The mood is as usual at Groupe Scolaire de la Salle in Gicumbi District. Students are relaxed after completing their second term exams and await results before going home for holidays.

But fear looms for Samuel Nshimiyimana. The 24-year-old is not afraid of poor results or suspension over indiscipline, but he is not sure whether he will continue his third term at the same school.

The school belongs to the Catholic Church and partners with the government.

Nshimiyimana and some of his colleagues who profess the Seventh Day Adventist creed say they have for long been deprived of their right to worship on the Sabbath, in accordance with their faith.

Adventists consider Saturday Sabbath day and, therefore, do not do anything apart from praying on the day.

How it started

The Senior Six student said that, previously, they used to have their time to celebrate the Sabbath, but since the beginning of this year, the situation has changed.

"We used to be given our time to celebrate the Sabbath which we started on Friday evening; Saturday was free for us. We prayed, sung and performed other related activities,” said Nshimiyimana.

He narrated that their ordeal begun when the school introduced sports activities on Saturday and all the students were obliged to participate.

Besides, unlike previously, the school also started offering lessons on the Sabbath (Saturday), thus interrupting their intercession moments.

"It was not easy for us, actually our beliefs do not allow us to do anything on that day. But we were obliged to go for sports. In some cases, we were required to attend lessons on Saturday, which we saw as violating our rights.

Some of us resisted,” he said.

"The school management ordered that we attend all Saturday activities and when we resisted, we were sent home to bring our parents to discuss the way forward, but it yielded no results. Some agreed to abide by school regulations but not because they were convinced, but because they had no choice,” said Nshimiyimana.

Being in ambiguity

The school has 54 students who professs the Adventist creed. At least 14 of them have decided not to relent on their decision to observe the Sabbath, while the school authorities say they will not allow them to behave anyhow while they are considered students of the school.

The authorities decided that all students, regardless their beliefs, should respect school regulations or face expulsion.

"We have been requesting for our rights to be respected so that we are not given any assignments on Saturday, but it seems our pleas have fallen on deaf ears,” Nshimiyimana said.

Another student, only identified as Izabayo, said that at the beginning of the academic year, the school asked them to bring proof that they were Adventists and had hoped it was to grant them their full rights, but in vain.

"We presented proof hoping it was intended to allow us our religious rights, but now we are regarded as indiscipline cases. We think we stand for the truth; we can’t respect school regulations while ignoring God’s rules of celebrating Sabbath,” said Izabayo.

Another Adventist student said he was forced to follow school regulations because of pressure from his parents and school authorities.

"My parents and teachers convinced me to go on studying and follow all the school regulations, but I am planning to relocate to another school next year,” said the Senior Four student who requested not to be named for fear of reprisal.

According to Prince Bahati, the director of communications of the Seventh Day Adventists Church in Rwanda, said Adventist students have been deprived of their rights for years by some institutions of learning, thus affecting their beliefs.

"The Sabbath is biblical and we wish the students were accorded their rights. If students do not misbehave, then they deserve their rights. The schools should be tolerant and allow students to enjoy their rights as regard to their beliefs,” Bahati told The New Times.

Janvier Ismail Gasana, the director-general of Rwanda Education Board, said it was unfair to prevent students from enjoying their religious rights adding that it was their constitutional right.

"We urge schools to be flexible regarding religious beliefs, every Rwandan, be it prisoners, students or any other person, has the rights given the circumstances in which they live. School regulations have to be respected but under no circumstances should they infringe on the students’ right to worship,” said Gasana.

‘It’s about rules’

The head teacher of Groupe Scolaire de la Salle, Fr Jean Bosco Birigimana, declined to comment, only saying that the school has internal rules and regulations that every student must observe.

However, he referred The New Times to the Catholic Church’s spokerson for further comments.

When contacted, Bishop Smaragde Mbonyintege, the president of the Episcopal Council of the Catholic Church and the Church spokesperson, said that Catholic schools do not ban students with different beliefs from praying but, in some cases, students are hard to manage when it comes to praying days.

He said like Adventist students, it is always hard to follow school programmes on Saturday (Sabbath day) while schools have no option.

"We have been discussing this issue with various stakeholders in schools whereby we meet church leaders and discuss how to facilitate various believers to pray while at school. This has been an issue in various cases and I think it’s time we discussed this deeply at national level to find lasting solution,” said Mbonyintege.

The bishop said the issue should be addressed as various churches have schools and are strict on internal regulations which complicate praying not only for Adventists but for other believers as well.

"Catholic students learning in Adventist schools also face similar challenges whereby they hold prayers on Saturday, which is not our normal day of holding mass,” he said.

editorial@newtimes.co.rw