University of al-Jazirah

History:
The University Of Gezira (U. of G.) was established in 1975 by a presidential decree at Wad Madni City in central Sudan. The university is close to one of the biggest agricultural projects in Africa the Gezira Project. The school's main objective is to supply the project with high-caliber graduates. It is considered to be one of the leading universities in Sudan. It is famous for its schools of medicine and agriculture. The former has adopted a modern form of medical education based on problem-solving and is respected as a pioneer in medical education with establishment of a community-oriented education model that was adopted later by multiple medical schools in the country.

University of Gezira was the first university built out of the capital Khartoum. The mission of the institution was to create a regional university for training of personnel to service the large Gezira Scheme. The Gezira state is one of the most distinctive and affluent areas of the country and considered to be the cornerstone of the country's economy. Initially, there were a handful of schools, but today the university has expanded to fourteen schools and four institutes.

Gezira University is famous for its medical school, considered a top institute for medical education and research in the country. Throughout the years, the school has graduated a highly qualified physicians who went back and served their communities. The curriculum is built on the modern philosophy of problem-based learning (PBL). The center of this learning experience is the medical student. The medical education is presented in a set of structural problems, students are then required to take active roles, usually as groups, in organizing and directing the learning process in the presence of a tutor. Advocates of PBL claim it can be used to enhance content knowledge and foster the development of communication, problem-solving, and self-directed learning skill.

The school is a home for a WHO collaborating center, a core center for the public health education and research. The school model of community-oriented education has been contributing to the development of health awareness in the region. It has also grown to be a highly active research center for endemic diseases such as malaria and bilharziasis. Both of which are water-born diseases mostly related to agricultural activities of the region residents.

The school adopted multiple reforms and expansion of its faculty and staff. It has also increased its capacity of admission. Over the last 10 years, the faculty of medicine has been a destination for multiple students from the Middle East and east Africa. The teaching hospital of the faculty of medicine is the largest hospital outside Khartoum. It serves the whole region, acting as a main referral center. A separate children's hospital is also a major training site for the medical students.

The mission of the Faculty of Medicine University of Gezira (FMUG) states its commitment to develop its community through improvement and sustainment of health.

FMUG has strong partnerships with Ministry of Health and the community. They work in harmony to achieve the concept towards unity for health, through health professionals education, service and research. FMUG is a pioneer in COME in the EMRO region. The faculty has accumulated a paramount of experience in curriculum development, innovation and evaluation.

FMUG is the leader of innovative medical education in the Sudan. It has influenced most of the faculties in Sudan: About 13 new faculties adopted the Gezira system completely and traditional faculties are modifying their curriculum towards community-oriented and problem-based education.

The FMUG has strong links with national and international educational institutes. The staff participate in teaching and evaluation of undergraduate and postgraduate students in all the faculties of health sciences in the country. The FMUG is a member in Sudan Medical Council, Sudan National Council for Medical Specialties.

FMUG has adopted the following strategies to achieve its objectives:

• Community-oriented and community-based education
• Problem-based learning
• Integration between basic and clinical sciences
• Training in the existing health units, in real-life situations where the graduates will work after graduation.
• Team work
• Staff development

Students
There are usually five to six batches at one time and 230 students in each batch. The FMUG offers scholarship to neighbouring African and Arab countries and a good number of foreign students are enrolled on private basis.

The students have an active role in the education process and this could be summarized in the following:

• Course co-ordination together with the staff co-ordinator
• Self learning through assignments
• Course and tutor evaluation.
• The students are called to participated in periodic programme evaluation.
• The students practice extra curriculum activities through their association and society. Their activities also include health days in the villages around the Gezira and they actively participate in the national primary health programmes
• Organization of scientific seminars, symposiums and workshops.
• Gezira SNO is chairman of the student network organization (SNO); The student chapter of the Network Partnership for Health through Innovative Education, Service and Research 2000-2001 and EMRO representative 1999-2001 and 2001-2003.
• Gezira medical student association is the chairman of the Sudanese Medical Students Association 2000-2002.
• Gezira students participate in the foundation of a number of societies and associations in the Sudanese Medical Schools.
• Active participation in national and international conferences

University of al-Jazirah Degree Programs :

Medicine

Public Health