About Our Schools

E-Learning

Back ground

Uganda Rural Development and Training Institute (URDT-I) is a vocational training institution based in Kagadi District. It was established in 1993 to deliver vocational skills and youth leadership development using a Visionary Approach to training that leads to a critical mass of all-round male and female young entrepreneurs who have integrity and the capacity to improve their economic situation, become responsible citizens, and contribute to the national development agenda. The institute is registered with the Ministry of Education and Sports as a Vocational Training Institution.

URDT’s overall strategy is to create a critical mass of visionary change makers who apply the principles of creating and entrepreneurship in their life, work and positions of leadership. The Institute began by offering short courses certified by Directorate of Industrial Training (DIT) and Uganda Business and Technical Education Board (UBTEB). In 2020, URDT-I leadership took a  strategic decision to focus on the Young Africa Works program  training concept as a spring board for future trainings that easily transition young people to the job market.

The URDT Institute overall riding philosophy, mission and vision are based on the foundation of the mother institution Uganda Rural Development and Training Programme (URDT) presented below;

Philosophy

URDT-I believes in a visionary approach using a creative process. According to the philosophy:

  1. Using the creative rather than the responsive orientation in the development process can bring about lasting change. In the latter, people react or adapt to circumstances. Often, the level of emotions determine action. On the other hand, in the creative orientation, the aspirations or visions one holds are the motivating force behind change; young people create their own circumstances through consciously taking action to realize that which truly matters to them.
  2. In the context of popular participation, URDT-I mobilizes young people at the individual or collective levels to look at what they want to create for themselves, analyze the processes, think through the processes which will enable them to attain their goals, and commit themselves to work together irrespective of their differences and evaluate the impact of their actions.

Vision, Mission, Values

Vision

A center for transformation, excellence and development that integrates skills and knowledge which enhance professionalism

Mission

To provide rural people with mental tools and practical skills needed to become productive members of their communities and fulfill their aspirations.

Values

URDT’s development interventions are based on the following premises:

  1. Respecting Life.
  2. Health
  3. Freedom
  4. Peace.
  5. Creating and adjusting change
  6. Being true to oneself and others.
  7. Being creators
  8. Justice
  9. Starting from where the people are and building on that
  10. Eliciting peoples’ own abilities and commitment to service.

Working Premises/Principles

  1. The people of Uganda, like all people of the world, are a key to their own development.
  2. People have innate power and wisdom which they can tap to transform the quality of their life and that of their communities.
  3. Lasting change comes only as people shift from reacting to circumstances to being creators of their own desired circumstances.
  4. Training, education and information sharing are integral components in development as gained knowledge allows people to meet their exigencies of rural life.
  5. People with common vision can transcend traditional barriers caused by tribal, religious, gender and political differences and work together to achieve their common goals.

URDT Girls’ School uses the 2 generation approach whereby students and their parents learn together, develop a shared vision for their home, analyze their current situation, apply systems thinking, team learning, plan together and learn new skills.

Alongside the national curriculum, the students get ‘change agent’ training to generate sustainable income, health, family cooperation, and peace at home while they study. The students transfer their newly gained skills through back-home projects; educative theatre, workshops and radio programmes.

The URDTGS aims to develop a pool of value-driven, visionary leaders who are committed to taking up transformation roles in their homes and communities.
Many children are only consumers of resources, for URDT the child is a resource waiting to be unleashed.

Background
The school started in 2000 to fill a need for education that is linked to development and women empowerment. URDT beliefs that educated young women are key to transforming rural poor communities into vibrant, sustainable rural economies.

The URDT students come from poor backgrounds and are committed to developing their homes while she studies and gets prepared for future leadership.
Although the Ugandan Government provides universal primary and secondary education, their schools are poorly equipped to produce functionally literate, principled, entrepreneurial and responsible citizens and to take care of girl specific needs.

