RESPONSIBILITIES AND ROLE OF THE MENTOR
To ensure the full commitment of the mentor, the responsibility of the mentor will comprise the following but not be limited to:
- The mentor will assume responsibility for regularly discussing the mentee’s development in their career and provide advice on possible avenues for further development
- The mentor takes a proactive position or attitude in the mentoring process
- The professional development of the mentee should be given the necessary attention to enable him/her to set realistic goals.
- The mentor is expected to adopt a nurturing attitude to present the mentee to other members of the university community.
- The mentor should take the necessary steps to address the grievances of the mentee
- The mentor offers constructive feedback in some positive ways to enable the mentee to bring out the potential he/she has for professional development
- The mentor should be able to make follow-ups to see whether the mentee is doing what is required of him/her
- The mentor should be able to unearth and develop the potential of the mentee for his/her professional advancement
- The mentor should be able to build rapport with the mentee to give him/her self confidence
- The mentor should promote the professional growth of the mentee through motivation, counselling and encouragement as well as create some opportunities for the mentee
- The mentor should share his/her experiences with the mentee in the process
- The mentor could give the mentee challenging tasks and lead him/her through the tasks
- The mentor offers advice about work/life balance issues.
RESPONSIBILITY OF THE MENTEE
The mentee shares a significant part of the responsibility for making the mentoring relationship productive and rewarding. Mentee should initiate the relationship and then get the help from the mentor to reach the goals. In general, mentees should always try to be open and honest with their mentors and respect the trust that is shown, as it should be in any professional relationship. Within the mentoring relationship, the mentee’s areas of responsibility are:
Being aware that there is a mentoring process in the FOMUP and preparing his/her mind for it
Keeping to agreements made with the mentor on the regularity of meetings and communication
Preparing for and participating in meetings with mentor
Being dedicated, willing, committed and hardworking in order to be mentored
Being trusted by the mentor in the process
Keeping the mentor informed of progress and any problems
Asking for help or advice and being open in communication
Willing to accept suggestions from the mentor.
Being appreciative of the efforts of the mentor without financial remunerations
THE ROLE OF FOMUP
In order to ensure high quality of mentoring, FOMUP should:
- Provide logistics and infrastructure for implementation, monitoring and evaluation of the academic mentoring programme.
- Ensure that there is an orientation programme for mentors and mentees.
- Take measures to resolve misunderstandings and conflicts of interest between the mentor and the mentee in the event they arise.
