Gashora Girls’ Academy emerged the winner of this year’s Rwanda Education Board (REB) science competition that is geared at encouraging secondary school students to study science, technology and innovation. 

Gashora Girls’ Academy students developed rum pump that uses simple materials to draw water in a valley up to the mountain without using electricity.

Speaking at the award ceremony, last week, Dr Marie-Christine Gasingirwa, the director-general of science, technology and research at the Ministry of Education, said the competition helps to stimulate students’ interest in science and technology.

"We want to encourage research and innovation among the youth, not cram work,” Gasingirwa said.

Education is not about copy and paste knowledge but developing skills, analysing, innovating and being creative as it is in our new curriculum, she added.

The selection process started on February 26 involving best performing schools in sciences in recent national examinations across the country.

A total of171 students were selected from 67 schools to make science projects that can facilitate every day’s life which were then screened through written exams.

Sandrine Mutezinka, a student representative from Gashora Girls’ Academy, said they developed the project after observing children carrying water on their heads from down the valley to their homes on the hills.

Three students from the school were each awarded a laptop, dictionary and flash disk.

First and second runners up received similar prizes.

The competition was organised in partnership with Korea International Cooperation Agency.

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