KIGALI - The Ministry of Education yesterday met headmasters of secondary schools to chart the course for  the 2009 academic year slated to begin Monday. Over 700 head teachers from around the country attended the meeting.

Education minister Dr Daphrose Gahakwa emphasised the urgent need to solve problems in education like prostitution, drug abuse, corruption and to completely wipe out the genocide ideology in schools.

"We managed to reduce the genocide ideology in schools in the previous year but that is not enough, we have to wipe it out completely,” said Gahakwa who was flanked by the State Minister for Primary and Secondary Education, Theoneste Mutsindashyaka.

During the meeting, the minister also expressed concern over the increasing number of students dropping out of schools at different levels of education.

She said that much emphasis will be put on developing technical schools to cater for those who cannot join higher institutions of learning so they can get a profession.

Fighting alleged ‘prostitution’, drug abuse and discouraging the use of firewood in schools are among the priorities this year.

"We have a lot of things to do this year and that means that we will have to wake up early and sleep very late if we are to achieve our goals,” Mutsindashyaka told the heads of schools.

He urged the teachers to stick to their norms as educationalists who are teaching the children of the nation by instilling into them discipline and also teaching them how to use the knowledge they acquire to contribute to the country’s development.

"Being a teacher and an educationalist is a calling; those who join the sector thinking that it is a business should stand warned because we shall not tolerate that kind of behaviour where proprietors of schools only think about their personal interests at the expense of students,” Mutsindashyaka warned.

He also told the head teachers that the use of fire wood in schools will have to stop within a period of  six months from now and all boarding schools will be required to use biogas to help in environmental conservation.

This project will be supported by the ministry in cooperation with the Ministry Infrastructure. The head teachers meeting convenes every year ahead of the new academic year.

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