Garnering support for girls’ education

The Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Education, Sharon Haba, has called on parents and Rwandans, in general to play a key role in the promotion of girls’ education.She made the call, yesterday, during the Tuseme festival which was organised by a local non governmental organisation, Forum for African Women Educationists (FAWE-Rwanda).“The government offers equal opportunities to all Rwandan students irrespective of their sex and now with the implementation of the 12-year free education, it shows government’s commitment in promoting education in the country” Haba said.She asked girls to strive to perform better in their respective schools, which she said would usher in a brighter future for them and contribute to the country’s economic growth.The PS further called upon students to shun bad habits like drug abuse saying this leads to dropping out of school. Rhona Nyakurama, the Chairperson of FAWE Rwanda, said that Tuseme clubs help girls to desist from unwanted pregnancies.She said that Tuseme clubs are used as a channel to encourage the general population to facilitate girls to go to school. “FAWE Rwanda has been in existence since 1996, and, among the core values, is that we really work hard to promote girls education by addressing the challenges that causes girls not to go to school,” Nyakurama said.She said that FAWE, in partnership with UNICEF, implements the “NABO NI ABANA” project, which focuses on empowerment of girls and boys through Tuseme clubs. These are theatre-based empowerment processes that help girls and boys to express their views publicly on matters that affect their academic and social development and take part in finding solutions to their problems.A primary six student at Groupe Scolaire Nyagatare, Jean Damascene Kayitsinga, said: “This festival is very important because it will enable all students to clearly understand the importance of girls’ education because they also deserve equal rights as boys.”He asked other institutions to organise such similar events.The three-day festival attracted over 700 students from 57 schools across the country.

National

Garnering support for girls’ education