Rwanda
General Facts:
from the CIA World Factbook
- Major Religions: Roman Catholic 49.5%, Protestant 39.4%
- Official Language: Kinyarwanda
- Population Breakdown: Africa’s most densely populated country – 12,988,423
- Ethnic Groups: 84% Hutu, 15% Tutsi, 1% Twa
- Birth Rate: 33.3/1000 people
- Death Rate: 8.8 deaths/1000 people
- Urban Population: 28.8% of the total population lives in urban areas
- **School life expectancy: 11 years for both male and females
- **Literacy rate: 70.5% of population
- Government: Presidential, republic, multiparty system
- Geography: Landlocked
- Labor force by occupation: 90% in agriculture and 10% in industry and services
- Population below the poverty line: 39.1%
Background
Long ago, two ethnic tribes originally inhabited Rwanda: the Twa and the Hutu. However, in the 1300s, the Tutsi tribe immigrated to Rwanda and eventually became the major power, with Tutsi King Ruganzu Ndori subduing central Rwanda and Hutu areas. Although the Hutus outnumbered the Tutsis 8 to 1, the Tutsi were able to come to power because of their wealth from cattle ownership, in contrast to the farming culture of the Hutus. A deep ethnic divide was created, and the Belgian occupation beginning in the late 1800s further promoted this racist hierarchy. Belgians even implemented nose measurements to clarify Tutsi superiority over Hutus. Thus, a clear ethnic divide was created, and gradually became institutionalized as Hutus were banned from government positions and forced into hard labor. Identity cards were issued to distinguish Tutsis and Hutus. Although the government was not officially Hutu, the social hierarchy was deeply ingrained in Rwanda. This oppression continued for decades, until the oppressed finally rose up. A major turning point occurred in 1957 when Hutus issued a manifesto calling for a change in Rwanda’s power structure, and formed their own political parties. Tutsi King along with tens of thousands of Tutsis were forced to flee Rwanda, and in 1961, Rwanda became a republic led by Hutu president Gregoire Kayibanda. However, the Tutsi exiles strengthened themselves in Uganda, forming the rebel force Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF), preparing for a day to regain their power in Rwanda. A prolonged civil war lasted for the next three decades as Tutsi rebels continued to clash with Hutus (Rwanda Profile, 2017).
President Habyarimana’s rule and eventual assassination led up to the infamous genocide in 1994. With decades of unresolved tension, the RPF invaded Rwanda from Uganda in 1990, forcing President Habyarimana to sign a power-sharing agreement with the Tutsis which supposedly ended the civil war. However, in 1994, Habyarimana was assassinated by a rocket attack on his plane. His death triggered a 100-day spree of violence, with the Hutus responding with a planned out final extermination of the Tutsi problem. Over 800,000 people were killed (Rwanda Profile, 2017). The Tutsi RPF eventually regained control of Rwanda after much bloodshed. With UN intervention, the postgenocide government has struggled to rise from its shambles. As many political leaders had been slaughtered, political infrastructure was almost nonexistent. However, attempts at justice were made, and many criminals were brought to justice. The divide between Hutus and Tutsis is constantly working on healing.
With this historical background, it makes sense that “one aspect of Rwanda’s history that is largely agreed on within the country is the entrenched nature of values such as obedience, hierarchy, and respect for authority” (Honeyman p.13, 2006). To this day, the culture of submitting to authority and hierarchy remains ingrained. The pregenocide Rwanda was composed of highly concentrated power groups and strong government. Although the genocide starkly pointed out the errors of these social values, it has taken time and many strategies to rebuild the nation. Since the year 2000, Paul Kagame has led Rwanda as President, having helped end the genocide with his rebel force. The Rwandan government follows a Belgian and German system, with the framework of a presidential republic (Politics of Rwanda). Although Kagame has been criticized for his power in the government, he has taken many positive steps in rebuilding Rwanda economically and socially. Steps to heal the social divide between the Hutu and Tutsi include integration of both ethnic tribes into government, and its main exports of coffee and tea boost its economy (Shanahan 2012). The World Bank recently praised Rwanda for its remarkable development successes, which are reducing its poverty and inequality. The young people of Rwanda have a zeal to develop their nation, and feel the responsibility to be diligent and work hard. Today, Rwanda is one of the most promising, clean, and vibrant countries of Africa.
