Rwandans should uphold national norms and values for the development of the country.

Francis Kaboneka, the Minister for Local Governance, made the remarks on Monday in Kigali while opening a two-day national meeting organised by National Itorero Commission and Intore trainers.

Kaboneka said knowledge without norms and values amounted to nothing.

‘‘Many Genocide perpetrators were professionals but they lacked the most important things: norms and values,’’ he said.

He stressed the need for civic education which he said can be used to inculcate values, team spirit, volunteerism and patriotism among the youth.

Participants in the meeting included academics, officials from public and private institutions, civic education trainers, and student representatives.

Boniface Rucagu, the chairman of National Itorero Commission, said civic education should be used to cultivate patriotism, especially among the youth.

"Youth must be taught Rwandan values and history because they hold the key to national cohesion. ‘‘They should contribute more to the community after their studies. However, their knowledge will be useless in the absence of national values,” Rucagu told trainers.

Sharon Haba, the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Education, said 1,500 students from secondary schools and universities have since attended civic education programme.

At least 1,610 Rwandan students who study abroad also trained.

She added that they have included civic education in the new curriculum to be implemented effective next year.

The Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Youth and ICT, Rosemary Mbabazi, said many youth have been involved in constructive voluntary activities after attending civic education courses.

Meanwhile, Northern Province emerged as the best performer in implementing civic education programmes with City of Kigali the least ranked, according to an evaluation by National Itorero Commission.

Musanze is the best performing district across the country while Kirehe District is the last.

To enhance the culture of volunteerism targeting different categories of the population in a structured manner, the government established Itorero to inspire positive values among Rwandans and to strengthen the volunteerism.

Different Rwandans have attended civic education training from 2007-2015 in different categories.

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