80,000 students attend civic education

Eighty-thousand students meant to join university and other higher institutions of learning yesterday completed a three-day civic education training organised by Itorero Ryigihugu, ahead of national service activities. MP Bamporiki addresses to the students. The students attended the training at various camps in districts across the county. The civic education has been repackaged to promote values of unity, patriotism, truth and hard work among other things among participants. MP Eduard Bamporiki talks to students. He emphasized the need for unity. The Chairperson of the National Itorero Taskforce, Boniface Rucagu, said this year the number of students who attended civic education increased because of new students from Twelve-Year Basic Education whose first intake was rolled out last year. Regis Mudaheranwa, the director of human resource at Gasabo district giving his closing remarks. “Usually, about 45,000 students would attend, but today we have 80,000 students who have attended civic education. The number has increased because we have students from Twelve-Year Basic Education who attended civic education for the first time,” he said. The students spent four days at camps in all districts of the country from January 4 to 7 unlike previous arrangement where the students took three weeks. Students play a skirt to show how a king used to perform Umuganura. The trained students are to start national service, locally called Urugerereo, on January 9, during which they engage in various activities such as awareness campaigns on development projects, HIV/Aids, gender balance and family planning. Other activities include teaching illiterates and participating in community work (Umuganda). Millian Nsekonziza a student representative gives her remarks during the closing ceremony of civic education training at FAWE Girls School. Closing the training at Fawe Girls School for students from Gasabo District, Regis Mudaheranwa, the director of human resource at the district, urged the students to embrace a culture of voluntary work done during national service. At least 577 students attended the training at Fawe. Students listen to MP Eduard Bamporiki’s remarks. Working together MP Eduard Bamporiki emphanised the need for unity of Rwandans, saying: “We are one people; we have to share every thing, and work together in order to develop our country.” Milliam Nsekonziza, a students’ representative from Fawe Girls School, said they had gained a lot of insights into different programmes after the training. Students make a goose match as they wait for the arrival of the guest of honor. The culture of volunteerism has been adopted in the Rwandan society in different sectors. Groups such as mediators; Gacaca courts’ judges, community health workers, national youth council members, and national women council members are a few examples of voluntary services acts that need special recognition for their contribution to national building. CPL Silas Mugenzantwari instructs students during the morning drills at FAWE Girls School. These are groups of people that have served the nation voluntarily in different capacities. To enhance the culture of volunteerism targeting different categories of the population in a structured manner, the government has established Itorero to inspire positive values among Rwandans and to strengthen the volunteerism efforts already going on. Students pose in a group photo after the closing ceremony. Statistics show that 243,284 Rwandans have attended civic education training from 2007-2012 in different categories. editorial@newtimes.co.rw

News

80,000 students attend civic education