Beyond the Books: Revealing Student-Parents’ Specific Challenges on Their Way to Attaining a Higher Education Degree at Makerere University, Kampala, Uganda
Master thesis
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https://hdl.handle.net/11250/3144131Utgivelsesdato
2024Metadata
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Sammendrag
Balancing academic and parenting responsibilities presents unique challenges for student-parents pursuing higher education. These students juggle financial obstacles, institutional barriers, and familial and cultural expectations while striving to achieve their academic goals. Despite these challenges and the increasing number of student-parents in higher education, their recognition as a distinct category of students within academia is largely absent globally. While there is a growing body of literature on their experiences and challenges, research within the African context and Uganda is limited. Additionally, existing studies predominantly focus on student-mothers, often leaving student-fathers without a voice to share their struggles.
This thesis addresses these gaps by exploring specific challenges student-parents encounter at Makerere University in Uganda. It also examines the perspectives of higher education professionals regarding this category of students. Through the dual theoretical frameworks of intersectionality and African feminism, this study highlights the unique challenges experienced by student-parents, emphasizing how intersecting identities and Uganda’s cultural contexts shape student-parents’ challenges and experiences at MaK, disproportionately impacting student-mothers.
This study aims to increase student-parents’ visibility in higher education among university administrators and policymakers at Makerere University and throughout Uganda, advocating for student-parents’ recognition and implementation of supportive measures to improve their academic journeys and ensure graduation.