Policies that shaped the Education ministry in 2008

The year 2008 was full of intrigues and structural changes within the Education sub sector. The Education Ministry announced that it would turn its focus to the 9-year Basic Education programme beginning this academic year. The benefits of which, only time will tell. The year however, started with a shake up in the Education Ministry after a cabinet reshuffle saw Jean d’ Arc Mujawamariya transferred to the Gender Ministry and replaced by Dr. Daphrose Gahakwa . Theoneste Mutsindashaka was appointed State Minister for Primary and Secondary Education, replacing Joseph Murekeraho. Mujawamariya had towards the close of 2007 narrowly survived a vote of no confidence in the Chamber of Deputies over alarming cases of genocide ideology in secondary schools. Sources said until her reshuffle in March 2008, Deputies were not satisfied with her explanations. A Parliamentary Commission report showed that some secondary schools still circulated the obnoxious “genocide ideology.” To curb the vice, over 40,000 primary and secondary school teachers countrywide were last year sent for two-week solidarity camp organised by the education ministry, under the auspices of Itorero ry’Igihugu, a national informal education programme. At the close of the training, at Amahoro Stadium, President Paul Kagame urged teachers to play a more significant role in the social economic transformation adopted by the country. However, about 60 teachers who subscribe to the Jehovah’s Witnesses faith shunned the solidarity training citing their religious beliefs. Minister Mutsindashaka threatened to dismiss them. He said he had commissioned an investigation into their case, the report of which would determine their fate. Still last year, the National Council for Higher Education (NCHE) gave institutions of higher learning the green light to increase tuition fees for private students. Institutions did not rush to increase the fees, but we wait to see whether they will not do it this academic year. The government of Rwanda and the UK department for International Development and the Hunter Foundation (THF) signed a deal committing Rwf2.6 billion to two teacher training colleges in the country that would help train about 1,400 teachers by 2012. The International Finance Corporation (IFC), a member of the World Bank Group, announced that it would support lending to schools and education services providers in Rwanda, in partnership with Banque Rwandaise de Développement. The government opened an Institute of Legal Practice and Development in the Southern Province, which would offer professional post-graduate programmes for legal brains in the country. President Kagame launched One Laptop per Child (OLPC) initiative at Jali Club and said that enabling all primary school children to own computers was the government’s ultimate goal. The Technology and Business Incubation Facility (TBIF) of the Kigali Institute of Science and Technology won the InfoDev Award worth US $50,000 from the World Bank for promoting business incubation in Rwanda. The government announced a cabinet resolution requiring all schools from nursery to university to use English instead of French, as the medium of instruction from this academic year. This was partly as result of joining the East African Community and largely because majority people conduct business in English, world over. The National University of Rwanda (NUR) announced that it had suspended private students intake citing lack of adequate infrastructure. The institution also announced that students finalising their undergraduate studies at the university will no longer have to orally defend their dissertations before a lecturers’ jury to complete their studies. Meanwhile, four examination officials including three teachers were arrested by police for engaging in examination malpractices. Leadership of Kigali Institute of Education (KIE) was changed within the year. Rector Emmanuel Mudidi, was replaced by Prof. George Njoroge, who was until then the Vice Rector - Academic affairs. Mudidi is now in Parliament having been elected on the RPF ticket. The year ended on a positive note for students of Universite Laique Adventiste de Kigali (UNILAK) after the Education Ministry allowed the institution to award degrees after 10 years of operating in a state of uncertainty. Since 2003, 473 students had completed their studies at UNILAK but had not graduated because of the controversy surrounding the university. The 2008 directive put this controversy to rest. Contact: jtasamba@gmail.com