As the new academic year started yesterday, a tour of some schools revealed a number of issues that needed fixing. In some schools such as at Saint André in Nyamirambo, students were in their respective classrooms but there were few teachers, something that frustrated officials from the Ministry of Education who were inspecting the start of the school calendar. School managers said they were busy welcoming students, but Isaac Munyakazi, the State Minister for Primary and Secondary Education, said there should be no reason to why lessons could not start on time. In other schools, administrators were still welcoming students, while students could be seen out with their parents. However, at Lycee de Kigali, students were in class apart from a few. Some parents were also there seeking admissions for their children. There were also issues of placement whereby students were sent to schools only to realise the schools were not ready to receive them due to limited space. Some students were yet to know where they would go for their new classes, leaving them and their parents frustrated. This was the first time students were placed randomly by the Rwanda Education Board (REB) unlike previously when candidates could indicate schools of their preference and schools were involved in selecting students. Rwanda Education Board worked with schools and districts to know the number of students each school could receive. However, all did not go well as hundreds of students found there were no space for them upon arrival at their respective schools. Ministry speaks out According to Munyakazi, issues that arose at the beginning of the school term shows a lack of collaboration among all stakeholders. “We urged districts to work with teachers to ensure that lessons start the same day but wherever we went, it was clear that they had not. Parents were looking for places for their children and it is clear that preparations were not done beforehand,” he added He said that it was not appropriate that some schools were still receiving students while they should have begun classes. The minister said that placement became an issue mainly because this year, more students were enrolled due to the 7 per cent increase of candidates who sat primary exams. He also said that placement was done based on the number of places available in each school and that mistakes were made because REB received wrong figures from districts. “However, we began working with districts and schools to ensure that students who are yet to get places get them. Our team of inspectors is working on this and the issue will have been dealt by the end of the week,” he said yesterday. Limited space Sister Marie Goretti Mukarubayiza, the head teacher from ENDP Karubanda in Huye District, said that over 120 students were sent to her school yet she had the capacity to receive only 80. “We received those we can accommodate and the district is working with REB to get others schools where to,” she said. editorial@newtimes.co.rw
