The 2015/2016 national budget was presented last week. Some sectors received more funding, while others had theirs slashed. One of those sectors is education whose budget allocation dropped by Rwf 5.1 billion to Rwf 209.3 billion (2.4 per cent) from Rwf 214.4 billion in 2014/2015. This drop has left some people wondering if it won’t affect the quality of Rwanda’s education.

However, Professor Silas Lwakamba, the Minister of Education, maintains that quality improvement in the sector is still very high on the agenda and will not be affected by the drop in funding.

"Relevance and continued enhancement of access are some of the key issues that we are going prioritize this year,” Lwakabamba told the Education Times recently.

The major priorities include refurbishing school structures, purchasing school materials, promoting ICT in education, research and development as well as ironing out concerns surrounding welfare of teachers. The Education Times delves into the major areas the next budget hopes to address.

University of Rwanda

Although the budget of the University of Rwanda was reduced from last year’s Rwf29.9 billion, university officials are confident they will acquire more assets, renovate and construct new structures

Prof. James McWha, the vice chancellor of the University of Rwanda, revealed that several departments and hostels at the university are going to be upgraded.

"We already have strategies to upgrade the school of geology and that of tourism and hospitality management,” McWha says, adding that research, staff and student welfare remain priorities.

"Next year the university will also invest more in research areas such as engineering as part of executing the university’s long term plans of becoming a research based institution,” he notes.

Rukara College of Education

Rukara College of Education in the Eastern Province received a development budget of Rwf 339 million. Dr Charles Gahima, the principal of the school, said a big chunk of the money will go into infrastructure development. This includes constructing 37 classrooms and laboratories to cater for the growing number of students. Rukara College of Education, which graduated 664 students last year, currently has over 1,500 students.

"We are planning to build more classes that will cost about Rwf 1.5 billion, set up laboratories and construct a theatre,” Gahima said.

He added that they plan to solve the problem of flooding that has haunted them for some time.

"Some parts of the school flood during heavy rains but if we set up some drainage channels, it will alleviate the problems,” Gahima notes.

Meanwhile, the Workforce Development Authority (WDA), a government institution with a mandate of upgrading skills for the national workforce through a TVET system, received Rwf 29.6 billion compared to last year’s Rwf 30.7 billion.

Jerone Gasana, the director general of WDA, says emphasis will be put on teacher training and improvement of quality of education in the next financial year.

"We are already training 500 teachers and we shall ensure that they get enough skills to pass on to our students this year around,” Gasana explained.

He added that the government plans to construct more TVET schools across the country. According to reports, Government’s target is to have 60 percent of secondary school students joining TVET schools by 2017, as opposed to the current 40 percent.

REB steadfast

The Rwanda Education Board (REB) got a total of 64.6 billion up from Rwf 39.7 billion last year. Explaining why REB needed this 38.4 per cent increment in its budget, Janvier Ismael Gasana, the director general of REB, says: "Last year we reviewed the curriculum but next year we are looking at rolling this out in the schools.”

He, however, says the implementation will nonetheless be carried out alongside teacher and in-house training.

"Distributing ICT equipment in schools under the One Laptop per Child programme will continue although we plan to improve electrical and wiring connections in schools. Some schools have few sources of power,” Gasana explained.

"Other activities that will come along include installing Internet, supplying text books and construction of structures.”

About 2,604 school toilets were built in schools by government in the last fiscal year.

What teachers, trainers say Eng. Deogine Mulindahabi, the principal of IPRC Kikukiro, welcomed next year’s budget saying it will enhance capacity building in TVET activities. He revealed that there is currently an ongoing project of the Rwanda Teacher Technical Institute (RTTI) that is mainly focused on enhancing pedagogical skills to all TVET trainers.

"TVET trainers from different institutions are going to receive different skills as part of our continuous effort to see improvement in quality,” Mulindahabi said.

He also stressed the need to set up new structures to accommodate a big number of students that have completed their 12-year basic education and yearn to join polytechnic institutions.

"This year our intake will grow by 1000 students. That is why we want to focus on putting facilities in place,” Mulindahabi said.

Louis Sinamenye, a teacher from GS Catholique de Butare in the Southern Province, feels a reasonable amount of the 2015/2016 education budget should be dedicated to equipping school libraries with language books.

"We have very few French books in the library. If more books are purchased, students will be motivated to read novels and improve their language in the process,” Sinamenye observed.

He also cited the need for teachers across the country to be supported to upgrade their skills through training.

"I have attended only one training in English skills and that was a couple of years ago. There is need to have more training sessions for more teachers,” Sinamenye added.

For Ali Mushumba, the headmaster of Remera Martyrs in Giporoso, capacity building should take centre stage. He points out that most training opportunities are given to administrators, leaving out teachers.

"Most times invitations are sent to school administrators and not teachers. If you want to improve a system, your approach must be holistic,” Musumba noted.

But salary increment especially for primary school teachers is what deserves utmost urgency. Ronald Wandira, a history teacher at Riviera High School, said their current salary may not afford them the basic needs of life.

"A teacher with a good paycheque works with a smile but the current salary of primary school teachers has forced some of them to look for other sources of sustaining their families. This affects their performance at work,” Wandira explained.

Cathy Mercy, the education signature programme coordinator at Save the Children, urges government to make Early Childhood Development Services (ECDS) free and accessible to all children especially those from the poorest families.

"With government improving access and affordability of ECDS for people in poor communities, most children will start school at the right age,” she says.

Most stakeholders talked to expressed optimism in the next financial year despite a decline in funding. The public now can only wait to see if the set out targets will be met at the end of the coming financial year.

Public responds to budget cut

Emmanuel Bizumuremye, parent

The education budget was cut by Rwf5 billion, which I think will affect the sector. Besides, schools had already planned a number of programmes, but they must now look for alternative sources of funding to implement them.

Evode Harindimana, trader

The number of students in some programmes is likely to reduce, I wish what was reduced is transferred to cater for teachers wages. Government should find a way of motivating teachers, supply more school equipments and also boost adult education.

Eliode Nyandwi, mobile money agent Gishushu

The budget cut could see students under government sponsorship lose some basic items they were getting previously. I believe education should always be priotised because it is central to achieving the country’s vision.

Claude Mugisha, parent

Education is key for the country’s development and should be given more funding.  I appeal to the government to increase teachers’ salaries to motivate them. When you pay a teacher well, you are promoting quality indirectly since they will have minimal disruption.​

Jules Niyomwunyeri, director Benwood Film Production

The way I look at it is like we are backtracking. Look at the 12 YBE??, for instance, it has helped many youth and should be given more funding. With the cut, we don’t know what will happen. Otherwise, I would like the government to inject more funds into TVET and the school feeding programme.

Theogene Hanyurwinfura, businessman

School infrastructure is still a problem in schools… that is where I think the government should focus. I believe that if we hire professionals using the limited funds allocated to the education ministry, we can help strengthen the sector using their experience and skills.