It’s a common saying that if you want to hide something from people, put it in a book. This saying is a true reflection of what is going on in Rwanda as the country grapples to fix the poor reading culture. 

When the Education Times visited the National Library in Kacyiru recently, it looked ‘deserted’. The fully stocked library that offers free services in a bid to promote the reading culture in Rwanda was dominated by foreigners.

According to Josiah Matovu, the assistant director of Rwanda library services, only one out of every 10 parents that accompany their children to the reading sessions is Rwandan despite knowing its importance. So who is to blame for the poor reading culture? Is it the government, teachers, parents or learners?

No Excuse, government

The government has entered several partnerships with various organizations in the interest of promoting reading and innovation. Recently for example, the Kigali Public Library signed a five-year partnership with Innovation Village, a local design and innovation company.

For the first phase of the partnership, Innovation Village has already introduced an art café and a culture hub at Kigali Public Library and is on course to expand their work with public libraries. The next phase will involve Innovation Village taking over the management of Kigali Public Library, supporting community libraries across the country as well as the development of a digital library that will be accessible across the country, via the community libraries, online or through mobile access.

According to the Ministry of Education, the partnerships are in line with government’s vision of creating a knowledge based economy using technology as the driving force.

Furthermore Rwanda Education Board (REB) Director General Janvier Ismael Gasana says government cannot be blamed for the poor reading culture of its citizens.

"Reading is an important aspect of education and that is why millions of books are distributed by REB every year depending on our resource envelope. The message to students and the public is to take reading seriously because books are available,” Gasana says.

Parents share their views

However parents argue that the books are not enough in schools. As a result, according to Nancy Rutaremera, a parent, the students end up asking their parents for books, some of which they cannot afford hence affecting the reading.

Rutaremera says: "Books may be affordable but once you are done with the child’s back-to-school shopping list, it becomes almost impossible to save even a coin for that purpose.”

Medard Musonera, another parent, says he doesn’t believe that schools are to blame for the poor reading culture among learners, but rather the high cost of books.

"It would be easier for a child to practice his reading skills from home but most parents cannot afford buying enough books,” Musonera says.

However, Gasana maintains that one does not have to own books for their child to love reading since there are many well stocked public libraries that can be accessed by any child. He, however, says that there are plans by REB to ensure that every child in school owns at least one book in both primary and secondary school.

Other people blame the poor reading culture on the birth of social media. John Mutakubwa, a guardian, says platforms like Watsaap, Twitter and Facebook have made it difficult for young people to read a book or article in detail hence killing the reading culture.

"Most of the young people find it easier to browse through different sites than sit down and read books,” Mutakubwa says.

Students speak out

When Education Times sought students’ views on the matter, a cross-section of them accused school librarians of playing a big role in discouraging them from reading.

Speaking on condition of anonymity, a student of a school in Nyarutarama said a number of librarians want to keep the books new, forgetting that that is only possible if students don’t borrow them.

"If you borrow a book and accidentally tear or destroy even one page of the book, you are fined heavily or even asked to pay a heavy fine. This discourages many students from going to the library,” he said.

However Gasana warns librarians against denying students access to books.

"When you keep these books in the boxes, you are limiting their accessibility. I consider the life span of a book to be five years hence a book that has been in use is one that has been over handled by the users,” Gasana adds.

The poor reading culture is also blamed on the packed school time table. Billy Gilbert Cyusa, a former student of St Vicent Minor Seminary, says their timetable hardly provided room for reading for pleasure.

"It is hard to find time to read anything outside academics in most schools given the number of subjects taught and tests given,” Cyusa says, adding that it limits one’s knowledge scope.

But for Christian Bandora, a former student of Lycee de Kigali, boring reading material is the reason most people don’t read. "In order to read passionately, you need to access a book that compels you to go to the next paragraph and open pages faster. Unfortunately, we don’t have such many books in our libraries,” Bandora says.

Other critics say teachers spoonfeed their learners and this has perpetuated a culture of receiving other than researching and discovering on their own.

Everyone is responsible

On their part, teachers say all stakeholders are responsible for the poor reading culture in Rwanda.

Rukundo Kanyankole, the president of the Association of English Teachers of Rwanda (AETR), attributes the fading reading culture to delayed initiation of young people into reading activities and competitions.

Kanyankole, who has taught for over 10 years, says: "Children start learning many things (including reading) at a very young age. Therefore if they get used to books at a very tender age, they will most likely develop interest and start buying their own books when they get some money.”

