School of Rural Extension, Education and Development (REED)

Establishment

The School of Rural Extension, Education and Development (REED) have been evolving since its opening in 1987. The philosophy upon which REED is built emphasizes enhancing the status of Sudanese women by enabling them to assume responsible roles in the development of the nation. The REED program aims towards graduating generalists who are committed to working to improve conditions in rural communities. Although the aims of REED have been clear from the start, the School has been able to respond to the changing educational needs of the rural sector.

The Curriculum: Rural Extension Experience

Central to the REED curriculum is student participation in fieldwork in rural areas. Each summer, when the School is not in session, all REED students participate in individual research in rural areas of Sudan. For many students from urban areas, these field assignments provide their first extensive experience in village life and the realities of rural communities. The emphases of these assignments are on identifying the problems faced by the community, researching solutions to those problems, implementing the solutions, and finally, evaluating the effectiveness of the implementation.

The Rural Extension Program

The Rural Extension Program started in 1973 as an integral part of the curriculum of the School of Health Sciences. The course was initiated in response to the need to improve the quality of life for families in poor rural and urban settlements. The course proved to be a great success. The students gained valuable experience and first-hand training work on rural extension. In 1978 the course was assigned as a University requirement course for all third year students in all schools. Now it is a University requirement for the fourth year students of all schools except the School of Health Sciences, where the course is required for the first year students.

The objectives of the Rural Extension Program are four-fold:

-         To expose and train students to deal with issues of rural life

-         To improve the quality of life in rural communities especially among rural women

-         To practice methods of social research in collecting and analyzing data related to the needs of rural women

-         To train students in the field of development and to encourage them to act as agents of change

The aim of this training is to prepare the students to be agents of social change who are well equipped with the essential skills of leadership. Furthermore, the students are trained in their own disciplines, which will enable them to improve the quality of life in rural communities. Students participate in a variety of activities all of which involve community work and mobilization. The spirit of teamwork is promoted among students in areas where integrated work pattern could be achieved.

Finally, students receive training in the preparation of simple educational material and their use in transferring knowledge and information to rural villages. The students and their instructors make field trips to villages in different areas of Sudan for extension work. These field trips are organized in cooperation with government agencies and non-governmental organizations that are active in the areas to be visited. Topics of research to be undertaken are chosen in collaboration with these agencies.