Students stranded as catholic varsities grapple with conflict

Seven years after they completed their course, former students of an unaccredited catholic school, Institut Supérieure Pédagogique et Cathechèse (ISPC) in Huye District are yet to graduate. “We are missing many opportunities and there is even no official statement indicating when we are to graduate,” said Christian Habyarimana, who completed in 2008. “The school gave us a document titled ‘To Whom It May Concern’ but when we use it to apply for jobs, the jury is always hesitant,” said Emerthe Kagoyire who is employed as an ‘A’ Level graduate in Ruhango District. The complaints follow the accreditation of a four -year old Catholic University of Rwanda (CUR) based in Save, Gisagara District which took over the premises of ISPC when the latter closed its doors in 2010. The estimated 200 ISPC students claim it was a merger of both institutions and that their degrees should be recognised. But CUR officials do not agree. “Those students do not belong here, we are two different institutions,” said Bishop Jean Marie Vianney Gahizi, CUR Principal. He added that there was no merger at all and that the bishops decided to close ISPC in 2010 ISPC was run by a Burundi-Rwanda Bishops’ Council, ACOREB (Association de Conseil Episcopal du Rwanda et du Burundi), and was under direct supervision of the Butare Diocese. Habyarimana who is doing a part-time job in Nyamagabe District said they kept asking the school (ISPC) owner to give them their documents and the response was always “be patient we are working on it.” Later on, they were promised that the school would make an arrangement for them to graduate in CUR. ISPC’s former Rector, Father Jean Damascène Kayomberera, told this paper yesterday, that the institute was supposed to train students destined to be employed in Catholic run schools and that their respective Dioceses subsidised their education with Rwf 300,000 tuition fee per year. There were also a few private candidates. The Bishop of Butare Diocese, Philippe Rukamba, said they were aware of the problem and are still looking for a solution. “We have tried to fix the problem with the Ministry of Education but we found we do not comply with academic regulations. It is a problem we shall look into once CUR is accredited,” said the Bishop.

National

Students stranded as catholic varsities grapple with conflict