Makerere starts rural innovation course
Jun 17, 2008
A NEW programme, designed to respond to the challenges hindering agricultural and rural development, has been introduced at Makerere University Faculty of Agriculture.
By Francis Kagolo
A NEW programme, designed to respond to the challenges hindering agricultural and rural development, has been introduced at Makerere University Faculty of Agriculture.
According to Prof. Matete Bekunda, the faculty dean, the three-year course, Bachelor of Agricultural and Rural Innovation (BARI), will equip students with a good balance of theoretical and practical skills in agriculture as well as the capacity to facilitate innovation and change in rural communities.
Senior Six leavers with at least two principal passes in Mathematics, Economics, Biology, Agriculture, Chemistry, Physics, Entrepreneurship and Geography are eligible for the programme through direct entry.
Those holding a second class diploma or its equivalent in Agriculture, Education, Livestock, Forestry, Environment, Agricultural Engineering, Fisheries, Physical Planning, Food Science, or Business Studies are also eligible.
Other candidates can be admitted on the Mature Age entry scheme.
According to an advert run by the faculty recently, students will pay sh1m tuition per semester.
The director in charge of quality assurance, Dr. Williams Ddembe, said the university was reviewing its curriculum, where new courses would be introduced and obsolete ones either updated or phased out.
“All academic programmes will be reviewed and new teaching methods identified,†said Ddembe.
The move, he said, was in line with the 2008 University Council policy to improve academic quality.
Last month, the Faculty of Technology launched a Master of Science in Renewable Energy programme that will run concurrently at Makerere and Dar-es-Salaam universities.
The BARI programme has come at a time when the food crisis continues to plague most rural areas.
Its core courses include agribusiness and entrepreneurship, communication for rural development, rural institutional development and management and project planning and management.
“The concepts of participation, innovativeness, entrepreneurship, are crosscutting in all courses of the programme,†said Gilbert Kadilo, the university spokesperson.
“This is the most appropriate programme today if we are to realise improvement in agricultural productivity and living conditions of the rural population.â€
Bekunda hopes that BARI will produce graduates who can deal with complexity and uncertainty in the agricultural field, as well as apply skills required to address farmers’ needs.
A NEW programme, designed to respond to the challenges hindering agricultural and rural development, has been introduced at Makerere University Faculty of Agriculture.
According to Prof. Matete Bekunda, the faculty dean, the three-year course, Bachelor of Agricultural and Rural Innovation (BARI), will equip students with a good balance of theoretical and practical skills in agriculture as well as the capacity to facilitate innovation and change in rural communities.
Senior Six leavers with at least two principal passes in Mathematics, Economics, Biology, Agriculture, Chemistry, Physics, Entrepreneurship and Geography are eligible for the programme through direct entry.
Those holding a second class diploma or its equivalent in Agriculture, Education, Livestock, Forestry, Environment, Agricultural Engineering, Fisheries, Physical Planning, Food Science, or Business Studies are also eligible.
Other candidates can be admitted on the Mature Age entry scheme.
According to an advert run by the faculty recently, students will pay sh1m tuition per semester.
The director in charge of quality assurance, Dr. Williams Ddembe, said the university was reviewing its curriculum, where new courses would be introduced and obsolete ones either updated or phased out.
“All academic programmes will be reviewed and new teaching methods identified,†said Ddembe.
The move, he said, was in line with the 2008 University Council policy to improve academic quality.
Last month, the Faculty of Technology launched a Master of Science in Renewable Energy programme that will run concurrently at Makerere and Dar-es-Salaam universities.
The BARI programme has come at a time when the food crisis continues to plague most rural areas.
Its core courses include agribusiness and entrepreneurship, communication for rural development, rural institutional development and management and project planning and management.
“The concepts of participation, innovativeness, entrepreneurship, are crosscutting in all courses of the programme,†said Gilbert Kadilo, the university spokesperson.
“This is the most appropriate programme today if we are to realise improvement in agricultural productivity and living conditions of the rural population.â€
Bekunda hopes that BARI will produce graduates who can deal with complexity and uncertainty in the agricultural field, as well as apply skills required to address farmers’ needs.