Inhabitants study their university course from home
Bwera inhabitants study their university course from home – Fort Portal’s community-based university reaches out to remote areas
Mountain of the Moon University (www.MMU.ac.ug) has taken its new “Academic Certificate Rural Microfinance” to Bwera in Kasese district. The opportunity was taken up by about 20 participants; practitioners from small microfinance associations (MFAs) in the district as well as staff of Ikongo SACCO as well as several S6-vacationaries. MMU, a community-owned university, is based in Fort Portal, about 140 km far from Bwera.
The teaching team Muzigiti Geoffrey (MBA) and Dr. Oliver Schmidt (seconded by German Development Service, http://uganda.DED.de) traveled to Bwera to meet its students for one week (Monday to Friday). It was the first of 4 modules which comprise one short course. 4 short courses lead to an Academic Certificate Rural Microfinance. Such a nation-wide recognized Academic Certificate opens for O-level-holdersthe doors towards Academic diploma- and eventually degree-courses. However, says lecturer Muzigiti, “we welcome practitioners without O-level to participate in the course and refine their knowledge and skills”. Participants were delighted of the practically oriented, interactive learning environment. They were grateful to the Federation of Rwenzori Microfinance Associations (FORMA) which had incited the university to take its course to Bwera. FORMA-chairman Andrew Baluku said that this was a beginning, and it would sustain the pace of growth of FORMA member-MFAs. Communities have formed MFAs across several Rwenzori districts
