The School of Finance and Banking (SFB) is in talks with the Kigali Institute of Science and Technology (KIST) to help secure infrastructural facilities for 400 private sponsored students admitted by the former.

Yesterday, SFB officials said they had cut the number of private students’ intake for 2009 to match the available infrastructure, as the academic year opened on the same day.

According to officials a total of 800 students were admitted, 400 of whom are private students on evening programmes- all of whom are expected to study at KIST once the deal is struck.
Although previously any student who obtains two points at ‘A’ level would qualify for private admission at the institution, the cut off points for private students at SFB this year increased to 3.6, probably due to limited facilities.

"Many who applied qualify but we can’t take them all due to limited facilities, the Vice Rector in charge of Academics, Prof. Erasmas Kaijage, said in an interview with The New Times yesterday.

Speaking from his office, Prof. Kaijage, said, "We have already made a draft Memorandum of Understanding defining the modalities. Basically, it focuses on the number of rooms, what time we shall need them, and payments if any, maintenance and how to resolve any issues that may come up.”

All full time and other private sponsored continuing students, he said, will be retained at the Mburabuturo Hill based campus, located in Gikondo.

The Vice Rector explained that the Ministry of Education instructed the SFB board chairman, Prof Manasseh Nshuti, to discuss the matter with his counterpart at KIST.

"The negotiations are on course, and they have already inspected the lighting system there,” Kaijage said.

Asked how they intend to address the problem of infrastructure, at SFB, he said they have a plan to construct two structures which could be completed by mid this year.

One of the buildings, he said, would be built using money from internally generated revenue, while the second would be funded by the government.

On the problem of teaching staff, which has in the past been reported at the institution, the Vice Rector said they have already recruited five lecturers adding that Senior Lecturers will be recruited in due course. He ruled out the possibility of increasing tuition fees for this academic year as earlier reported.

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