Alex Kansiime, a teacher at Wellsprings Academy, is however optimistic that the new curriculum will improve the reading culture since it is more research-based at all levels of education.

But Nicolas Sekizivu Maneno, an economics teacher at Kagarama Secondary school, believes teachers play a big role in promoting a reading culture among learners. He says if a teacher likes to read, most likely his students will emulate him.

The other observation is that students, such as those doing literature, prefer to acquire information passively through movies than wasting time reading novels.

"As a literature teacher, you find that when you distribute novels and accompany them with movies, students will be more involved in reading because the movies attract a lot of their attention,” Jane Nakaayi, an English and Literature teacher at Riviera High School, says.

A lot still needs to be done to improve the reading culture in Rwanda. All stakeholders need to devise means of making reading part of everyone’s life because knowledge is power, and it can only be obtained by reading.

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How much do you read? Students discuss

Jean d'Amour Maniriho

I visit the library thrice a week but mainly to read about physics, chemistry and biology which I have majored in. I would do more general reading if I had access to more interesting books about other spheres of life. However, I cannot read all the time since I also belong to school clubs.

Jean Pier Gasari

I go to the library at least three days a week. I normally borrow books from the library although sometimes I fail to get ample time to read them because clubs consume a lot of my time. In order to improve the reading culture, the education ministry should organise reading competitions among schools.

Aline Kabasinga

I love debating so much and know how important reading is if you want to be a good debator. Whenever I’m bored during night preps, I always switch to novels which I borrow from the library. The challenge is I usually read only what interests me.

Ahmed Kalisa

I can’t claim to read a lot but I love it. Sometimes you want to read everything but it is impossible. You cannot for instance pick a novel to read when a biology exam knocking is a few days to.

Sylivie Surabwe

I usually read on weekends only. However most of the time I’m reading novels and not books on politics, economics and health among others which in a way limits my knowledge. The only way students can be more interested in reading is if they start rewarding the best readers in schools and the whole country.

Rafael Ndahimana

I visit the library every Thursday during prep. I am also part of the entrepreneurship and the Red Cross club and I’m required to make presentations to members so this compels me to do a lot of research in those areas.

Compiled by Solomon Asaba

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7 ways to improve your reading ability

1. Read about things that interest you. If you are interested in what you are reading about, the words will come alive, and you will be motivated to understand. You will feel satisfaction in accomplishing a task that you enjoy, and which you consider meaningful. The more you read, the better you will become at reading. Just get started and it will become a habit, as long as you are interested in what you are reading.

2. Read material that is at your level, or just a little difficult for you. Read material that you find easy to read, or just a little challenging. Looking up many unknown words in a conventional dictionary is tedious, and the results of the dictionary search quickly forgotten. It is better to stay within your comfort zone and keep reading. Soon you will be able to take on more difficult content.

3. Learn to read in depth, stay on the same subject for a while. If you are familiar with the subject you are reading about, you will understand better. Do not just read short articles. Commit to books. Stay with one author for at least one book. If the subject matter is new to you, you should even try to read a few different books or articles about the same subject, before you move on. This way you will meet the same vocabulary and ideas often, helping you to learn. You will also be able to get deeper into the subject and your reading confidence will grow.

4. If you have trouble reading, listen first. Many great works of literature were written to be read out loud. Learn to appreciate the art of the narrator. Listen to audio books or audio files of the material that you are reading. This will help make difficult content seem more familiar. If you can hear the new words and phrases that you are reading, you will have an easier time understanding and remembering them. Hearing the rhythm of someone reading a text will help your own reading.

5. Let your imagination get involved. Good readers get engrossed in their reading and let it trigger their imagination. Learn to enjoy your reading without asking too many questions or analyzing too much. It will just spoil the sensual enjoyment of the reading experience. You do not need to predict or analyze. Just enjoy and look forward to absorbing the information, ideas and thoughts expressed by the writer.

6. Don’t worry about what you don’t understand. Most of your reading should be for pleasure. You can enjoy reading without understanding all of what you read. You may even understand some things in your own personal way. Neither you nor a teacher needs to "monitor” your understanding. Learn to enjoy reading, even while feeling that you do not fully understand or remember what you have read.

7. Recognize that the key is to read a lot. You may develop a system for keeping track of new words that you encounter in your reading, using lists, or Flash Cards, or other memory systems available on the Internet or elsewhere. However, the main growth in your vocabulary and reading skill will come just from reading as much as you can. So learn to enjoy reading and read a lot. Keep reading, and you will become a better reader.

Agencies