Xavier University’s Southeast Asia Rural Social Leadership Institute (Searsolin) is set to host the fourth series of face-to-face sessions and an immersion for the students of the cross-country Master in Public Management major in Rural Development (MPM-RD) course from June 23 to July 4.
This program is led by the Development Academy of the Philippines in consortium with the Ateneo School of Government, University of the Philippines Diliman College of Social Work and Community Development, and XU.
The MPM-RD students are various officers from the Department of Agrarian Reform, Department of Agriculture, and Department of Environment and Natural Resources across the country.
Now on its third installment, the program employs the blended-learning approach which holds a series of face-to-face sessions where the students can directly interact with their professors, as well as online classes utilizing the Open Virtual Learning Environment (OVLê), a digital platform maintained by the UP-Diliman Interactive Learning Center for learners outside UP.
XU is handling two subjects for the said graduate course, namely, Agricultural and Rural Development Productivity Tools (AR-PT) and Asset Reform and Natural Resources Governance (AR-NRG).
AR-PT provides students with a resources toolkit of the different approaches aimed at enhancing agricultural productivity towards food security, anchored on the principles and philosophy of sustainable agriculture development.
On the other hand, AR-NRG introduces the students to the importance of asset reforms to sustainably govern and manage natural resources for rural development.
Natural resource degradation is now recognized as a major constraining factor in attaining rural development.
The students will also embark on an immersion at the indigenous people’s community in Miarayon, Talakag, Bukidnon and will visit the marine sanctuary in the Agutayan Island of Jasaan, Misamis Oriental.
Select Xavier faculty members and its partner pool of experts will handle the said subjects and activity. ∎