Educating girl child equal to educating a nation

Editor,Your editorial in The Sunday Times, May 6, titled “explore more higher education opportunities for girls” was great.As the Headmaster of Gashora Girls Academy of Science and Technology, I agree wholeheartedly with the point of view of that editorial, and all of us associated with GGAST are doing what we can to advance this goal.I want to add my praise to the Open A Door Foundation as well. As a guest in your country, I continue to be most impressed with what Rwanda has accomplished since the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi, and especially in the education sector, and more recently for girls. As the editorial acknowledges, there is still much progress to be made. May I suggest that what is needed is a comprehensive examination of P-16 education, in other words, primary, secondary and tertiary (university) matriculation strategies. Rwanda’s students, especially its extraordinary young women, must begin university preparation from the very first day of primary school. Yes, it is true that any remaining barriers (such as inequitably distributed resources) must be removed, but even more importantly, more life-changing opportunities must be identified and developed. To that end, and assuming that Rwanda’s universities will not have the capacity to enroll all of the country’s eligible youth in the near term, I encourage the creation of a national clearinghouse with information about universities around the world that are committed to enrolling a diverse student body, including African students. I will be returning to the USA for my annual holiday in July, and I intend to tell as many universities as I can what extraordinary “human capital” exists among the girls who are here at GGAST, which I am sure is also true of many schools throughout the country. I am honored to be working in your country.Peter THORPGashora

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Educating girl child equal to educating a nation