KIGALI - The School of Tourism and Hotel Management shut down on Monday after only one Semester following an order from a Canadian stakeholder, College Mercy, The New Times has learnt.

Students expressed worries that they may not go back soon after Vice Rector Daniel Guay who is currently acting as Interim Rector, recently declared the school shut.

"I received a call late at around 9 p.m. They told me that there would be a meeting of all students the following day. I thought that maybe they were going to mention something about the money that we receive for scholarship. But I was surprised when the Interim Rector informed the meeting that a directive from Canada ordered him to close the school until further notice,” a student who preferred anonymity said on Sunday.

Another source said that when Guay was put under pressure to explain why the measures were so abrupt, he explained that an agreement reached between the institution and the Ministry of Education had not been respected and that the Student Financing Agency of Rwanda (SFAR) had not paid its contribution.

When contacted, Daniel Guay confirmed that the school has been shut down due to financial problems, adding that he got directives from his bosses to declare the school closed until further notice.

"We have problems with our Rwandan partners on financial matters. The school cannot operate without enough funds to cater for staff and rental payments,” he said when The New Times visited his offices.

However, State minister for Primary and Secondary Education Theoneste Mutsidashyaka Monday refuted Guay’s allegations that the ministry did not honour its obligations, adding that funds meant for students studying at the institution were paid accordingly.

He also said that the school officials had not yet informed the ministry that it had closed its doors.

The minister further said that the school owners could be having problems amongst themselves and were trying to shift their problems to the ministry.

Talking to The New Times at his offices Monday, the Director General of SFAR, Emmanuel Muvunyi, said that the agency he heads paid all the money it was supposed to, reiterating Mutsindashyaka’s stand.

"There are 158 students and we have to pay US$1000 per student per three months. We paid the first payment totaling US$158,000 and we transacted the second payment on 2nd October this year after the first three months ended on 30th September,” Muvunyi explained.

He disclosed that the ministry of Education wrote to the Canadian owners to communicate their position on the matter in order to know whether the school would continue operating or not.

Meanwhile, the students have formed a 10-man committee that would follow up the problems. This group has already written a letter to the Minister of Education and copied it to SFAR.

The committee wants the government to look into the mater urgently so that they can resume their studies.

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