The Role of Chaplaincy Ministries in Transforming Students’ Morals. A Case of Church of Uganda Founded Secondary Schools in Luweero Diocese
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Date
2024-09-24
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Uganda Christian University
Abstract
In the past decades, a large number of educational institutions worldwide have tried to advance chaplaincy. The reviewed literature, shows that poor learning has taken over education systems in African nations, particularly Uganda. This undermines the real purpose of education, which is to address secular, religious, and ethical issues that are consistent with a worldview. This prevents an educational system from taking a more comprehensive and inclusive approach to generating well-rounded students. This study was based on Emile Durkheim's structural functionalism theory, shedding light on the factors that contribute to students’ moral transformation. Similarly, a pilot study was undertaken, and the results were used to create research instruments that were then used to collect field data. Similarly, a descriptive survey approach was employed to evaluate data both qualitatively and quantitatively. The data analyzed revealed that, to a greater extent, chaplaincy ministry plays an important role in changing students' morals in COU-founded secondary schools in the Luweero Diocese. In other schools which lack these ministries, many students were occasionally overwhelmed by situations that led to retribution and suicidal ideation, distorting their moral reasoning. This contributed to the systematic decline in social development of students. The survey also identified considerable hurdles that chaplains in schools face in their efforts to nurture students in their social and spiritual lives. First and foremost, many chaplains were males, as female students were excluded because they preferred a compatible gender. Additionally, there was a shortage of qualifications in chaplaincy ministry, leaving many chaplains unsure of what to do. Similarly, there were no policy rules for chaplaincy employment criteria because many clergy members also serve as chaplains. It was also revealed that there was no established entity at the Diocesan level empowered to supervise, guide, and address issues relating to chaplaincy. As a result, the researcher finds that chaplaincy acts are motivated by chaplains' personal assessment, religious beliefs, and traditions, which contradicts chaplaincy principles. As a result, the Diocese and education partners must work together to develop a shared chaplaincy curriculum that would enable chaplains to perform their duties in a more systematic way. Conclusively, the study's goal was contributing to the growing intellectual debate on chaplaincy around the world, particularly in Uganda and specifically to COU-founded secondary schools in the Luweero Diocese.
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Postgraduate research