would graduate.

Parenting is an issue of global concern, and the World Health Organisation (WHO) recommends that countries adopt evidence-based parenting interventions to improve parenting outcomes and address key challenges such as violence against children, father absenteeism, poor bonding, and attachment deficiencies.

Evidence-based parenting interventions draw from approaches subjected to top-level scientific research, the highest being Randomized Control Trials (RCTs) and systematic reviews, which provide the best insights into effective parenting strategies.

This calibre of research on parenting has already been done in Uganda at Makerere by the Child Health Development Centre and across other African countries like South Africa and Nigeria. This provides a good benchmark for designing culturally sensitive parenting interventions for Ugandan practitioners.   

The College of Health Science, School of Medicine, hosts the parenting course under the Child Health Development Centre in collaboration with the Ministry of Gender. The course was designed by Dr Siu Godfrey, an experienced researcher in the field of parenting, together with his team and then subjected to academic assessment by the College of Health Science before it was approved to be taught.

 The course draws on, among other sources, an earlier 15-year study by the same Makerere research team, which generated evidence on effective parenting programs. This research also assessed the involvement of men in parenting and family life in both rural and urban areas of Uganda.

Speaking at the course graduation Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Gender, Aggrey Kibenge, applauded Makerere's positive initiative. “This is a long-awaited breakthrough. The family structure needs more support, and I believe we will see happier and more productive families as a result of this training,” he remarked.

 On her part the Dean of the School of Medicine, Prof. Annette Nakimuli, emphasized the course's timeliness, stating that Makerere University was becoming more relevant. "At 100 years, we want to demystify the ivory tower and address real issues in our communities," Nakimuli remarked.

Family advocates see the Makerere course as a new, powerful tool in the field of parenting. The course elevates parenting from a household matter and from immobile government policies and NGO research to an academic discipline where it will receive greater engagement, debate, and dynamism.

Academia will give parenting and family bigger, better and steadier legs needed to drive new momentum and escalate change at both the national and household levels.

Currently, minimal investment has been made in the rearing of children at the national level. Efforts have concentrated on child survival, with significant progress in immunisation and reducing premature deaths.

However, more resources and funding need to be directed towards child-rearing, as this is critical to shaping the quality of future citizens. There is also a need to activate the National Family Policy which gives key guidance on parenting nationwide, currently, it sits unimplemented at its mother ministry.

Academia can be a powerful catalyst for positive change. Nearly 20 years ago, Uganda Christian University, under the Save the Mothers initiative, introduced a Master’s in Public Health for non-medical professionals. This initiative normalized maternal survival as a responsibility beyond medical professionals, it further amplified the voice to save the mother, enriching it with experiences and skills from other professionals, —efforts that have significantly improved maternal health statistics.

Currently, the parenting statistics in Uganda are alarming. Recent research by Makerere University, in collaboration with AfriChild, a family-focused non-governmental organisation, revealed troubling fatherhood statistics. Ten percent of men in Uganda are unaware they have fathered a child, 45% of fathers provide for their children but lack emotional connection, and 40% of men have fathered a child and abandoned them.

Only 5% of fathers both provide for and emotionally engage with their children.

These findings highlight severe neglect of children at the family level and they demand quick action. With such alarming statistics, we can expect a continuous rise in juvenile delinquency, moral decay, and poor academic performance.

Additionally, teenage pregnancy in Uganda remains a major concern, currently standing at 25%—one of the highest in Africa. Good parenting goes a long way in mitigating early sexual activity.

Hopefully, the Makerere course will serve as a catalyst for change, together with other efforts, improving parenting practices, and intercepting negative trends we see, particularly regarding juvenile boys and vulnerable teenage girls.

The writer heads a family-based organisation and was part of the 1 Cohort of this parenting course.