Activities
Besides the Ugandan National Curriculum, the school offers a comprehensive programme that enhances a diverse range of skills and shapes the learners’ character to become all-round and value-driven transformational leaders. Below more details:
1) Students are trained to provide leadership in back home projects such as sustainable agricultural practices, commercial farming, agro-processing, environmental protection, use of appropriate technologies and community development. This is done through workshops, debates, essay writing, sports competitions, various clubs, science fairs, music, dance, and drama.
2) Students transfer their newly gained competencies through tailor-made parents workshops, back-home projects; popular theatre, radio programmes on URDT’ community radio and collaborative projects with URDT’s other educational institutions.
3) The school emphasizes the importance of science subjects and fine arts because it enhances analytical thinking, discipline, and creativity.
4) The school also supports students to develop model farm enterprises that act as centers of learning in the villages and to participate in local governance practices.

Management
The Headteachers of the Primary and Secondary school sections are responsible for the day to day running of the school. They work with a team of about 20 teaching and non-teaching staff. URDT’s Board of Governors oversees the operations and set policies.

Partnerships
The school has good working relationships with the local authorities, Foundation for African Women Educationists Uganda chapter (FAWE-U), KSCON, NOGAMU, Straight Talk Foundation, Uganda Red Cross and UNICEF-U. It gets more financial support from Charities based in Uganda, the Netherlands, and the USA.

Results
At the organizational level:
1) URDT has established a fully-fledged primary and secondary school;
2) A co-curriculum that enables the girl-child to become a change agent. The students learned to do self-discovery, they have self-confidence and a broad range of technical skills;
3) The school started with 60 students. Now each academic year it educates 250 students from upper primary (P5) to secondary advanced level (S6) and works with about 1500 home members and over 200 communities;
4) The school is working out modalities to integrated the 2-generation approach in the 2 URDT community schools;
5) In 2003, the District Inspector of School declared URDTGS a model school of Kibaale district due to its quality and relevant education;
6) The school won awards from FAWE-U (2002); European Commission-U (2006); National Book Trust (2003/5/7) and Tumaini Award (2011) and Teach A Man to Fish Award (2012).
7) The school has won most annual netball and volleyball competitions of Kibaale District (2004/13).

At student and home level:
1) The students and parents appreciate that education is linked to action necessary to organize her home and build partnerships with her parents for economic and social transformation;
2) The girls’ academic results in national exams are good compared to local and Kampala based school
3) The students caused visible changes at home and community level:

  • Over 75% improved their incomes, farms, health and nutrition status. Most of the students’ siblings are now going to school;
  • The family members have a shared vision, plan together and are working towards long term prosperity and peace;
  • Family cooperation has improved, gender equality is addressed and domestic violence has reduced;
  • The school’s outreach programme reached over 12.000 community members and 1 million listeners.
  • By actively involving the parents, we have limited the knowledge gap between the 2 generations

The school was established in 2003 by a committed member of the Nkondo community. Sadly the founder passed away and the school had to close in 2005 due to managerial and financial problems. In 2006, thanks to the stamina of the students who remained teaching each other, the URDT decided to transform the school into a community school that will use the 2-generation approach to education and development.
On annual basis, it educates 130 students from Secondary 1 to Secondary 4 (O-level).
Aim:
The school’s mission is to provide disadvantaged children with relevant secondary education that shapes their character, develops their leadership and other talents to grow up as responsible, healthy and successful citizens willing to contribute to community development.
The school aims at academic excellence and functional literacy of the pupils and their parents. Therefore, besides the compulsory curriculum endorsed by the Ministry of Education and Sports, the school is developing a skills-based co-curriculum that aims at improving the standard of living in the students’ homes through mastery of the principles of the creative process (visionary life orientation) and developing understanding of the mastery of sustainable development and systems thinking.

This school was started by a community member who desired to see community children accessing education. However in 2008, he could not run the school any more as the parent were to poor to pay for good educational standards.In 2008 URDT got a request to manage the school while the parents were part of the school management committee.

Aim:
The school’s mission is to provide disadvantaged children with relevant primary education that shapes their character and develops their talents to grow up as healthy and responsible citizens.

The school aims at academic excellence and functional literacy of the pupils and their parents. Therefore, besides the compulsory curriculum, the school is developing a skills-based co-curriculum that aims at improving the standard of living in the pupils’ homes.

On annual basis it educates 150 students from Primary 1 to Primary 7.

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