Gishari Integrated Polytechnic held its first graduation ceremony of 161 students, who completed in various advanced vocational fields leading to award of a diploma.

The graduands include 90 police officers and 71 civilians. Thirteen of the total graduands are girls.

They were in three disciplines; civil engineering, electrical and electronics, and electronics and telecommunication technology.

The State Minister in charge of Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET), Olivier Rwamukwaya, officiated at the Tuesday graduation ceremony, which was also attended by the Inspector General of Police (IGP) Emmanuel K. Gasana, the Governor of the Eastern Province, Judith Kazayire, and parents.

Rwamukwaya commended the increasing enrolment of students in technical and vocational schools as part of the national policy.

He, however, expressed the need for more girls’ enrolment. Currently, girls comprise of 45 per cent of the total enrolment in technical and vocational schools.

"The target is to have the number of girls increase by three fold by 2020 as part of President Paul Kagame’s goal under the HeForShe programme,” Minister Rwamukwaya said.

HeForShe is a global solidarity movement spearheaded by UN Women that seeks to engage men and boys in removing social and cultural barriers that prohibit women and girls from achieving their full potential.

Rwanda chose three priority areas through which the country’s impact commitments were selected. These include: bridging the gender digital divide in ICT and attaining parity in access and usage and innovation by 2020; enhancing girls’ enrollment in TVET to boost their employability, and  eradicating gender-based violence in all its forms.

The State Minister called upon all vocational schools to align their courses with the new national curriculum effective this year, adding that they were developed in line with the the second Economic Development and Poverty Reduction Strategy (EDPRS2) and Vision 2020 that seek to build a knowledge-based economy.

"For the curriculum to be effective in achieving a knowledge-based economy, it is paramount that enough time be allocated to practical programmes to produce technical and competitive students, especially in job creation,” he said.

He told the graduands that the country expects a lot from their skills in terms of job creation.

"The climax of your course marks the beginning of your ideals, knowledge and skills in driving the country’s transformation process,” he said.

The Polytechnic Chairman of Board of Directors, John Bonds Bideri, noted that the Workforce Development Authority (WDA) will continue to play its role to ensure that the three pillars of access, relevance and quality are pursued to uphold the standards of TVET.

Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Damas Gatare, the acting Principal of the polytechnic, reassured the quality and competitiveness of the graduands on the labour market.

"This milestone is in line with the polytechnic mission to empower police officers and the community with competitive technical knowledge and vocational skills required on the labour market, and to provide comprehensive in-house support for effective and efficient management of resource,” ACP Gatare said.

The graduands, through their representative – Richard Karemera – however, requested that the government reward best students with scholarships for further studies.

The polytechnic opened its doors in 2013 following a memorandum of understanding between Rwanda National Police and WDA in 2011.

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