A lot has changed in the past 20 years. Among the biggest achievements registered so far is the level and access to education in Rwanda. Twenty years ago, the level of education as very low, but thanks to the number of schools and universities that have since opened. Rwandans have managed to access education and in the process contributed to the economic development of our beloved country. I must say that yours truly, Mr Diaspoman, was also a beneficiary of education albeit at an older age Yes – that is true. At the turn of the century, I also decided to enroll as a mature student at SFB. For those who do not know what SFB stands for, do not be mistaken. You may think that the letters SFB stand for “Serious Frothy Beers.” Some people who are known to me may think that I opted for SFB due to my unquenchable love for Amstel. The truth of the matter is that I was getting serious with life. That is why I decided to enroll myself at the School of Finance and Banking, commonly referred to as SFB. You know, during the mid-90s we used to land jobs at the numerous mushrooming NGOs. And since Aggrey and I were very single and young, we used to quash those dollars like there was no tomorrow. We had just completed secondary school and we were eager to work. Since there were no serious panels to interview job applicants, it was quite easy for us to penetrate the job markets. All we had to do was to speak with a heavy American accent. Sometimes, we spoke with a French accent or even a Russian accent. When we talked in that kind of style, prospective NGO employers tended to take us seriously. But of course, this was not sustainable at all and within a few years, we were back on the streets jobless due to limping academic transcripts. Wherever I “Depozad” my applications, I was told that my qualifications were below standard. “Go back to school and get a proper degree!” With this kind of tough message, I decided to book myself at SFB for a 4-year degree course. It was on the first day at SFB that I realised why people can easily find themselves heading back to the Diaspora! I was one of them. What I thought would become a first class degree quickly turned out to be a first class failure. When I entered the lecture room for the first lecture, I swayed in as if I was the king of kings. I knew for sure that the course would be a walk over and that in 4 years time; I would be a proud owner of a first class degree. After settling in my chair, my eyes started to see strange things. My ears also started to hear funny things. The lecturer was busy explaining to the class about “econometrics.” What the hell was this? Instead of writing about Napoleon and the River Rhine, our lecturer was busy drawing up complicated graphs, formulae, and algebra. This was just Greek to me. When I looked around the class, I realised that I was the only person who did not understand what “econometrics” was all about. The rest of the students, who happened to be in their late teens, were busy participating in class as if they had been studying the subject for ages. After one hour in class, I slowly sneaked out of class. Phew!
