Look beyond education, Kagame tells youth

President Paul Kagame has challenged the youth to think beyond the education they acquire in school, saying instead they should use the knowledge acquired to build the nation.The President was yesterday speaking in Kigali at the closure of the first phase of a campaign dubbed, YouthConnektDialogue, which aimed at providing a platform for the youth to exchange ideas concerning national development.‘Build, don’t destroy’The campaign, that covered 15 districts, has been running throughout last month.“You must look beyond your individual interests. You must ask yourself what you will use your knowledge and skills for. Each of you should use your knowledge to build not destroy your nation,” Kagame said, adding that the fact that some of the people who committed the Genocide against the Tutsi were highly educated shows that education is not an end unto itself.The youth who gathered at Kigali Serena Hotel were drawn from various corners of the country in an event that was also attended by First Lady Jeannette Kagame, who took time off to spend the entire day with them.Yesterday’s session was held under the theme ‘The Promise of a Post-Genocide Generation.’The President told the enthusiastic youth not to waste any opportunity that comes their way, challenging them to stand firm and be proud of who they are in all they do.President Kagame told the youngsters that they should not carry the baggage of their elders “you have the ability to shape a new future.”He said extra caution should be taken while choosing what to invest in the youth, saying that a seed that is not nurtured will not blossom.“Calling yourselves youth is not enough, you must fulfill your responsibility and give yourself dignity,” he said. “We need each and every one of you to stand firm and be proud of who you are.”Avoid bad companyThe First Lady advised the youth to disassociate from people with negative ideologies, which she said only serves to divert them from their nation building course.She challenged the youth to pick interest in learning and understanding the history of the country and what caused the past disunity among Rwandans.“People must be open and tell each other the truth; parents should not deny children the right to accurate information about what happened in this country,” she said.The First Lady further reminded the youth to be brave and develop constructive ideas with focus on having a prosperous nation.“Those who liberated this country were the same age as you, actually some were younger. It’s now your responsibility to work together to develop it and expect no one to come from out to develop it for you,” the First Lady said.Other discussants of the day included Premier Pierre Damien Habumuremyi, who lectured the youth on how, before 1994, a section of Rwandans, notably the Tutsi, did not have basic rights such as the right to education.“You’re lucky that you have in place a leadership that avails opportunities to all citizens without any form of segregation. In the past, even the most competent were denied opportunities because of their perceived ethnic identity,” he said.Claudine Uwimana, a girl from Gisenyi in Rubavu District, commended the initiative, saying it would be prudent to extend it to all the districts for youth to learn and strategise for the future of the country.YouthConnetDialogue was organised by Imbuto Foundation under the auspices of the First Lady, in collaboration with partners such as the Ministry of Youth and ICT.The second phase, according to organisers, will target the youth in the Diaspora.

National

Look beyond education, Kagame tells youth