Plans to put into operation the government’s One University System are at an advanced stage, Education Minister, Dr Vincent Biruta, has revealed.He told members of the parliamentary committee on budget and national patrimony last week that the legal framework was complete, noting that his ministry had held a recent meeting with Rectors on the task force set up to examine the rationalisation of academic programmes and merging of various institutions. "We have prepared a structure and estimated the amount of money to be used. In the first year, the budget is about Rwf 200 million to set up the university, but after merging the institutions, as I have mentioned, money spent on universities will reduce because aspects of duplication will have been removed.”Apart from the normal budget allocated to higher learning institutions that are yet to be merged, there is an additional Rwf 200 million to establish the central administration of the new institution.He said, according to the task force’s findings, the best approach is to base the One University System on the type of programmes at the colleges and not on geographical location.The minister explained that a college of science and technology would, for instance, be set up at the Kigali Institute of Science and Technology (KIST) in addition to taking over current faculties at NUR. Furthermore, a college of agriculture and veterinary services would entail combining of all courses taught at ISAE Busogo on top of related faculties at NUR and Mutara Polytechnic."We can have a college of business and management but it takes on what is at School of Finance and Banking (SFB) and the management courses at Nyagatare (Mutara Polytechnic),” Dr Biruta noted."Rationalising will be a process. For example, after setting up a college of medicine and health sciences, with sections from NUR and others from KHI, maybe there will be a decision to take the college of medicine and health sciences to Kigali or Huye and the remaining facilities be used by others. This is going to be a process. We are not going to implement it immediately.”In a separate e-mail sent to The New Times, Dr Biruta observed that apart from the draft legal documents submitted to Cabinet for approval, a study on rationalisation of academic programmes was conducted."A taskforce is currently working on a project to establish an Open and Distance Learning College/School under the One University system. It is proposed to have One University composed of colleges. A college will have a certain number of schools and centres,” he explained."We are planning to have the new system in place for the next academic year (starting in September 2012). The system is not likely to affect current students.”