HUYE -Fifteen schools across the country are set to benefit from a biogas project funded by the ministries of Infrastructure and Education, an official has revealed.

Timothy Kayumba, a local expert in charge of the institutional biogas installation project in
the Ministry of Infrastructure said the decision follows a feasibility study carried out in 20 schools to establish the applicability of the project.

"We have identified 15 schools in which the biogas infrastructure will initially be installed, we hope to cover more schools when more funds are available,” said Kayumba.

Biogas has been identified as an alternative source of fuel especially in schools and prisons, which consume a lot of wood fuel. According to Kayumba, three schools in Bugesera district, with support from the Ministry of Infrastructure and World Vision are already using biogas fuel. He added that with support from the UNICEF-funded WASH project, the ministry is also installing biogas infrastructure in 7 schools in the Northern Province.

Kayumba noted that the lack of technical knowledge on the setting up of biogas infrastructure is a challenge to the implementation of the project.

He cited Rukira Secondary School in the Eastern Province where the plant was poorly installed. To solve this problem, Kayumba said that Tumba College of Technology has been contracted to train personnel in the setting of biogas
plants.

"The College is currently training personnel in three schools in the Southern Province, this will ensure that we do not have a repeat of past mistakes in the setting up of such an infrastructure,” Kayumba said. Father Celestin Rwirangira, the director of Groupe Scolaire Officiel de Butare; one of the schools set to benefit from the project, told
The New Times that the long awaited biogas plant will greatly reduce on consumption of fire wood at the school which has over 1,200 students.

"We are ready to make our contribution towards the realisation of the project, we hope that the use of biogas will reduce considerably the amount of wood fuel used in the school kitchen,” he said.

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