The Environmental Health students at the Kigali Health Institute (KHI) have started a forty-day tour of various establishments in urban areas, including abattoirs, health facilities and hotels, to familiarise themselves with the sanitation and hygiene situation in public areas.

Rwanda has made impressive strides in the area of sanitation and hygiene over the years, which have seen the country surpass, by eight percent, the MDG target on sanitation, and serving as an example for many developing countries.

Nonetheless, there is need to inculcate a culture of cleanliness, both in the urban and rural settings, to eradicate hygiene-related diseases.

In addition, such field visits help students understand how best they can use their skills to impact their society. Such exposure adds value to the quality of education.

All university disciplines need to introduce field tours for their students to help them get acquainted with the reality at the workplace, as they prepare to join the world of work.

The demands of today’s ever-changing world call for dynamic education systems that empower learners with appropriate skills to be able to compete on the job market.

In the case of Rwanda, the need to relate what is taught at school and the realities on the ground cannot be over emphasised, given that the economy is human resources-driven.

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