HUYE–The Cooperation between the National University of Rwanda (NUR) and the Swedish International Development Agency (SIDA) has improved the quality of education at the university, officials from the two institutions said.

The cooperation started in 2006 with a focus on training staff, ICT development and capacity building in research.

Raymond Ndikumana, the programme coordinator for SIDA’s support at NUR, told The New Times that the cooperation has helped the university in improving the quality of education.

"More than 50 NUR lecturers are undergoing PhD courses in Sweden and in regional universities. We believe that the quality of education starts with well qualified lecturers,” he said.

"We are seeing many graduates from the SIDA support holding senior positions and many researches impacting the general environment in Rwanda,” Ndikumana observed.

According to Ndikumana, the cooperation has also boosted the quality and quantity of books in the varsity’s library and contributed to the installation of a Wi-Fi network within the NUR premises.

Joakim Molander, the Country Director for Development Cooperation at the Swedish Embassy, said they treat research promotion and capacity building as vital to improving the quality of education in the country.

"By training a lot of PhDs, who later become teachers here, it increases the quality of education. By getting this good cooperation, we can really see how both sides are benefiting,” said Molander.

He observed that the knowledge transfer between the two countries makes a very important contribution to education in the long run.

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