Analysis: Education System
After the 1994 genocide, almost all of the nation’s public sectors were in disarray, not excluding the education sector. It was in this context of brokenness that drove the Rwandan government to push for the rebuilding of education, which is critical for strong infrastructure and directly correlated to poverty. For example, literacy is a key reflection of country development, and Rwanda has implemented policies to continuously improve its adult literacy rate. Today, Rwanda has a formal 6-3-3 education system (Rwanda). This means that children begin schooling at the age of seven when they enter primary school. Primary school lasts for six grades, upon which they enter secondary school. Secondary school includes lower grades 7-9 and upper grades 10-12 (Rwanda). Based on policies established by Rwanda’s Ministry of Education, school is free and grades 1 through 9 should be compulsory for all students (UNESCO IBE, World Data on Education. Revised 10/2010). As for higher education, there are twenty-three universities in Rwanda, with research focused on agriculture, livestock, and farming management. Although this structure of education is in place, the Rwandan education system still faces key issues that inhibit its success and internal efficiency.
The key issues facing the Rwandan education system are that discrepancies in funding, teacher competency, and access to resources result in a lower average education level despite policies such as mandatory primary education. Starting with primary education, a constant challenge is the teacher:student ratio. In 2004, the ratio was 60 students to 1 teacher (Republic of Rwanda). This ratio is excessively high, and results in low quality of education right from the beginning. This explains why primary dropout rates are high at around 17% (Republic of Rwanda). The reason for these hard numbers is that more and more students are entering the education system, but resources and qualified teachers are not increasing at the same rate. It is a constant struggle to find and train competent teachers, but the number of qualified teachers is increasing to the current 85%. Issues facing secondary education are more severe. Based on the last census in 2004, only 37% of primary students successfully transitioned from primary school and entered secondary education (Republic of Rwanda). In working to identify the reasons for this low rate, the Ministry of Education determined that the cost and access of secondary schools remains daunting for numerous Rwandan students. Many districts lack a secondary school, and schools in place are often too far for children living in rural areas. The direct and indirect costs for families to send their children to school are significant as well, as many students are responsible for household chores. To add to these issues, it is more difficult to find qualified secondary teachers, with only about a quarter currently qualified. One factor that complicates the Rwandan education system is that it has mandated to be trilingual: the languages French, English, and Kinyarwandan are taught across schools. Teachers that may only know two languages are forced to still teach the other languages, which makes them incompetent. With this weak foundation of primary and secondary education, higher education is forced to continue on with the few students who make it. Because the work force of Rwanda was severely reduced after the genocide, higher institutions were established to train more high level and middle level manpower. Other factors such as HIV/AIDS, shortage of research, and gender equality also complicate the progress of education (Republic of Rwanda).
To face these issues, the most recent education policy comes from the Ministry of Education’s “Education Sector Strategic Plan” (ESSP) published in October 2013. This document is an update to the 2010-2015 ESSP, and aligns with the Rwandan government’s consistent resolve to promote education as a critical investment of their country’s growth. It has been their national priority to make basic 12-year education available to all children, and improve overall accessibility and relevance to national needs. The ESSP’s three overarching goals are to expand education access at all levels, to improve educational quality and teacher training, and narrowing down educational priorities to meet labour market demands. Based on these three goals, 10 specific outcomes have been developed. These 10 specific targets provide concrete ways to reach their goals, including support services and connections.
