IT was reported yesterday, that the National University of Rwanda (NUR) has unveiled five new postgraduate programmes to be run in Kigali and the University main campus in Southern Province.

The new programmes, will offer students intending to pursue post graduate programmes a range of choices. At the same time, the fact that the courses will also be run in Kigali is a welcome development on the part of the University.

By offering to teach the programmes in Kigali, NUR is meeting the needs of, mainly, public and private sector workers, who wish to pursue post graduate studies without taking leave from work.

This becomes possible as they are taught mainly in the evening. Many employers are always reluctant to grant study-leave, because of the impact such absence has on their businesses.

Thus, under this arrangement, many employees will be able to further their studies without taking leave from work. At the same time, by introducing programmes that have not been available in the country, NUR is also helping to solve the problem of financing, otherwise, costly education as it is cheaper to pursue higher education at home.

It is now incumbent upon Rwandans, to seize this opportunity and advance their knowledge and competence.

Banks should also embrace the idea floated by NUR to avail student loans, since education is a viable investment. This will go a long way in bridging skills gaps that currently exist in various sectors.

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