Studying overseas: Why would Rwandans leave home-grown education?

Many people have obtained degrees and diplomas from foreign institutions of learning. Studying overseas is a phenomenon that has taken young adults by storm in most countries including Rwanda where nationals have opted to leave home-grown education. This raises questions: Why would Rwandan’s leave home-grown education? Is studying abroad worth it? What are the qualitative advantages of having to go thousands of miles away from home to acquire a foreign degree or whatever education qualification one may get? There must be factors hat motivate even the well-to-do parents to send their children to international schools abroad. Is it a vote of no confidence in the home-grown education system or it is a way of making a classy statement after university? To some it may simply sound a question of status whereby going abroad for studies, like some go for medical consultations, is a way of displaying one’s high status in society. However, it is also believed and well known that, there are some specific academic programs that are not available in most of our institutions of higher learning. This is especially so in regard to the number of specialized courses and majors at advanced level education. This in part explains why some higher and post graduate education sponsoring agencies and universities give priority to students coming from developing countries, where some courses are not taught. Most of the people who study abroad are sponsored by overseas education funding organizations like the British council and Fulbright scholarship funds among others. In recent years, with the advent of distance learning programs; which do not necessitate travelling abroad to acquire foreign education, many people no longer have to go to particular universities for lectures. However, many still go abroad for studies since a number of academic programs in foreign overseas Universities are not offered online or by distance education programs. In Rwanda, a number of people had their studies abroad and many of them have different memories and stories to tell. These are the alumni of some of the world’s prominent universities. To understand what the experience of studying abroad means to different people, we talked to some of the alumni who had their different responses: Francis Gatare, Director General RIEPA Francis Gatare the director of the Rwanda Investment and Export Promotion Agency (RIEPA), had most of his education outside Rwanda. He attended the University of Toronto in Canada. His perspective as regards education overseas is worth hearing. Some people look at overseas education as a way of improving performance but it does not actually fall suit. It can even make it worse. What improves performance is the eagerness to learn new practices and adopt some values that have improved the developed countries. Most of these values do not come from school but from the strong will to learn. “The improvement in performance is often associated with the challenges that come with studying abroad. Some of us studied abroad as a result of looking for opportunities. Some of the positive influences we have gained in life are a result of the commitment to forge ahead in life,” Gatare said. He added that the need to balance studies and work in order to sponsor one’s education gives the person the opportunity to learn the habits that come with self reliance. Some people who go abroad to study get scholarships and as a result may never have to work to support their living and education costs. Such a scenario creates a situation whereby they do not get the work values and experience that has made developed countries what they are. So they miss out on the work ethic. I think the classroom academic experience one gets from abroad can be got here. The difference one could have is when they combine studies with work. In this regard one gets the opportunity to learn from the different industries of the developed countries. However, there are values attached to studying outside one’s country of origin. Gatare outlines some of these: • Working while studying abroad gives you opportunity to develop relationships with other working people including managers. • Time management. Most students engage in low level jobs and as a result are paid per hour. This creates a sense of accountability, which is a very important work value. • Another positive attribute is optimization. When you get a job out there and you are paid so much, the employer will want to make you deliver. So in most cases you are paid for the volume of work you do. This creates a sense of responsibility. You have to work more if you want to be paid more. This improves efficiency. • Many students come back with the art of multitasking. This involves balancing work and school as well as personal life. So in the end you have enough experience to build on.In our current situation however it is no longer necessary to go abroad to get that experience. Rwanda is already developing those principles and values. The challenge is to have many students work while studying here in Rwanda. There are students who are working for example in restaurants while attending higher education in Rwanda’s tertiary institutions. It is also important to realize that it took time for those developed countries to get where they are. This with time will also be the case for Rwanda; slowly by slowly we build our nation. Kije Mugisha, a director at Rwanda Television (TVR) Mugisha went to School in the United States of America. She shared her experience and perspective with The Sunday Times. “When you study in a developed country and later on work in a developing country, you gain an exciting experience and a challenge at the same time. However, you may find that to adopt what you gained from studying abroad in a developed country you need structures,” Mugisha said. This exposure to the rest of the world helps the person to build channels of communication between the developed countries and developing countries. Studying abroad provides an opportunity for those studying Business and other related courses. This gives you the opportunity to learn best business practices from the countries that have developed. It also gives students the opportunity to get a better understanding of the developed countries of the world. It is not that what ever you learn abroad will easily be applicable at home. It is not that it is impossible but you also have to learn how to implement what you have learnt abroad once you have come back home. So it becomes important to learn the social environment. For example our government has put in place the Ingando. This is something I would encourage every one including those who have studied abroad to take advantage of. This includes even those planning on go abroad for studies.Studying abroad teaches you how to adapt and that is crucial to success in life. I would advice those intending on studying abroad to learn as much as possible when they go out there. It is also important to take time and socialize outside the academic environment. This widens ones experience and scope of thinking. Joseph Habineza, Minister of Youth sports and culture Minister Joseph Habineza studied Information Technology in France. He talked to The Sunday Times and gave us his perspective as far as studying abroad is concerned. He believes there is something positive about overseas education. It is important to go abroad for some courses most especially in Science and Technology. There are countries that have made great progress in the field of science and technology. So it would be important for Rwandans to take advantage of such opportunities and learn how they made it. In recent years countries in the Far East like Malaysia, Hong Kong and Japan have made giant steps in the field of technology. It is important to get that knowledge and use it to our own advantage. It is also important that when one travels abroad to study, they should be able to learn how to adapt. At times some go and fail to learn how to adapt. It is important to learn how to be flexible. I am sure that our students who acquire education abroad in the fields of science and technology can really make a difference in our country once they come back and apply the knowledge they have got. This requires understanding the societal dynamics of the country before they seek to apply the acquired knowledge. The message I can give to young people who would aspire to travel abroad for further studies is a clear one: “They should keep in mind that where ever you go you remain Rwandan. Go out there, see what they have done and bring the knowledge back home.” This is what the Japanese and Chinese did and we can also do likewise to develop our country by getting the necessary knowledge from abroad. This can make a positive contribution towards changing our country and engendering development of the nation. Ends