In support of these outcomes, concrete steps have been developed, and the specific roles of each shareholder are defined. Furthermore, protocols to monitor and assess the progress of the ESSP have been implemented. The policy holds strong and is promising with its vision. A comparison of education statistics between 2008 and 2012 provides an example of the extent of improvement that Rwanda’s education policies have effectuated. Primary school completion increased from 52.5% to 72.7% (Republic of Rwanda). The transition rate from lower secondary to upper secondary grades increased from 86% to 95.9%. More teachers are also getting trained, decreasing the student:teacher ratio from 67:1 to 62:1. The overall number of secondary students almost doubled, and the gender inequality is decreasing as more girls enroll. These improvements in primary and secondary education have translated to the higher education level. In 2012, a total of 76,629 students were enrolled in universities, and vocational education has become more accessible to both city and rural communities (Republic of Rwanda). This clear trend of marked improvement casts a promising vision for Rwanda’s education future.
Breaking News
Country Specific
Private Sector Will Drive Rwandan Development
World Bank’s President Jim Yong Kim just met with Rwandan President Kagame to discuss the financing of Rwanda’s continued growth. Because President Trump’s new policies will significantly decrease to international financial organizations such as World Bank, it is increasingly important for developing countries like Rwanda to focus on private sector investments. President Kagame recognizes this necessity and has affirmed that Rwanda will increase the private sector’s involvement, in order to insure resilience and maintain growth. In praise of Rwanda’s policies, “I think that Rwanda is in a good position, they were a step ahead of everyone else and even though there are so few natural resources, they have managed their resources brilliantly and we think that the growth will continue,” Kim said (Source).
These policies are important to Rwanda’s future. Rwanda has come a long way in its development, but with the changing international political climate, it is becoming even more critical for developing countries to stay ahead of the potential hardships. Rwanda’s focus on private investment paves the way for continued improvements to be made. PREFER’s director informed me that the Rwandan government is placing more focus on public hygiene recently, so private investments could go a long way in making this goal tangible as well. I am excited to go to Rwanda and see what is in store regarding these improvements.
Rwanda’s involvement with South Sudan
Internal tensions within South Sudan have been steadily rising over recent years, and now one article says that it is on the brink of “Rwanda-like Genocide” (Source). South Sudan’s unrest started in 2013 with political conflict, but has translated more into daily conflict between the two main ethnic groups, the Dinka and the Nuer. Numerous murders and rapes occur on the premise of ethnic cleansing. With this high risk of an all out ethnic-war, about a million Sudanese have had to leave and seek refuge in other countries. South Sudan’s government along with the United Nations has recognized the need for external intervention, and UN troops are beginning to enter South Sudan with peacemaking intentions. In support, Rwanda has already sent 1,650 troops and stand by ready to send 4,000 more (Source).
This recent interaction between Rwanda and South Sudan reflects the lesson Rwanda has learned and the progress it has experienced since then. The 1994 genocide was indeed devastating to Rwanda, but every step since then has been to rebuild and grow the country. The fact that it is now able to help a neighboring African country to counter a very similar ethnic conflict shows how far Rwanda has come. My personal awareness of these present conflicts is crucial for me as I enter the country as a foreigner. The effects, positive and negative, of Rwanda’s history will definitely surface during my service weeks, and I determine to be aware and sensitive.
Issue/Service Specific
Rising Popularity of TVET Schools
Recently, the Rwandan government has made actions to revamp technical and vocational education training (TVET) with private investments. Their goal is to soon have 60% of students completing basic education (O-level) to enroll in TVET by 2018 (Source). After Rwandan students complete from junior secondary school when they take the O-Level Test (9th grade), they have the choice of either pursuing admission into competitive senior secondary school, or to go into TVET. More and more students are choosing to pursue TVET schools especially with this government support. The reason is that job opportunities are more immediate for TVET graduates, as TVET curriculum incorporates both theory and practice into their training. In contrast, students who continue secondary schools most likely have to enter university after that before even being considered for a job.
This new prioritization of the Rwandan government toward TVET schooling has significant implications for its future. It is critical for Rwanda to have a continuous source of skilled graduates entering its workforce if it wants to continue to grow its economy. TVETs expedite this process and produces efficient, trained workers that definitely add to Rwanda’s development. When I interact with the primary six and adults at PREFER, I hope to see their perspectives of the Rwandan education system and how their individual paths have been shaped.
