A local school emerged the winners of a continental quality education competition after it managed to implement all the priorities it had set during the last academic year. The competition was organised by Opportunity International, a global non-profit organisation that helps communities and people in developing nations work their way out of poverty through financial support. The school, Busy Bees Foundation School, located in Kagugu cell, Kinyinya sector in Gasabo District, beat over 30 other schools from various countries across the continent. This annual competition is organised at a continental level covering the private sector only, and it was the first time for a Rwandan school to win. According to Renée McAlpin, the African Coordinator for Education Quality at Opportunity International, the school exhibited an outstanding performance in the implementation of priorities it had set, namely child protection, school culture and business and finance management. “Busy Bees School has been an outstanding school and showed progress towards completing and achieving the goals they have set in the school development plan,” McAlpin said on Sunday during the award ceremony in Kigali. She added that the school also collaborates with other schools and supports them in capacity building. Over 80 private schools are members of Opportunity International and work together in the group dubbed Source of Knowledge. There were 33 contestants in total and Busy Bees Foundation School emerged the best, scooping a USD5, 000 cash prize. Berthe Furaha, the head teacher of the school, said the award indicates hard work and collaboration between the school, teachers and the community in general. “This success is a joint effort of many people including parents, teachers as well as students. I am passionate about education and I really want to work hard to achieve quality education,” said Furaha. “We sent in three priorities, including child protection, school culture and business and finance management, we did our best in all areas.” She said the school has managed to implement a pure water project and children’s rights initiative. “In child protection, the school created a policy to establish a code of conduct which was signed by all teachers to promote child protection in the school and in the community,” she added. editorial@newtimes.co.rw
