As lockdown continues until further notice, students still have some time to themselves. It is, therefore, very easy for them to get into lazy mode, however, they can still be kept busy. Phiona Bayisenga, a student in Kigali, notes that this period has taught her a number of doings, and one of them is baking. Instead of spending most of time on social media like many youngsters, she has managed to utilise YouTube for lessons in baking. She has learned how to bake cakes, make chapattis and pancakes, which has cut costs on nibbles for breakfast. On top of that, she has also learned how to cook some dishes. She assists the house help in preparing lunch every day. Bayisenga believes that by the time school resumes, she will have skills that will enable her to pursue a course in catering. Just like Bayisenga, students can learn new skills that could make an impact on them and society at large. According to Anita Teta, a student at University of Rwanda, Butare, this is the right time to boost her reading culture. She has downloaded some books on soft copy for easy reading on her phone. She has no doubt that this will improve her vocabulary, communications skills, understanding of different cultures, comprehension of the history of things, stimulate her mind, enhance language skills and develop fluency, thus enabling her to express her thoughts and ideas better. John Mary Musinguzi, a principal at Little Bears Montessori School, is of the view that learners should use this time to exercise physically to stay healthy and safe. Health experts say that physical activity supports the heart, keeps the arteries and veins clear, strengthens the lungs, reduces blood sugar levels, controls weight, braces the bones, assists in preventing cancer, and regulates blood pressure. He says that learners, especially those in lower primary level, can avoid boredom by doodling, painting, and sketching their favourite pictures — as a way of exercising their creativity and helping in building new skills. Students shouldn’t only focus on watching TV and eating, rather, improve their skills or learn new ones. For instance, they must sharpen and challenge themselves to get better at their weak areas. These areas could be in computing, or writing. Knowing one’s weakness and doing their best to make themselves better is worth a try. “For example singing, if you decide to give it a try and practice, through hard work, you could turn into a great singer, just like the saying, “practice makes perfect,” Musinguzi says. Alice Usabye, an educationist in Nyanza Southern Province, says that with just a pen and paper, a student can become a great writer, if they put their mind to it. Writing exercises one’s imagination and creativity. She adds that writing can start as an idea and end in an interesting story. It can be a poem or story, true or fiction. Writing grooms future authors. It is through such stories that a message is passed on to the people. Usabe urges learners to watch documentaries that are educative to enable them understand society. She calls upon parents to monitor the kind of movies that children watch because there is a possibility of watching violent and pornographic material since they are exposed to the internet that is full of everything.
