An idealist says, ‘give me a place to stand and I will move the world’ but we all know that such a place does not exist. That is why for Rwanda to develop it needs practical people with hands-on skills who can transform their ideas into products which are useful to society.

It was against this backdrop that in 2009 the government established the Integrated Polytechnic Regional Centres with an aim of equipping Rwandans with adequate technical and vocational skills.

Speaking to the Education Times recently, Ben Barigenga, the public relations and communications officer at the IPRC-Kigali centre, Kicukiro, said: "We get praises from executives of companies about the high productivity of our graduates at the work place because they have more hands-on skills than graduates from universities who get mostly theoretical knowledge.”

"There are a number of our former electrical engineering graduates who are doing very well at the Rwanda Energy Group (formerly called EWSA) while another group recently went to work in Tanzania. Also, some of Rwanda’s prominent people like Bertin Makuza of Rwanda Foam had a technical backgound,” he added.

Who qualifies for this programme?

These IPRC’s combine three levels; the first level is the college which admits students with at least 2 principal passes at A’level. Each student is also required to bring his report cards from senior one to senior six before being registered. The tuition for one academic year is Rwf600,000 for private students while government sponsored students under the Ubudehe programme pay only Rwf80,500 for registration. 

The second level is the technical secondary schools which admit students who have completed O’level. They are also supposed to present their report cards from senior one up to senior three.

Students who have graduated from the one year programme in the vocational schools are also eligible to register for this programme. They pay a total of Rwf48,000 per trimester and they are given lunch at school.

The third level is the vocational schools which offer short courses ranging from 6 months to 1 year and they admit students with O’ level education.

A one year course costs Rwf240, 000 while the one of 6 months costs Rwf190, 000.

Employment opportunities

The electrical engineering course equips the student with the knowledge to do installations like residential and industrial wiring.

A student who has finished senior six (level I) stands a higher chance of getting a decent job. They are able to work in companies like Rwanda Energy group formerly called EWSA and New Artel.  However, most survive on short-term contracts or deals to do electrical installations for private individuals and businesses.

The other option is starting a small business.

What you need to start a business

Aloys Kombi, an electrical engineer, says: "I have worked as an engineer for 14 years and the only secret to success is winning the confidence of the clients. Once you do a good job, clients will refer more people to you.”

The main problem most students face after completing the course is getting capital to do business but our research shows that one doesn’t need so much money to get started. Below is a list of what every technician needs to start a small project.

The common tools an electrician uses in his profession include a meter which costs Rwf1000, electrical receptacle testers which go for Rwf1500, touching electrical equipment commonly called pens which are in two different types; one for attaching wires goes for Rwf2000 and the other for cutting wires which costs Rwf1500. One also needs a screw driver set which goes for Rwf15,000 francs and a hammer which costs Rwf5000.

The technician also has to part with about Rwf500,000 per month for rent. But in most cases one is required to pay for 2 to 3 months in advance. In total one needs between Rwf1 million and Rwf3 million.

Challenges in institutions

There are still some challenges faced by students doing technical and vocational courses in the country. For instance there’s inadequate practical equipment in many schools and colleges.

According to Jean Claude Nsanganiye, a senior six student at Solidarity Academy, their teachers also need to improve their skills as the technology used keeps on changing.