Education Sector changes
The year 2016 marked numerous improvements to the Rwandan education system. Most significantly, the new curriculum for competency-based teaching has changed the material required for training teachers through the Rwandan Education Board (REB) (Source). The new concept will make teachers prioritize the teaching of most relevant issues such as genocide perspective, environmental sustainability and sex education.
These active changes will most certainly transform the way young Rwandans perceive the world as they grow and mature. Not only will the curriculum better prepare them for life after school (by switching from knowledge-based to competency-based), but will also enable them to resolve internal conflicts that may arise from Rwandan history. Teaching environmental sustainability and sex education are also major steps toward an increased span of public knowledge. Since PREFER is a privately run school, I am interested in learning how it differs in curriculum, and how locals perceive the pros and cons of the topics they are taught in school.
Faculty/Community Connection
Dr. Elias Bongmba
For the Rice Faculty connection, I reached out to Dr. Elias Bongmba, a Professor of Religion and the Harry and Hazel Chavanne Chair in Christian Theology. He combines his teaches African religions and researches theology and philosophy of religion working with African philosophical ideas and Continental philosophy. In my conversation with Dr. Bongmba, he provided insight regarding the Catholic Church’s influence throughout Rwandan history. Many have blamed the Catholic Church for causing the ethnic divides which culminated in the genocide. Prior to the genocide, the Church was actively involved in may parts of society, and different parties easily manipulated the Church for their own wishes. Recently, the Pope gave a public apology for the Church’s failures. Regardless, Dr. Bongmba asserted that whatever the role the Church played, the actions of the locals cannot be exonerated. Post-genocide, the Church and faith help many Rwandans to cope and definitely does good for the country as a whole as it continues to search for peace within itself.
As a Christian myself, I hope to engage in conversations with local Rwandans who share my faith and understand how their religious devotion has impacted their lives from past to present. My own faith has greatly influenced my life and the decisions I have made, but I have never had to live out my faith during times as horrific as the genocide. With more knowledge of their religious past, I am more culturally aware of the connotations the Church may presently have, positively or negatively.
In addition to his list of papers and books for me to read, Dr. Bongmba also strongly recommended the movie “Sometimes in April” which I plan to watch soon.
Prestige Learning Institute
The Prestige Learning Institute (PLI) is a local English School that seeks to reduce the language and cultural barriers that Houston refugees experience. Founded in 2012, their official mission is “to foster community development and open doors of opportunity for adult immigrants and refugees. We accomplish this by providing culturally appropriate and affordable education initiatives, including literacy and English as a Second Language classes, that empower our students to advance personally, academically, and economically.” Located near Hillcroft and Bellaire Avenues, PLI is ideally situated in refugee dense neighborhoods. They have served immigrants and refugees from 29 countries representing 24 languages. Their most popular service is ESL classes for women, as well as a career mentorship program for men.
I spoke with Ryan Diks, the director of PLI, and was blown away with his dedication. PLI is completely non-profit and privately run. PLI is actually completely volunteer-run, and all the teachers are volunteers who are native English speakers and are sensitive to diverse cultures. They are driven by the desire to openly welcome immigrants and refugees inside and outside the classroom. With the changing political times, it has become especially critical for organizations such as PLI to ensure that refugees feel comfortable and transition well into a completely foreign land. Ryan told me how teachers first build relationships through the language classes, but are able to further build up that relationship outside the classroom when students invite them to their homes. These long-term relationships connect native Americans with international refugees where mutual learning and sharing of culture and knowledge can happen.
I was able to work with Ryan this past spring break to do a trial run of tutoring for middle and high school students. Many refugees and immigrants showed up at the center to receive tutoring, so Ryan and I may continue to collaborate to see how this program can continue with a consistent student volunteer source. Since PLI’s focus has been on helping adults, we may begin branching out to this younger population as well. When I return to the US from Rwanda, I may have greater insight and be more capable of tutoring with a mature, culturally aware heart.
