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| Msgr. Dr. Pius Rutechura |
The Catholic University of Eastern Africa (CUEA) has entered into collaboration with the Jesuit Commons: Higher Education at the Margins (JC:HEM), an initiative of the Society of Jesus that brings Jesuit higher education to the marginalized of the society.
Speaking with AMECEA Online News, the Vice Chancellor of CUEA Msgr. Dr. Pius Rutechura said that the Jesuit Commons: High Education at the Margins is one of the most innovative initiative by the Jesuits Society, through their educational networks especially North America. “The Jesuit Society decided to see how they can contribute to higher education of people at the margins where by one of their key areas of concern have been the people in refugee’s camps.”
He explained that the program involves developing e-learning modules, having on-site programs and people who run those programs through the Jesuit Refugee Services. The program involves several universities and is coordinated from Gonzaga University while the modules and platforms are being developed by Georgetown University both in the United States of America.
Msgr. Rutechura explained that two years ago JC:HEM decided to form an international board in which usually holds one annual meeting where members meet face to face but also hold other meetings on virtual communications via the internet. The board operates on three committees namely: the academic committee, the technology committee and the finance committee in which Msgr. Rutechura chairs.
In Kenya, the program is already going on at Kakuma Refugees Camp where the first cohort of grandaunts took place last year. Another program is running at Dzaleka Refugees Camp in Malawi and Amman Jordan.
He explained that CUEA being a regional institution, they wanted to see how it can intervene and be part of the process. “The first part of the process which has already taken place is the articulation of the agreement with CUEA and that is where we are,” he said.
From CUEA, the Deputy Vice Chancellor Academic Prof. Justus Mbae was appointed to be part of the committee that will be working on the curriculum for the program. This committee is also working on an MOU that would be developed through linkages and committee guided by the DVC Academic.
The Vice Chancellor further explained that each organ has its role to play; the chair at the JC: HEM level is Fr. Michael Garanzini, who is also the president of Loyola University Chicago, the coordinator of the program is Dr. Mary McFarland from Gonzaga University while Georgetown University is hosting the learning management system or the blackboard and the student information system.
“These are initiatives where we think CUEA could be part and parcel of. However the whole idea is to make education to the people who are marginalized,” Msgr. Rutechura said adding that under that same banner is Fr. Peter Balleis who is in Rome and handles the Jesuit Refugees Services perspective. “Our roles relies more on networking and partnership in handling high education but also reaching out to the people at the margins that is regional,” hear concludes.
Source: AMECEA Social Communications