THE FACULTY OF AGRICULTURE TRAINING PORTFOLIO By Archileo N. Kaaya Associate Professor & Deputy Dean (Training) Faculty of Agriculture

Overview FA training has greatly contributed to national development since it started in 1958 Training responds to client needs Quality standards highly emphasized Have greatly expanded since 2000; four undergraduate programmes introduced

Strengths of the training programme Faculty has 9 undergraduate and over 24 Postgraduate Programmes Five new proposed undergraduate programmes 1200 undergraduates; 205 Postgraduates Areas of specialty: Agriculture, Food Science & Tech, Human Nutrition, Horticulture, Agric. Engineering, Agribusiness, Land use & Mgt, Agric. Rural Innovations

Strengths cont’d Internship programme First Faculty to fully integrate internship in our curricula Link with international universities e.g. IOWA State University Service learning Programme; Sustainability: Linked to organizations in Uganda: UCA, Local Gov’t DLSP, NARO etc., which have taken large numbers of students and would like to partner with the Faculty in Field attachment. Overall: Better graduates who can face realities in the field

Strengths cont’d Regional MSc and PhD programmes Attracted over 100 students Income generation Exchange of staff and students; thus great knowledge gain, teaching skills and experience

Strengths cont’d MUARIK imparts practical knowledge to students of various levels Primary and secondary schools Service learning activities Attachment of certificate and diploma trainees Practical training during normal semester and Recess Term of Faculty students

Strengths cont’d Continuing Agric. Education Centre Linking with several organizations and institutions: Sassakawa, WFP, Israel institutions, AICAD, FAO, NARO, Food Processing Industries Short training courses for NGOs, SMEs, farmers, others Outreach programmes Established a technology village

Challenges Teaching infrastructure and materials Few lecture theatres, these lack up-to-date training facilities/teaching aids Labs lack adequate facilities, thus turned into lecture theatres Inadequate computer facilities: 2 computer labs, few computers Delay in releasing funds for teaching materials; reduced budgets

Challenges cont’d Movement of students and staff both for field practical trips and to Kabanyolo Too few vehicles In poor conditions Huge maintenance costs

Challenges cont’d Problems at Kabanyolo hostel Lecture theatre too old Library and computer space limiting Power problems Students too crowded Who is responsible for what?

Suggestions to management Adequate funding for teaching materials and timely release of funds Address policies that directly concern training and research Visiting lecturers be recognized by the University External examiners for postgraduates need to be paid good allowance and in time Existing teaching infrastructure needs overhauling and also new ones established Supervision allowance of staff needs to be revised upwards Problems of transport including movement of students need to be improved (we need at least 2 more big buses and 4 big vans)

I thank all of you for coming and listening to me