Technology should bring the classroom to students, says Kagame

President Paul Kagame has called for accountability, good governance and effective use of resources to back investments made in the education sector. The President made the remarks yesterday at a two-day Global Summit on Education for Development in Oslo, Norway. Speaking on a panel session titled “Investment in education”, Kagame noted that it was through accountability and good governance that governments would ensure gains that would be sustainable in the long run. The President also pointed out the need for closely aligning education and health, saying the two sectors were related and complementary. He highlighted the need to mobilise and encourage local communities to be more actively involved in expanding access to education through working closely with parents-teachers associations. Kagame called on stakeholders in education and developing countries to adopt technology in education provision, saying it would make it possible for students to access quality education at affordable costs. “That way, classrooms go to students rather than students going to classrooms,” the President noted. Rwanda currently has the highest enrolment at primary school level in Sub-Saharan Africa, an achievement that resulted partly from an increase in government’s expenditure on education to about 20 per cent. Rwanda is also one of the few countries to go beyond the nine-year basic education set by Millennium Development Goals and now offers universal 12-year basic education. By increasing the number of years of free education, students now gain applicable skills in various fields and are offered a smooth transition to higher learning. Former British Prime Minister Gordon Brown, who now serves as the United Nations Special Envoy for Global Education, commended Rwanda and the President for prioritising the sector through budgetary allocations. “The first step to rising education enrolment is increasing domestic expenditure as President Kagame did in Rwanda,” Brown said. Primary school children in class. Adoption of technology in education provision will boost access to quality education at affordable costs. (Timothy Kisambira) Brown added that the required investments in the education sector can be easily achieved through partnerships between public and private sectors. A new report published by UNESCO and Education for All shows that the number of school drop-outs among young adolescents between the ages of 6 and 15 years rose to 124 million in 2013, compared to 122 million in 2011. Yousafzai Malala, a Pakistani activist for female education and the youngest-ever Nobel Prize laureate, challenged education stakeholders to go beyond easily achievable goals in education by setting goals that will have an impact on the lives of students. “It is not that there is no money; it is lack of commitment by a section of world leaders to invest in education,” Malala said. While in Oslo, President Kagame also launched a progress report on the Millennium Development Goals (MDGS) on Monday alongside United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon and Norwegian Prime Minister Erna Solberg. The report provided the final assessment of global and regional progress towards the MDGs since their endorsement in 2000. Rwanda is among the few countries in the world which has achieved and surpassed global education targets. During his visit to Oslo, the President held bilateral meetings with PM Erna Solberg and Minister for Foreign Affairs Børge Brende. Kagame concluded his visit with interactive discussions with Norwegian-African Business Association and with Rwandans living in Norway. editorial@newtimes.co.rw

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Technology should bring the classroom to students, says Kagame