NUR suspends 2009 private student intake

SOUTHERN PROVINCE HUYE — The National University of Rwanda (NUR) has suspended the admission of private sponsored undergraduate students at its main campus in Butare with effect from the next academic year, an official has said. Jean Bosco Rushingabigwi, the NUR’s media advisor said that the decision to suspend the scheme was reached at a Senate meeting held on Monday November 24. The Senate is the highest decision making body of the university. Rushingabigwi, cited limited physical infrastructure and lack of human capacity as the main reasons behind the suspension of the programme. “Facilities at the main campus are overstretched. The student – teacher ratio is very high, this makes the student centred system of teaching and learning difficult,” he said. The university this academic year embraced a new system of teaching and learning that requires students to do most of the work on their own- a shift from the traditional chalk and talk method of teaching and learning. “Students do most of their learning on their own. This requires enough educational learning materials and other technological equipment like projectors and computers. The university is constrained in these areas and therefore can no longer support more private intakes,” the official said. The senate decision also affects other categories of private students such as those intending to enrol under the evening programme, including international students. However, private students pursuing their studies at the NUR Rusizi campus and those at the Great Lakes Media Centre in Kigali will not be affected by this latest decision, the official explained. Other categories of private students like those sponsored by the Fund for Genocide Survivors (FARG) will not be affected by the change. “We shall review the fee structure for this category of students by 2010 and their admission grades will have to approximately correspond with the grades required for state –funded undergraduate students. They will be considered for admission in areas where there is capacity,” added the NUR media advisor. The university has over 1200 continuing private students enrolled under different undergraduate programmes. According to Rushingabigwi, NUR plans to expand its physical infrastructure so as to accommodate the increasing enrolment of private sponsored students. “Plans are underway to establish a new campus in Kigali in future. It is hoped that this will ease the pressure on the Butare main campus,” he said. The NUR was created in 1963 jointly by the Rwandan government and the Congregation of the Dominicans from Canada. Since its creation, there has been little or no physical expansion of the facilities that were meant for just about 300 students who were enrolled in the Faculties of Medicine, Social Sciences and the Teacher Training College. The university currently boasts of a student intake of over 10,000 and over 400 teaching staff. It has three Schools, eight Centres and Faculties. Ends