Last week saw 8000 students graduate from the University of Rwanda with degrees and diplomas in various disciplines during the institution’s second graduation ceremonies since merger. The weeklong graduation ceremony covered six different colleges, including the College of Science and Technology (COSTEC). The New Times’ Collins Mwai spoke to the principal of the college, Prof. Manasse Mbonye, about the college’s progress since the merger in 2013. Excerpts;-

With respect to reducing male dominance in science and technology fields, how is the college fairing?

Currently, the College of Science and Technology has a student population of 6,050, which accounts for 26.6 per cent of the total student population of the University of Rwanda. Of these, 26.6 per cent are female.

This year, the college is graduating 1,364 students, including 358 females. The total number of first year students who will be joining the college when the new academic year opens in September is about 1,990, with 26 per cent of them female.

These numbers indicate to us that while the college is getting bigger, there is still a challenge in increasing the number of female students in Science and Technology.

The college and the university in general is working on ways to deal with this challenge.

The problem of low female participation in Science and Technology is a national challenge that will require a coordinated effort to address.

On inception of the institution following the merger, COSTEC, like other University of Rwanda colleges, was given specific duties and responsibilities to discharge, how far with that?

Like the rest of the university, the college was charged with engaging in three activities: Academics for capacity building, research and innovation to spearhead manufacturing and industry, as well as community outreach for development.

In order to focus this mission, the college decided to follow a developmental action plan centered on five priorities.

These priorities include fostering academic excellence, creating a strong student support system, investing in staff professional development, and creating a research-based institution. Community service is also part of the college’s priorities.

Toward academic excellence, all courses in all three COSTEC campuses have been harmonised and we have also moved schools, departments and programmes to appropriate campuses.

We are empowering and encouraging lecturers to take charge of their classes and build stronger relationships with students as well as introduced several new programmes, including cyber security and several masters programmes.

This year, we are also introducing a new faculty, the School of Mining and Geology, which will play an important role in economic development of the country.

We are also enforcing existing regulations on student promotion and progression to ensure we produce competent graduates for the workforce.

The college continues to play a role in offering academic service in other University of Rwanda colleges where instructions in either science or technology are needed.

Previously, there were queries about the quality and numbers of university staff, how are you responding?

We have staff development programmes aiming at outcomes such as supporting individual professional development of staff from tutorial assistant towards the highest title of professor and capacity building for the college.

To this end, professional development activities must be based on existing governmental information on skills gaps.

Our staff development programme involves several activities both short-term and long-term, including training, providing the right environment and infrastructure for research and teaching such as computers, research equipment and seminar platforms.

Beginning this year, the college has sent out 41 academic staff for long-term training. Of these, 30 academic staff were sent for masters training and the rest on PhD studies. Many others have been sent for short term training.

We are also setting up facilities for staff training in teaching methodology and student supervision.

We have started a junior lecturer mentorship programme at each department level where every faculty member with less than five years of teaching must have a mentor to guide in such issues as teaching, student management and research.

Students can only perform well in conducive environments, have you made any effort to improve the learning eco-system?

We have set up a student-mentor system in every department ensuring that every student has a mentor. We have further set up ‘student help-rooms’ where lecturers go to help students with their home work.

We have set up an early warning system to monitor and inform on the performance of weak students and provide early intervention. On student-teacher relationship, students are encouraged to seek solutions from their teachers and mentors, rather than from administration. We are also keen on supporting students’ extracurricular activities.

Rwandan universities have previously had low investments in research which led to poor showing in international rankings by the various global indexes, is there new focus on the area?

We have put together a framework for a College Research Action Plan. The framework aims at a future research programme that facilitates innovation to sustain future economic development. The plan involves two fundamental features.

Thus, we decided that all research carried out at the College of Science and Technology be categorised under one of three categories all aligned with national development plans; strategic research, applied research and basic fundamental research for long-term competitiveness.

Each of our faculties now has a research plan based on individual departmental plans.

Research done at the college has a multidisciplinary character from the observation that solutions to real problems arise from a multidisciplinary research approach.

College is currently reorganising to encourage multi-disciplinary research at interdepartmental, inter-school and college levels.

To this end, we have put together an action plan for formation of a multidisciplinary centre. The facility is known as the Centre for Research-driven Innovation in Science and Technology (CRIST). It aims at offering innovative solutions, through multi- and inter-disciplinary research.

A characteristic of progress in a higher learning institution is nomination to host a centre of excellence to serve the wider region, has any progress been witnessed to the effect?

The college is becoming home to several centre of excellence. In some of them, the College of Science and Technology is the hub for the continent and a hub for the region in others.

Several of the centres were awarded through international competition and we have had lots of support from government. They include the International Centre for Theoretical Physics (ICTP), Centre for Biodiversity, Centre for Biomedical Engineering, ITU Centre of Excellence for Cyber Security and Centre for Research-driven Innovations in Science and Technology.

In coming days we expect two more approvals for Centre for Atmospheric and Climate Sciences and Centre for Energy.

On inception, part of your mandate was to improve the welfare of the communities living around the colleges and faculties, have you made any efforts in that aspect?

Collaboration with partners is increasing locally, regionally and globally. Such partnerships serve several purposes, ranging from research collaboration and student and staff exchange, to a chance to engage in community service. Our memorandum of understanding with the City of Kigali, for example, allows us to play a role in urban planning and improvement.

Beside our engagement with the City, we are also running projects on rural electrification in areas like Karambi, and construction of small bridges. Moreover, our labs and science experts also, often help in forensic investigations.

Any short term or medium term plans?

Our way forward from what has been achieved is mapped by the college mission and its current state.

The college will continue to sustain growth through implementation of the upcoming University of Rwanda strategic plan. This implementation will be based on our already existing five point growth agenda.

The expected growth will be a consequence of the new academic programmes, new centres, the interaction of the new programmes and the new centres through increased academic and research activities and personnel.

Sustaining this growth in the academic and research sectors will occupy a good part of the college attention, effective the Academic Year 2015/16.

The college further intends to emphasise multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary research and innovation with relevance to supporting growth of industry and manufacturing through effective technology transfer. The college will channel these activities mostly through its new centre for research-driven innovation in science and technology (CRIST).

What are the emerging challenges in the process of fulfilling the campus mandate?

The current state of the college is not without challenges. Among the challenges include low capacity in academics, research and administration, lack of recreational facilities and infrastructure for students, moonlighting of academic staff at other institutions and a low number of female students in science and technology fields.

There is also uncertainty on the status of the building which houses 36 major laboratories.

Geographically, the college is cast on three very distant campuses, Nyarugenge, Nyagatare and Huye, making logistics expensive and challenging.

Any words for the graduates as they head out?

I congratulate each and every one of our graduates on the successful completion of their studies. Their hard work and efforts are a source of pride to their families, the college, the university at large and to our nation.

As they leave the college, they must minimise the illusion that the nation, the community or even someone out there owes them a job. The nation has played its role: it educated them and equipped them with the necessary skills and competence.

Over the years, they have acquired knowledge and expertise. Now they should go out and apply both.

editorial@newtimes.co.rw