Nur University Current Programs
Rural School Teacher Training Program
One of the greatest challenges facing Bolivia is the renovation of its national school system. This national education renovation project requires the establishment of new teaching methodologies, the creation of scholastic texts and materials which are linguistically and culturally appropriate and the training of rural school teachers as agents and facilitators of community development. One of the programs of considerable transcendency is Universidad Nur's Rural School Teacher Training program.
Universidad Nur and the Institute of Higher Rural Education (ISER) have developed a pilot distance education program, financed by the National Social Investment Fund (FIS), to train rural school teachers as facilitators of community development. During the two-year pilot program, which ended in 1996, 400 teachers completed the training.
In a combined project between Universidad Nur, ISER and Plan International, approximately 300 rural school teachers in three counties in the state of Tarija (Bolivia) are currently in the final stage of their training. Similarly, 50 rural school teachers in the town of Caracollo, in the Department of Oruro (Bolivia) are in the same stage of their training, as are also 150 teachers in the Department of Santa Cruz. In July of 1998 this same program will be replicated in the Departments of Chuquisaca and Potosi (Bolivia) with an expected combined enrollment of 500 rural school teachers.
The great success of the Rural School Teacher Project has sparked interest from several countries who would like to utilize the project for community development purposes. For example, in the State of La Rioja (Argentina) enacted legislation in order to apply the program. The twelve modules that make up the program were recently concluded, resulting in the training of 300 rural teachers in six provincial towns. Dr. Juan Carlos Dietta, Secretary of the Foundation for the Integral Development in Los Llanos (plains), the organization which requested the program, declared that it has changed the perception of both teachers and the community leadership in these towns, accustomed to having others plan and organize for them.
In May, 1998, the Ministry of Education in Ecuador and the United Nations for Development program (PNUD), requested that Nur begin to train 1,000 individuals as facilitators for their National Facilitators Network. These facilitators will in turn train the 90,000 rural school teachers in Ecuador. In the same manner, Nur is training a group of rural school teachers for the Department of Adult Education in Paraguay?s Ministry of Education. The Paraguay project receives support from Plan International and has received the moral leadership training program which is in high demand.
topPublic Administration & Just Governance
The implementation of the new Bolivian laws of Decentralized Administration and Popular Participation have created opportunities to train elected officials, public servants and members of the civil society. These reforms are designed to increase the level of participation by community based organizations in the municipal process. The laws have created a new role for community organizations to participate in the democratic process by allowing them to collaborate with the municipal government to determine priorities and develop projects and programs that best address community needs, as well as monitor the successful implementation of these programs.
Nur provides training to public officials, government technical staff, and the members of the community based organizations in Public Administration and Governance. In addition, Nur provides technical assistance to municipal governments to help them comply with government requirements to develop Municipal Development Plans and Annual Operational Plans. Nur has signed agreements with the National Secretariat for Popular Participation, the State Government of Santa Cruz, the Commonwealth of Municipalities for the State of Santa Cruz (AMDECRUZ) and several Municipalities, and its activities are funded by several international donor organizations.
Education for Community Development Program
Recognizing that rural school teachers can play a critical role in catalyzing rural community development, Nur collaborated with the Instituto Superior de Educaci?n Rural (ISER) to develop a two year, distance education pilot program to train rural school teachers as facilitators of community development. This professional upgrading program offers instruction in Moral Leadership, Learning and Development Theory, Community Participation, Adult Education, Participatory Research, Program Development, Strategic Planning, Team Work, Project Design, Project Management, Basic Accounting, Logistical Support, and Participatory Evaluation.
Due to the success of this initial project, Nur developed an undergraduate degree program in Education for Community Development. In addition, governments and educational ministries of several Latin American countries have expressed interest in the experience and content of Nur's programs in this field. Within Bolivia, Plan International has funded the extension of the project into two other States. Outside the country, Nur has been contracted to train rural schoolteachers in Argentina and Ecuador.
Educational Leadership in Ecuador
During 1998-9, Nur University carried out an intensive, nationwide program of training for approximately 1,000 educators in Ecuador who form part of the National Network of Curriculum Reform Facilitators in that country.
Financed by the World Bank, under agreement with the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), the Ecuadorian Ministry of Education and Culture, and 11 public and private Ecuadorian universities, the success of the project prompted the Ecuadorian government to express its desire that Nur University present a project to train an additional 1000 educators.
DEPAZ — Department of Peace & Integration Studies
To promote this thinking in its academic programs, Nur inaugurated its Department of Education for Peace and Integration (DEPAZ) in 1994. Among its primary objectives are to promote research, dialogue and scholarly reflection on peace and integration; to identify dynamics that impede the process of peace and integration and examine them within the context of Bahá'í principles; to incorporate these concepts and principles into the curriculum of university programs as a means to develop and implement viable solutions to identified obstacles; and lastly to encourage the development of a service ethic. This department also offers seminars and workshops in consensus building, consultation & conflict resolution, and initiated Nur's undergraduate program in International Relations.
