Emerging leaders programme to minimise early sex cases at Makerere University

29 September 2024, 1:01 pm

By Ronald Ssemagonja

Over the years since Uganda’s oldest university was established, several cases have been reported to the university leadership seeking solutions to combat the ‘monsters’ affecting students. It is against this backdrop that the Emerging Leaders Programme was launched as one of the initiatives to address the problem at Makerere University.

The Minister of Education and Sports and First Lady, Janet Kataaha Museveni, thanked the university for this initiative. “This is an empowerment initiative that focuses on values and character. Today, we take this initiative even further by launching the Emerging Leaders Programme, which will now be part of a compulsory course at Makerere University,” she stated.

She added that this move institutionalises leadership and character development, ensuring that every student who passes through the university will not only leave with knowledge but also with a well-developed character.

The Vice Chancellor of the university, Professor Barnabas Nawangwe, commended the minister for supporting the university and participating in the launch. “The Emerging Leaders Programme (ELP) seeks to empower our emerging leaders to sensitise students and staff to combat destructive behaviours, including substance abuse, early sexual activity, and ‘digital cocaine’. The guild leadership in this initiative is exemplary. Thank you, ma’am, for this great initiative,” he said.

The co-chair of the initiative, Barbara Kaija, noted that the ELP was conceived at Makerere University in response to the heavy burden of life-threatening challenges faced by the youth. She concurred with the minister that these pervasive issues have reached alarming levels, significantly impacting not only the health and academic performance of students but also the quality of graduates entering the labour market.

She added that the ELP is a life skills programme aimed at fostering character and mindset change among the youth. The SAFE campaign is a core component of the programme, with SAFE standing for Sexually-Fortified, Addiction-Free, Financially-Faithful, and Education-Focused,” Mr Kaija explained.

According to the report, 32% of continuing students had more than five sexual partners in one year, with 12% having ten partners or more in the same period. “Many of us can attest that the Emerging Leaders Programme has come at a time when our generation is grappling with high rates of drug abuse, sexual immorality, and a troubling increase in HIV infections. Despite all these challenges, we remain steadfast in our strong conviction that we can rectify the situation,” said Kanyesige Julian, former Deputy Guild Speaker at Makerere University. The well-attended event took place on the Makerere University premises in Kampala.

The objectives of the Emerging Leaders Programme are to promote positive character development through life skills and character education, equip students with skills and knowledge for values-based lifestyles that enable healthy behavioural choices, train facilitators to implement the programme within the university, and raise awareness among students about the importance of reaching out to their communities to combat corruption, HIV/AIDS, substance abuse, and internet addiction, among other challenges.