Several children who previously worked in tea plantations in Karongi District, spoke of their new found joy and dreams for the future, thanks to their return to school. The children, aged between 10 and 18 years, joined primary and vocational schools, after they were helped to abandon working in tea plantations and factories. Generally, most Rwandan children are in school. Basic education is free, schools are closer to the communities and various campaigns have helped sensitise parents about the importance of education. Nonetheless, there have been continuous reports of children missing or dropping out of school to work on farms or carry out domestic chores. To bring this to an end, it is imperative that parents and guardians, especially in the countryside, are held accountable if their children miss school or are found working on plantations. With the newly introduced family performance contracts, local authorities now have the tools to help eliminate such tendencies where they still exist.In addition, employers who exploit children must also be held accountable.To make this successful, people should not only watch out for their children. The responsibility to ensure that children are in school or are safe must be communal. If one finds a child out of school, they should not go by just because they are not theirs. Let us treat all children as our own.