The Department of Education for Peace and Integration includes a Resource Centre of published and electronic materials on the subjects of peace, conflict resolution, integration and research intervention strategies. The centre also provides an ongoing service to students and faculty investigating global themes, and maintains relationships with other universities and organizations with similar interests.
UNIRSE — Students for Community Service
Promoting a community service ethic is an integral component of every academic program. In 1991 a student community service department called UNIRSE (a reflexive verb which literally means "to unite" or "bring together") was created to promote the concept of service and to facilitate student placement in community service opportunities. Getting students involved on a voluntary basis in serving their community helps to stimulate a vision beyond the self, and to focus the purpose of education towards the advancement of society. Active participation in community service projects also helps to complete the student?s learning cycle as the concepts learned in the classroom are explored in practice in the community. Students are encouraged to create their own service projects in accordance with their interests and community needs, or to serve in ongoing programs coordinated through the UNIRSE office. While students are required to complete a minimum of 120 hours of service to the community during their program, many students exceed this and make service an integral part of their lives. To date, more than 6,000 students have contributed ones 600,000 hours of services to the community, directly benefiting at least 46,000 people.
Human Rights & World Citizenship
Youth Leadership
Through an initiative of Nur University's, more then 400 youth students of 12 public high schools participated in moral leadership workshops, community service activities, friendship encounters, intergeneration events, art festivals and youth camps, during the past year.
The "Youth Leadership for Service to the Common Good" program is based on the conviction that youth can move the world, that they possess latent qualities such as idealism, optimism, openness of spirit and a spirit of service, which will bloom in the context of a common cause which takes their most fundamental needs into account and gives them the opportunity to transform themselves into agents of change capable of assuming the responsibility of world citizens contributing to the creation of a just, harmonious and peaceful society.
The program's missions is empowering youth by allowing them to participate in a new form of leadership, dedicated to service and promotion of the common good, and based on universal principles, by taking part in community service projects.
This alternative program gives youth the opportunity to develop their leadership capacities and volunteer as members of service teams where they learn how to design, implement and evaluate projects which benefit their community.
The effectivity of this program has been shown; it is now necessary to amplify the scale of its activities in order to increase significantly the number of participating youth. UNESCO-Bolivia, an official sponsor of the program, is actively promoting it as a model to be replicated in other regions of Bolivia and in other Latin American countries. It is hoped that in three years more than 10,000 youths will have become involved in this movement.
Leadership and the Development of Moral Capabilities
To understand the success of Nur University and its vision for the future, one needs to see the university in a context in which Latin American nations are still consolidating stable forms of democratic government. Leaders of thought in Latin America recognize that sustainable democratic government must be rooted in moral leadership and principles. Nur University was founded, in large part, to help create these leaders, and has collaborated with educators from around the world in developing the material on moral leadership that now forms a core element of all Nur's activities.
Key elements of this approach include: service-oriented leadership focused on the common good, with community service as a prerequisite for graduation; commitment to fulfilling the twin responsibilities of searching for and recognizing truth, and of applying those truths to all aspects of life. This definition protects the students and the university from taking a dogmatic or narrow approach to morality, and spurs a creative learning environment; and recognition of the essential nobility of humankind. At the core of every person lies an essential nobility. When we look for this in others, believe in it, and show it in our actions, most people will then begin to develop their potential and initiate a process of personal transformation. This process of individual transformation has been proven to make a significant impact upon larger development processes and positive change in the society at-large.
The Use of Technology
Nur University has incorporated the use of multiple technologies in carrying out its mission. For example, in 1996 it was not only the first educational institution to connect to the Internet in Bolivia and offer Internet access to its entire campus community, but Nur became the first Internet service provider in Santa Cruz, which is considered the most technologically advanced city and state in the country. Nur offers degree and certificate programs in computer programming and related fields. Independent studies have shown that the language of the Aymaran Indians, unique to Bolivia, has certain algorithmic characteristics akin to those of mathematics and computer sciences, making these areas of study attractive to many Aymaran speakers. Such research, along with Nur's own experience, illustrates great potential for technology transfer and application by indigenous Bolivians.
Looking forward, the new campus facility is designed to be fully wired for the Internet in all rooms. Expanded computer lab facilities are planned (especially because it is rare for students in Bolivia to possess their own computers); and satellite linkages to remote classrooms in rural areas are proposed. This use of satellites will represent a breakthrough in utilizing the latest technologies to serve the poorest, most remote, and usually forgotten populations in accessing the global technology revolution.
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