UNESCO AWARD TO ARU

The African Rural University (ARU) has been recognized by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) Chair for its groundbreaking and unconventional approach to education. The Award was received by the Head of Community Engagement at ARU, Mr. John Tusiime, and ARU Graduate, Milly Muhindo Desire, at Gulu University on June 11, 2024.

ARU is also the only University where students are trained to create conditions that enable rural people to realize they are key to their development. Upon graduation, many ARU graduates are hired as Epicenter Managers serving in rural Ugandan Districts. ARU is also the first University to incorporate Traditional Wisdom Specialists (TWS) as Professors without Papers in Higher Education. TWS are elders and respected members of Indigenous communities who serve as repositories of traditional knowledge and transmit this knowledge to younger generations.

African Rural University embraces traditional wisdom Specialists and indigenous knowledge to create a new paradigm for Rural Transformation and Rural Education. This approach integrates traditional wisdom with modern academic disciplines and community fieldwork. Traditional Wisdom Specialists work alongside academics to develop curriculum, conduct research, and engage with the community. They teach students practical skills and traditional practices that can be used to promote Climate Change Adaptation, Prosperous Rural Livelihood, and Environmental Management.

The ARU education model is a 60% theory and 40% practical Curriculum, where students live and work in communities to cause Rural Transformation in the African Context. People work towards shared visions, work towards their aspirations, and care for themselves, others, and Mother Earth to ensure peace, prosperity, health, happiness, and freedom for all. John Tusiime and Milly Muhindo Desire received the UNESCO Award on behalf of ARU.