Following the official launch of Geographical Information Technology Textbooks for secondary education, the Ministry of Education has announced plans to distribute 780 of these to schools.

This was revealed by the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Education, Samuel Mulindwa, after the official launch of GIS textbooks at Stella Matutina Secondary school.

Mulindwa thanked development partners, ESRI Germany, and the GIS Centre of the National University of Rwanda for their support in bringing GIS to secondary schools in the country.

He mentioned various sectors that are currently using GI Technology including Rwanda coffee sector that uses GIS in analyzing coffee quality, and RECO/RWASCO which monitor water and electricity network using geographical information technology.

"The ministry based on this experience to introduce GIS technology in our schools as the knowledge base,” he said.

Martina Foster, the project coordinator said: "GIS is not only a tool for researchers, but also helpful for school children to gain better insight into natural or human phenomena happening on the earth.”

The programme has so far been rolled out to 40 schools in the country with 120 teachers trained.

Each of the selected schools will be given twenty GIS textbooks The project is expected to extend to 160 other schools this year and to formally integrate GIS in a curricular framework.

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