KIGALI - The National Council for Higher Education (NCHE) is currently conducting a survey to establish the statistical labour market data to be presented to institutions of higher learning.

According Geoffrey Rugege, the council’s Executive Secretary, the study is being carried out as a way of encouraging institutions of learning to produce graduates with the skills needed on the labour market to foster national development.

The council is charged with ensuring education quality and coordination.

The development comes after surveys indicated that that there was still a huge capacity gap between the qualified professionals and the workforce needed on the Rwandan labour market.

Speaking to The New Times yesterday, Rugege said the statistical data will indicate, the number of qualified professions needed.

"Let’s say, in a community of one thousand people, how many engineers, doctors, technical people are needed to supply the services to this community,” he added.
Rugege added that the findings will also be presented to heads of the public institutions to ensure that the development is emphasized.

According to the research by Human Resources and Institutional Capacity Development Agency, there is still a 70 percent gap of the required skills in the labour market.

Meanwhile, Rugege said that 70 percent of students sponsored by the Students Financing Agency of Rwanda (SFAR) pursue sciences subjects, which, he said, will help in combating the shortage of scientists in the country.

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