Behind owning a driving permit

Jean Claude Munyaneza loves driving. Although he has not driven on highways, he says his experience and skills acquired from the driving school make him perfect even on a highway. Unfortunately, Munyaneza can never benefit from driving skills, since he does not posses a driving permit. Although he claims to have acquired skills in driving, he has not been able to pass the national driving tests. “The only way to prove my driving skills is when I present a driving permit. Unfortunately, I have missed employment opportunities as a driver because of failure to acquire a driving permit for the last three years,” Munyaneza says with regret. He explains that his efforts to join driving schools for training have been frustrated despite the commitment. “I have been to different driving schools, but I have failed to pass the driving tests despite the many times I have tried,” he laments. The 30 year old, says that he has incurred costs in trying to acquire the permit. He regrets some of his decisions. He reveals that “I paid almost Rwf 300,000 in acquiring the skills for the three rounds I attended driving school training. It amounts to Rwf 45,000 for registration, tests and other related personal costs including transport and feeding during training.” However, he is confused as to how other people pass the test the very first time they undergo the training. “What surprises as well as creating confidence at times, is that other people pass the test the first time they go for it.” Celestin Rwiyamirira is the Managing Director of Midland School of Motoring as well as the president of ASSAUPORWA the association for registered driving schools in Rwanda. With over ten years experience in the profession of operating in driving schools, not only in Rwanda but beyond, Rwiyamirira attributes failure to many factors. However, he stresses much on general issues in the procedures to acquire the license. According to Rwiyamirira, the role of driving schools is to train and prepare those with interest in driving skills according to the government syllabus. He says the tests to acquire a driving permit are set and conducted by Rwanda National Police traffic department. “We train people in two forms, one after the other. The first is the theory part.learners undergo the test that either limits them or allows them to go ahead for practical lessons,” Rwiyamirira says. He explains that after the training that normally lasts month, people have to wait for tests for a long time. Although good performance may depend on ones intellectual capacity, he also says that it is important to stipulate the time, when one is supposed to be ready for examinations. “We have always complained about arrangements that delay our learners from undergoing the tests at the time they are fresh from training, but there has always been lack of enough man power.” He adds that currently there has been a limit to only six rounds of national driving tests, to which he says was not enough compared to the demand. He also blames the system of learners going through the theory part of driving without practicals, arguing that it is appropriate to have the two at the same time. “People undergo the theory tests; it’s only when they pass that they are allowed to have lessons of practical driving. Such a method is not appropriate for the driving profession because it makes it hard for learners to put the theory into practice,” he notes. According to Rwiyamirira, the type of examinations set for aspiring drivers in Rwanda is unique and different from not only that in the region but the world. “I have the format of setting tests for drivers in different countries including Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania and Germany among others, but Rwanda has a different system of setting driving tests from the rest of the world,” he says. Among other factors, he attributed the high failure rates to the method used in setting the tests. He also points out that out of about 2000 people who sit for the tests, only 300 succeed on average. “The percentage is less than fifty. There is need to diversify or to form a better and appropriate standard for setting these tests,” he says. Supt. Egide Ruzigamanzi, the police traffic boss is aware of the challenges in acquiring driving licenses and various reports have been forwarded to his desk. “I am aware of the challenges in that field. Members and heads of driving schools have reported these cases. We have organized an urgent meeting with the different heads of driving schools,” Ruzigamanzi says. According to Ruzigamanzi, issues to be discussed are aimed at harmonizing the setting of driving tests so as to match with the syllabus of driving schools. “We want to ensure that the tests set, are not in any way different from the training in the driving schools,” he says. The official admits that the system of setting the tests in the country does not exist anywhere else in the world. He therefore pledges to make it clear and systematic, so that the standard of setting can rhyme with not only the region but the world. “It is true that our aim is to have professional drivers on the road, but it is not proper to have a totally different examination system. Yet people from other countries come in and exchange to get the Rwanda driving license,” he notes. He promises to ensure that a more standardized format of conducting tests is put in place, pointing out that the current arrangement has always caused poor coordination and management of tests. “People turn-up in big numbers to avoid missing the tests, resulting into working late hours which is not proper in the testing of drivers,” he says. Many times, people have complained about driving tests and many others have failed to acquire driving licenses after incurring costs in learning how to drive. Ends