According to Prof Joseph Matovu, the lead researcher from Busitema University Faculty of Health Sciences they tested the approach using fishermen in Buvuma and Kalangala islands considering the fact that the government struggles to have them consistently tested despite being one of the key populations in which HIV prevalence is higher than the national average.
Dr Dinah Amongin, a lecturer in the Department of Public Health at Busitema University who conducted the study said they analyzed data for teenage pregnancies that have been documented for the last 30 years and also surveyed girls who have given birth before 18 years in Eastern Uganda to check the percentages of those that have another unwanted pregnancy and the drivers of this.
They argue that that the affirmative action policy which awarded 1.5 bonus points to girls qualifying to enter public universities, remains insufficient to address equity issues, especially in science-related courses. As a result, they say, the current government merit scholarship for students in higher education is heavily bent in favour of male students.
The scientific exercise is performed by the Cyber Metrics Lab (Spanish National Research Council, CSIC) with the intention of producing updated and useful information about the performance of Universities from all over the world based on their web presence and impact.
Under their umbrella association Busitema University Support Staff Association (Bussa), the staff say that more than 10 hectares of their gardens comprising cassava and potatoes that were ready for harvesting were destroyed.