Reflection
Before I started my junior year, I was thinking about how this coming summer would be my last summer with actual freedom to do whatever I wanted. I knew I wanted to do something extraordinary, something revolutionary. But I had no idea what I would do. Then I learned about the Loewenstern Fellowship. A program that fully funded an adventure to a foreign country for the purpose of personal learning. As I researched the program sites, I was especially drawn to PREFER in Musanze, Rwanda because of its unknown nature to me, and its more personal approach to service. PREFER’s schools were started by a single individual by the name of Cathy Emmerson who gave up her life in Canada to fully commit herself to the needs of the Rwandan community. Mrs. Emmerson’s mission to live life with those she was serving and be flexible to meet their needs spoke to my ideals. Several years ago, I taught English to children in an indigenous community in Taiwan, so I felt that PREFER would further extend my horizons by applying my experience to people in a continent completely foreign to me. When I emailed my inquiries to Mrs. Emmerson, I was blown away by her willingness to also have me teach dental hygiene there as well. I knew this was the place for me.
As I began preparing for my Loewenstern experience and learned in class, I soon realized that rather than doing something extraordinary for others, my summer would more likely extraordinarily transform my own self. As I learned about the importance of cultural awareness and civic mindedness, I surprised myself as I began analyzing my perspectives and motives. I do believe that nothing can replace how my mind will be changed this summer with the culmination of the trip.
Researching the information required to compile this ISP opened my eyes to Rwanda’s history and present day culture. The questions that I was unable to address through the ISP included the detailed present state of dental hygiene. Mrs. Emmerson told me that there are no qualified dentists in Rwanda, and she in fact flies to Kenya for her dental check ups. Also, there is a new Rwandan Dental School being developed, but little information is available about its progress. Not knowing these exact conditions, I am planning to go to my six-week trip with open eyes and open ears to keep learning as I am there. One burning question I have is whether Rwandans generally want to keep their own cultural ideas as they relate to dental hygiene, or if they fully embrace Western practices of dentistry. I read that the University of Maryland and Harvard University collaborated to help create the Rwandan Dental School, but I don’t know how much their influence has taken root in the general population of Rwanda. I plan to keep reaching out to involved faculty.
I would like to extend my research and continue learning about the intersection between Rwanda’s education and economic development. As I formed my ISP, I began to see that education was strongly correlated with the overall economy of the nation. I know that international policies are changing as administrations around the world shift, but Rwandan President Kagame has been in control for 15 years now. I hope to keep updated on how he keeps up with the advancement of other countries around him and whether Rwanda can keep growing in this climate. I believe a key part of this question is the people of Rwanda. I hope that during my time in Rwanda, I can interview some locals to see their personal vision of their futures and how they believe they contribute to the country as a whole. I know that a big question for them is whether to go immediately into work or pursue higher education. The paths that local individuals decide upon tie into the nation’s future, and I hope President Kagame encourages more Rwandans to take the optimal route, whatever that is.
Appendix
Works Cited
Honeyman, Catherine A. The Orderly Entrepreneur: Youth, Education, and Governance in Rwanda. Stanford, CA: Stanford UP, 2016. Print.
“Politics in Rwanda.” The Guide throughout Rwanda. About Rwanda, n.d. Web. 25 Feb. 2017.
Republic of Rwanda. Ministry of Education. Education Sector Strategic Plan 2013/14 – 2017/18. Kigali: n.p., 2013. Print.
Republic of Rwanda. Ministry of Education, Science, Technology and Scientific Research. Education Sector Policy. Kigali: n.p., 2003. Print.
“Rwanda.” Education and Policy Data Center. Fhi360, Mar. 2014. Web. 25 Feb. 2017.
“Rwanda Profile.” BBC News. BBC, 05 Jan. 2017. Web. 25 Feb. 2017.
Shanahan, Karim. “Rwanda: The Genocide, Its Aftermath, and the Tragedy of Victor’s Justice.” E-International Relations Students. E-International Relations, 12 Nov. 2012. Web. 25 Feb. 2017.
Breaking News Links:
http://www.newtimes.co.rw/section/article/2017-03-23/209403/
http://www.newtimes.co.rw/section/article/2017-03-23/209413/
http://allafrica.com/stories/201703200096.html
http://www.newtimes.co.rw/section/article/2017-03-22/209305/
http://allafrica.com/stories/201612280107.html