Rwanda’s education system is expected to get a boost after the Ministry of Education and Singaporean Nanyang Technological University(NTU) signed an agreement on academic exchange.
This partnership is a result of the discussions between President Paul Kagame and Professor Subra Suresh, the institute’s president, during the World Economic Forum in Davos held in 2019.
The agreement provides a detailed framework to promote cooperation between the government of Rwanda and NTU in the fields of scientific research, education, training and technology between both parties.
In a virtual partnership signing ceremony held this week, the Minister of Education Valentine Uwamariya noted that the framework complements Rwanda’s vision to become a globally competitive knowledge-based economy.
"This partnership supports Rwanda’s national strategy for transformation mainly because it focuses on areas of strength of NTU against the priorities facing the education sector in Rwanda,” she highlighted.
"It will also yield benefits for both parties in terms of increasing their visibility, global profile and individuals who contribute to the global human development agenda,” she added.
The New Times detailed the MoU and find out key areas where it will focus, and established the following:
I1. Fellowships programmes for undergraduate, postgraduate students and specifically presidential postdoctoral fellowship programmes which will fund the fellows to conduct collaborative research at NTU.
2. Master’s degree programmes with a particular focus on technology structured to mix online and on-campus learning styles to facilitate students to take some of the courses in Rwanda and others in Singapore.
3. Executive training programmes to deliver public administration, entrepreneurship and innovation skills to company managers and Rwandan government officials.
4. Training programme for educators to train them on teaching methodologies on educational programme administration.
5. Staff Exchange programme to roll out opportunities to gain and share experiences to professors and junior staff in education institutions.
The move comes after another renowned higher education institution had established its hub in Kigali due to Rwanda’s favorable investment policies attracting investors in all the fields.