400 students stranded after Musanze school is closed

MUSANZE - Authorities in Musanze District have closed a private candidate’s school, Ecole Technique de Mulondo in Gacaca sector, for operating without a licence. Authorities intervened last week after students protested over failure to register them for this year’s national examinations. School authorities confirmed that over 400 A-Level students were sent home. Out of this, over 200 students were sponsored by the Global Fund. A total of 170 Senior Six students will not seat for this year’s national exams after missing the registration deadline. The school which started as a centre for private candidates has been admitting students from S.4 to S.6 for the last three years. “They first allowed only 40 students studying tourism to register while those in construction were left out. We started complaining, and approached the district seeking for help. Our representative went to the Workers Development Authority (WDA), but their records indicated that the school did not exist,’’ Yvette Ihirwe, S.6 said. Speaking to The New Times, students accused the district education officials of neglecting their case. “We have been studying hard; they duped us (by claiming) the school is fully registered. We need help, but nobody seems to be listening to us,’’ Josiane Tuyishime, another S.6 student lamented. The school patron, Theosten Niyonzima, claimed that the school authorities had written to the district seeking accreditation. The students also accused the school’s legal representative, Innocent Nsengiyunva, of keeping the students in the dark, asking them to wait until they were registered. Many of the students at the besieged school, were admitted in the departments of tourism and construction, after their former school, ACETI IMANZI closed down. It also emerged that the Director of Ecole Technique de Mulondo, Joseph Musabyimana was arrested and released a fortnight ago, for allegedly forging school reports and extorting money from students. Ends

National

400 students stranded after Musanze school is closed