Social Democratic Party parliamentary candidates have pledged to advocate for an agricultural bank and improve the quality of education if elected to the next parliament. They were addressing party supporters yesterday in Rubavu district. Yvonne Ishimwe, 25, a parliamentary candidate, said if she is elected she will work together with others to make sure Rwanda’s education becomes globally competitive. “When I was growing up, I used to hear that if someone wanted to have quality education, they had to go abroad, for example in USA, India, UK, and in other countries. PSD wants to make sure we have good education which attracts students from these countries instead of us going there,” she said. Deogratias Bizimana Minani, another PSD candidate said they will sensitize farmers to work in cooperatives and advocate for the creation of a bank for agriculture which will help them to practice industrial and modern farming. “If the bank is there, farmers will easily get money to invest in agriculture like buying fertilizers, equipment and look for markets,” he said. Vincent Biruta, PSD president said if the government and individuals invest in education, Rwanda will have quality education and strong schools which attract foreign students. “We already have some international schools here in Rwanda like Carnegie Mellon University. If they find enough investment they can improve their operations and even go to high schools to find brilliant students then groom them here,” he said. Biruta also emphasized on setting up a bank which can only deal with agricultural issues in order to help farmers develop their activities. “Agriculture cannot be mixed with other issues like businesses and commerce. PSD wants farmers across the country to shift from subsistence agriculture to modern one,” he said. Verediana Muhorakeye, a resident from Rugerero sector said they need more schools so that children can access them easily. “Our children still walk long distances to school, some of them drop out and take to the streets and turn into delinquents,” she said. editorial@newtimes.co.rw
