NORTHERN PROVINCE

GAKENKE — The District has constituted a special committee to routinely visit schools in an effort to counter the sweeping Genocide ideology in schools.

According to the district director of education, J De Dieu Sinahamagaye, the committee composed of district leaders, Police and parents started its work last week with a visit to assess the situation at ACEDI-Mataba Secondary School.

They reportedly enlightened teachers, parents and students on how to curb the vice in the school; cited in the parliamentary report last year, among those where genocide ideology was rife.

ACEDI- Mataba had temporarily been closed last term after students wrote death threats to Tutsi students on walls of bath rooms and toilets.

Following the incident, the head teacher and four students were arrested on charges of genocide ideology.

Under the new measures, Sinahamagaye said, the School authorities would be required to keenly monitor students’ conduct during and after class hours, and close dormitories to students during class time. Other measures would include forming unity and reconciliation clubs in schools.

He appealed to administrators to ensure that students are always pre-occupied with other co-curricular activities after lessons.

A new position of a ‘focal point teacher’ has also been created, charged with reporting on students’ conduct to the Ministry of Education and district authorities.

Meanwhile, the director of EAV (Ecole Agricole et l’evage), Leon Bararuha, has been transferred after reports indicated that his students tore clothes and bed sheets of certain students last term, on ethnic grounds.

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