A day in the life of a professor

Prof Ruth Mukama

What you need to know:

dedicated. Even after retiring, Prof Ruth Mukama enjoys a busy life. Lecturing, research, setting examinations and farming characterise the life of Mukama, writes Sarah Aanyu

Ruth Mukama is a professor, lecturer and faculty head of department of African languages at Kabale University.
She does not only lecture but also monitors her farm and makes sure that her family is taken care of.
After retiring, she embarked on writing a book. She shares how her her weeks are spent.
Work at the university
My week is usually hectic. Like now we are supposed to be home for holidays but we are still at the university undertaking some assignments.
When the semester starts, I spend my days lecturing and attending meetings from Monday to Friday.
I then set exams, mark them, make sure that the students receive their results on time and in case of any complaints, I should solve the issues on time.
Once in a while, I am invited by Makerere University to be a guest speaker during events. Having worked at the university for a long time, I make time for such activities.
Sometimes my week gets too busy that I find myself keeping awake through the nights, just to make sure that work is done before the deadline.
With such pressure, I have for a long time had to multi-task, to get used to doing what I love most, because I chose to continue lecturing, even when I had retired.

As the head of department
Being the head of department comes with a lot of responsibilities. I have to oversee work in a whole department. I have three meetings a week, which are a ‘must attend’ because there are recommendations to give and decisions to make.
The meetings in most cases take place on Monday, Tuesday and Thursdays. After the meetings, I have to go and lecture the students.
As the head of department, I am part of those who recruit new staff members, a task I do on Monday afternoons because that is when I am less busy.

Family life
I work miles away, in Kabale and I have a family both in my home town and in Mukono. Every Friday evening or Saturday morning finds me on the way from Kabale to Mukono. I have to be with my family, supervise the workers at home and evaluate what they are doing. I return to Kabale on Sundays.
I do farm supervision on Saturday in the morning and make time for my family after garden work.
Sometimes I make lots of journeys to the farm, in instances when workers need my attention, or when a staff at the farm leaves and needs to be replaced, I have to be around to orient the new worker.

Sneak peak
Most of my week days are characterised by lecturing and meetings.

I do a lot of reading, research work, setting exams, mark ing, making sure that the students receive their results on time and in case of any complaints, I should be there to solve the issues on time.

Sometimes my week gets too busy that I find myself keeping awake through the nights, just to make sure that work is done before the deadline.

With such pressure, I have for a long time had to multi-task, to get used to doing what I love.