Knowing one's country, its history and its issues is the first act of patriotism, according to Tito Rutaremara.

This veteran politician and the Chairperson of Rwanda Elders Advisory Forum (REAF), said that this fundamentally distinguished members of the RPF-Inkotanyi who led the liberation struggle.

He was speaking during an intergenerational dialogue held at Parliament on Tuesday, December 30, which brought together Members of Parliament, civil society actors, government officials and young people to examine the role of families in shaping principled, solution-oriented future leaders.

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According to Rutaremara, the liberation struggle was driven not by slogans but by a deep understanding of Rwanda’s realities.

"The difference between today’s generation and the earlier generation is that they understand Rwanda and its issues,” he said.

"The issues compelled them to struggle in order to resolve them. Even with a strong sense of patriotism, without understanding Rwanda, Rwandans, their challenges and aspirations, you cannot genuinely struggle for the country.”

He used the platform to challenge contemporary parenting methods, warning that excessive material provision without deliberate mentorship is producing a generation less equipped for independent thinking, innovation and problem-solving capabilities.

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The veteran politician criticised a growing mentality among both parents and youth that prioritises familiarity with foreign cultures while neglecting local realities.

"For instance, you cannot ask children who the best football player in Rwanda is without them rushing to the internet,” he said.

"Ask a young person about the challenges facing agriculture in Rwanda, and they will consult AI. If they do not understand the issues, if they do not understand their place in the world, what solutions can they offer? What contribution can they make?”

He cautioned against the unchecked use of the internet and technology, which he said has weakened young people’s sense of identity, history and belonging.

"There is no ownership of knowledge and data. Children are consulting Google for everything,” he said. "They do not know their origins or their history. Our culture and civilisation are increasingly owned by Google, and that is the danger. Google is neither from our country, our region nor Africa, and the children are not the ones to blame.”

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Rutaremara argued that many parents, despite good intentions, fail to create meaningful time for their children, resulting in upbringing that lack strong values and character formation.

"Parents barely create time for their children,” he said, noting that this gap is compounded by an education system that prioritises academic achievement while paying less attention to values.

"The education system provides knowledge without values. Even where values are taught, they are delivered as a subject, yet values transcend classroom instruction,” he added.

"Values are neither sufficiently instilled at home nor at school. Education has become highly sophisticated, but it remains hollow without values, despite children spending most of their formative years in school.”

He observed that while national development frameworks are frequently referenced, they are rarely internalised by young people.

"Youth do not truly understand Vision 2050,” he said. "They can copy it from Google, but they do not grasp its relevance or where the country is heading.”

It is against this backdrop that Rutaremara underscored the urgency of deliberately nurturing problem-solving abilities from an early age, drawing contrasts with earlier generations.

"In earlier times, we were sufficiently challenged to find our own solutions,” he said. "If a child wanted to play, they created their own toys, including footballs. Today, even in villages, parents make every effort to buy tennis balls and footballs from the market.”

He urged parents to embrace practical action. "Parents should shift from slogans such as Intore y’ishakira inzira to reality by training children to find solutions to their own challenges. This must also be done in schools. Children can be taught to find their own solutions, and it is entirely possible. Small disciplines instilled at an early stage significantly shape who they become later in life.”

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Rutaremara noted that the erosion of traditional family structures where children belonged to the wider community and could be guided or corrected by any elder, with extended families playing a central role, has created new parenting challenges. He argued, responsibility for raising values-driven youth must be shared more broadly.

"Teachers also have a responsibility not only to educate but to act as parental figures in guiding young people in traditional values,” he said. "They oversee learners from the age of three up to 24. Deliberate efforts must therefore be made to ensure effective, value-based education.”

The favourable governance system

Despite the challenges, Rutaremara acknowledged that Rwanda’s youth are living in a favourable governance environment that actively promotes inclusion.

"The government has provided universal education, civic education and political education,” he said. "Youth aged between 18 and 30 participate in politics and decision-making at different governance levels. If you examine the age brackets of ministers, state ministers, permanent secretaries and directors, many of them are youth.”

He stressed that this inclusion is deliberate. "The government, within its limited means, intentionally involves youth because today’s leaders were once youth themselves during the liberation struggle.”

During the dialogue, MPs highlighted several challenges affecting young people across the country, particularly those rooted in family settings. These included drug abuse, weak parenting, erosion of traditional values, family conflicts linked to alcoholism, infidelity and economic pressures, as well as misunderstandings around gender equality.

Participants noted that these issues often lead to broader social challenges such as teenage pregnancies, street children, domestic violence and intergenerational poverty, weakening social cohesion and the emergence of capable future leaders.

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Speaking on behalf of the youth, Francis Nyamaswa, acting National Youth Council Coordinator, acknowledged progress in youth inclusion but said more trust is still required.

"Youth should be trusted by older generations in different settings,” he said. "They want to contribute to problem-solving rather than having their ideas dismissed as immature.”

Nyamaswa also warned that unchecked fearlessness among some youth stems from weak value systems, limited parental guidance and unfiltered internet influence.

"The most effective way of teaching is by example,” he said. "Parents and leaders must reflect on the examples they set, both in leadership and family settings. Many of the challenges faced by youth originate within families before expanding into community and national issues.”