Schools are finally reopening after almost seven months of closure, a move that was put in place to prevent the spread of the coronavirus pandemic.

In Rwanda, with less than a month to finish their first academic term, schools were closed in March.

However, according to a new schedule published by the Ministry of Education, all students will start with the second term.

The schedule also highlighted that primary and secondary schools that follow the national curriculum will reopen in phases, starting next week on November 2 as the country gears towards full resumption.

This means that only students in primary five and six, those in senior three, five and six, those in TVET (Technical and Vocational Education and Training) and students in TTCs (Teacher Training Colleges) will resume studies with adherence to Covid-19 containment measures. Some students in the boarding section have already returned and are settling in.

"Honestly it feels good, really, that we can finally return to our classes,” says Edna Mugunga, a senior six student at Lycée’ de Kigali.

"It is much better than sitting home for months, especially for us candidates,” she adds.

Mugunga says boarding students at Lycée’ de Kigali will on Thursday be welcomed back in school to get ready for their classes that resume on Monday next week.

"It is a positive move, now that we are getting ready for our final year exams,” Mugunga says.

Doreen Muhoza, a student at Blue Lakes International School, says a school campus has a more conducive environment for academic performance.

"I tend to be more focused when at school. I actually enjoy studying when I am under pressure.”

Muhoza says that her colleagues instil a level of competitiveness which later boosts her academic performance.

"There is that feeling of trying to be the best at school. I mean, it is some sort of competition that couldn’t be created at home,” she adds.

Maurice Twahirwa, an educationist based in Kigali City, says the development will ensure that students who have been vulnerable during home-schooling now get proper education.

"Lack of in-person educational options harms low-income and vulnerable children and those living with disabilities,” he says.

"These students are far less likely to have access to private instruction. In most cases, they rely on key school-supported resources, like food programmes, special education services, counselling, and sometimes after-school programmes to meet basic developmental needs,” Twahirwa adds.

"Aside from a child’s home, no other setting has more influence on a child’s health and well-being than their school,” says Diana Daisy Uwonkunda, a students’ tutor.

"To a student, the school environment provides educational instruction to the student, supports the development of social and emotional skills, creates a safe environment for learning, and it facilitates physical activity,” she adds.

Samuel Nkurunziza, the head teacher of Kagarama Secondary School in Kicukiro District, welcomes the directive albeit for specific classes, citing that arrangements to receive students were already underway.

"The wait is over for most students, while others will have to wait for further guidance from the ministry,” says Nkurunziza, adding, "On our side we are ready. We have in the past weeks been preparing for our students and the time has come.”

Beata Aimee Mushimiyimana, the head teacher at GS Kinyinya, says that her institution is more than ready to receive learners.

"Generally I would say that we are ready to receive learners. We planned for this occasion in advance and I am confident that our students will be safe at school,” Mushimiyimana says.

She adds, "We have published a set of instructions for our students in their classes. The instruction consists of basic Covid-19 preventative measures, among others. We want to be careful on every single detail.”

Safety is paramount

However, as schools reopen their campuses to students, Twahirwa believes that it is important to consider the full spectrum of benefits and risks that concern the directive.

"Parents are understandably concerned about the safety of their children at school during the current global pandemic,” he says.

"It is, therefore, in the hands of the learners and the schools to ensure that the current situation doesn’t slide back. I think the Covid-19 case has eased and each one has a role to maintain this situation,” Twahirwa, who is also the head teacher at APADET Primary School, says.

So far, there is no clear schedule indicating when lower primary levels will resume in-person classes, but a source from the Ministry of Education says that the move will be informed by the assessment of the compliance rate shown by the levels which have been allowed to resume.

Meanwhile, both higher learning institutions and international schools in the country have resumed physical classes.