Rwanda's new international educational institution inspired by Uganda's Ntare School which counts Presidents Paul Kagame and Yoweri Museveni among its alumni started the process of receiving students – boys and girls – and staff applications as it prepares for its opening in September, it emerges.Applicants from Rwanda and the international community are welcome.ALSO READ: PHOTOS: President Kagame hosts cocktail in honor of Ntare School OBsLocated in Bugesera District, Eastern Province, the school is the brainchild of former students of Ntare School in Uganda, united under the banner of the Ntare School Old Boys Association (NSOBA).Ntare Louisenlund SchoolIn Rwanda, the new school’s official name is Ntare Louisenlund School (NLS), as noted on its website.According to information provided by the school, academic activities will kick off in September, with the school welcoming up to 80 Grade 7 students each in two distinct streams: the Entrepreneurial International Stream and the Global Plus-STEM Stream.ALSO READ: Ntare school of excellence: cultivating young lions of distinctionIn a message on their website, Damien Paul Vassallo, the Head of School, noted that from the 2029/30 school year onwards, the school will operate at full capacity with approximately 1,000 students.He described Ntare Louisenlund School as “a learning community in which all students have the opportunity to design their own personal story!”Ntare Louisenlund School, both a Rwandan and international school, will deliver an international curriculum with a strong focus on Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) as it aims at fostering academic excellence, nurturing students' character, and promoting a sense of community, so that students will be equipped to tackle the challenges of the twenty-first century.“The school’s aims are promoting academic excellence, enhancing students’ character, and instilling in them a sense of community to prepare them to meet the challenges of the twenty-first century. We believe students learn best when they take responsibility for their own learning. One of our further aims is to support students in securing admission to leading universities worldwide,” said Vassallo.“We are excited about this opportunity to co-create the school of the future in Rwanda.”ALSO READ: Ntare School fundraiser attended by Kagame, Museveni raises Rwf 875mSpread across 60 hectares, the campus is designed to accommodate up to 1,000 boarding students.The new facility boasts facilities including laboratories, modern classrooms, learning studios, IT rooms, a creative design workshop, as well as newly constructed sports amenities such as soccer and handball pitches, a swimming pool, and an Olympic-sized track.The plus-STEM programme, scholarshipsAs noted, Ntare Louisenlund School (Rwanda) aims to be the best school in Africa. With the Rwandan plus-STEM programme, it will bring together the best talents from Rwanda in the fields of mathematics, computer science, natural sciences and technology and act as a hub for training innovation and entrepreneurship and for shaping the future.The aim of the school is to provide students with an outstanding international education, allowing them to apply for scholarships at the best universities worldwide.Half of the student body will be selected through a preliminary assessment and financed by appropriate scholarships (plus-STEM stream). The other half of the student body will be made up of students from across Africa and from wider global community who wish to complete an international school diploma in a strong learning community.The aim of the plus-STEM programme at Ntare Louisenlund Rwanda is to identify top talents across the country and to bring them together in a centre of excellence for young people. As noted, the Ministry of Education pre-selects these talented, accomplished students.In this context, it is noted, around 300 girls and boys are to be preselected for the 80 scholarships to be allocated each year.This will be followed by five regional selection rounds – across two days each with 60 children each.The top 80 students will then be offered a placement by Ntare Louisenlund School.A further unique selling point, as noted, is the fact that the school is the first of its kind outside Germany to implement the concept of a junior academy for top talents in STEM subjects and work closely with “Verein zur MINT-Talentförderung e.V.” [Association for the Promotion of STEM Talent] in Germany, which has developed and licenses the programme.Plus-STEM works with companies, universities and scientific institutions. Students work on their own research projects in the spirit of personalized, inquiry-based learning.
