The Principal of the College of Humanities and Social Sciences (CHUSS), Prof. Helen Nambalirwa Nkabala, and Deputy Principal Prof. Eddy Joshua Walakira have pledged to address teaching space shortages, review timetabling and improve access to equipment and resources at the School of Psychology.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The commitment was made on Wednesday, 21 October 2026, during a meeting with staff marking the conclusion of a tour of CHUSS\u2019s 14 departments, which began on 12 October, 2026. The visit to schools and departments were to introduce Prof. Walakira to staff and identify departmental priorities, achievements and operational challenges.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Nkabala pledges timetable review and improved teaching facilities<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Prof. Nkabala said the college would review its timetable preparation process and invited lecturers to participate in a meeting convened to examine the issue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n She also welcomed a proposal from the department to allocate dedicated teaching rooms to each school, with the remaining facilities shared according to need.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Principal commended the department for providing counselling and psychological support to university staff and students. She also welcomed newly recruited staff and outlined ongoing interventions to improve teaching and research conditions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n She said smart boards would be available by the next semester, while the college was purchasing chairs and tables using internally generated funds. The first batch of furniture had already been delivered.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Prof. Nkabala added that practicum funding had been advanced to the department through graduate support. Payments to dissertation examiners had been made up to June 2025, with subsequent payments being prepared.<\/p>\n\n\n\n She urged the department to submit lists of teaching and examination materials required to support its academic programmes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n On infrastructure, Prof. Nkabala said a proposal for a dedicated psychology building had been prepared and incorporated into plans for a national innovation museum. Although the project might not receive funding in the next financial year, she expressed hope that it would be considered in the subsequent year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n She added that she was pursuing the provision of specialised counselling space and following up on pending staff promotions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI am very confident we should be able to get something,\u201d she said before leaving for a committee meeting, while Prof. Walakira remained to hear further submissions from staff.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Department of Mental Psychology highlights space constraints and clinical training needs<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n The Head of Department of Mental Pyschology, Dr. Roscoe Kasujja, thanked the college leadership for supporting staff recruitment and promotions but highlighted inadequate teaching space as a major constraint.<\/p>\n\n\n\n He said the department\u2019s day and evening programmes, alongside its two master\u2019s programmes, had increased demand for teaching facilities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Dr. Kasujja asked management to help integrate student practicums into the Ministry of Health\u2019s primary healthcare system because the department does not have its own clinic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n He also called for the appointment of two clinical directors to support the counselling and clinical psychology programmes and urged management to recognise practicum supervision as part of lecturers\u2019 teaching workload.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Other staff members raised concerns about large first-year classes, heavy dissertation supervision workloads, inadequate space for counselling and clinical practice, and the need for support in securing student placements.<\/p>\n\n\n\n They also proposed reserving rooms for the department in the renovated senior common room building.<\/p>\n\n\n\n One lecturer reaffirmed the department\u2019s commitment to working with the college leadership, saying, \u201cWhen you shine, we shine.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Walakira seeks options for space and equipment<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Deputy Principal Prof. Eddy Walakira, said the meeting had given him a clearer understanding of the department\u2019s practical training requirements.<\/p>\n\n\n\n He said college management needed to examine how teaching space was allocated and consider targeted interventions for departments facing the greatest shortages.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Prof. Walakira encouraged staff to remind the college leadership that the department had previously occupied space in the building currently undergoing renovation, and to advocate for its needs before the facilities were allocated elsewhere.<\/p>\n\n\n\n He said recruiting academic staff without providing the necessary equipment and working facilities would undermine their effectiveness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Prof. Walakira asked staff to allow him a few days to compile possible interventions, including lobbying for institutional support and exploring external funding opportunities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The meeting concluded the college leadership\u2019s round of departmental engagements. The proposed timetable review, departmental requests for dedicated teaching rooms, and the Deputy Principal\u2019s planned assessment of options for space, equipment and funding are expected to inform subsequent management interventions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Visit to the Department of Educational, Social and Educational Psychology <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n The Principals lauded the department for commitment to teaching, research and high graduate numbers naming it among the schools producing the highest numbers of graduates..<\/p>\n\n\n\n Nkabala thanked staff for their patience and voluntary compliance under difficult circumstances, saying the College regards its staff as its greatest asset.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Deputy Principal, Prof. Eddy Joshua Walakira also urged the School to keep building its research profile and to continue publishing, noting that publications remain central to promotion. Walakira said he had been impressed by the number of graduate students coming through the College since he took office.<\/p>\n\n\n\n He singled out the School of Psychology, alongside the School of Languages, Literature and Communication, for their high number of graduates and congratulated staff on the achievement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Head of Department of Educational, Social and Educational Pyschology Dr. Wandera Roberts Otyola described a department excelling in the midst of infrastructure and timetable concerns.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Regarding graduate supervision, he said 4 PhD students from the department have submitted for examination. He also expressed readiness by the department to adopt the Competence-Based Teaching method (CBT), adding that some of the courses offered by the department are already CBT friendly and that staff training is underway. “I am very happy to report that some of the members here have received CBT training,” he remarked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Staff also expressed their gratitude to the Principal for her exceptional leadership and support to the school. “I would like to thank you Principal for your support in reviving the Makerere University Centre for Psychosocial Support Services,” said Dr. Lynda Nakalawa, a lecturer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Dr. Nakalawa also described how its psychological services centre has reached the public with limited resources, including a recorded live session on mental health for pupils preparing for national examinations, which schools continue to share.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Deputy Principal directed colleagues to the College’s new grants and research support office, which can help with proposal preparation and funding opportunities. On postgraduate supervision, the Deputy Principal said the College is developing a tracking system to help students finish on time. It would start with allocating examiners at the point of submission, to avoid long waits between submission and graduation. He also commended the College’s units for leading in aligning programmes with national higher education requirements.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Principal also welcomed new members of staff, Ms. Rita Nabaasa and Ms. Betty Namale, to the department. Staff said they were encouraged by management’s openness and the commitment to work together on solutions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The visit, which began on a high note with staff singing happy birthday to the Principal, ended with a cake-cutting ceremony in her honour.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Dr. Irene Mutuzo, a lecturer, described the School of Psychology as “The Heart of Human Resource Management.<\/p>\n\n\n\n By Allan Ainematsiko and Madelein Kisuule<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n