The management of International School of Kigali (ISK) which was founded in 2009, has announced that it will soon officially open a new campus which will start by the end of 2021 after the construction works are fully completed. The new campus is located in Kimironko sector, in Kibagabaga cell, Gasabo district and it is built on an expansive 2.3 hectares, to provide ample space for children to learn from a better environment. The school acquired the former Kiberinka Cultural Centre, which will be repurposed to serve as the permanent home for the internationally-accredited non-profit school. The new school will host the kindergarten section through Grade 12. “Over the next few months, the site’s existing structures at Kiberinka a former cultural centre in Kibagabaga will be refurbished into classrooms in order to allow students have access to indoor and outdoor spaces offerinf a conducive environment for learning,” says Rhonda Isley, ISK Director, adding that they have plans to have students on the new campus by the end of 2021. In an exclusive interview with The New Times, the board president of the school, Marcel Lehner said the ISK’s vision for the medium-term is to transform the site into a 21st Century campus growing from approximately 240 student’s pre-pandemic to 400 students in 10 years’ time. The investment is estimated to be $11 million dollars over a 5-year period and will create an estimated 50 construction jobs and 25 new direct local jobs. “Establishing a permanent campus in Kigali has been a long-standing ambition of the school since its founding. The site we’ve identified and secured offers the space to design and build classrooms, laboratories, and libraries as well, on top of recreation facilities and sports, like soccer, tennis, volleyball, basketball and a swimming pool of over 25 meters, he said. According to Lehner, all this will be done while retaining natural green spaces. School to offer scholarships According to the board president, in consultation with the government of Rwanda, the international school intends to initiate a scholarship programme that will specifically benefit bright children who perform highly in class but have no means to afford school fees. “Initially we intend to start with 20 scholarships this academic year (which starts in 2022) and the long term goal is to have 20 scholarships per year), in order to assist children with no means, he said. He said that beneficiaries will be selected in consultation with the government. Meanwhile, what the school is doing to keep children safe during this Covid-19 pandemic that has rattled the global order, Lehner said that they preventing and respecting the guidelines to ensure the children are kept in relative safety while in school. “Respecting the guidelines to fight and prevent Covid-19 is also our concern because we are working very closely with RBC (Rwanda Biomedical Centre); they visited our campus and were happy to see what we are doing. Again, we got advice from American CDC, and the German Robert Koch Institute who advised us on how to follow the protocol in order to keep our children safe against Covid-19 and any other pandemic’’. About the school The school’s student community represents 34 different nationalities as of last academic year and according to officials, ISK continues to attract a growing number of more nationalities and Rwandan students who would have otherwise sought options abroad for world class education. ISK boasts of accredited teachers at all levels and are highly qualified. According to managemernt, all teachers - both foreign or Rwandans - must undergo a specialised child protection training. We also have qualified school psychologists, as well as counsellors who deal with different child-related issues including those with special needs like those with disabilities; whether physical or mental. Our major goal at the new campus is to offer quality education and accessible to all with no one left behind,” said Lehner. ISK is committed to being an inclusive school that cultivates student curiosity, compassion, and engagement with their local and global community through collaboration, communication, creativity and critical thinking, according to management. With this commitment and approach, ISK graduating students have an almost 100% admission rate to North American, European and African colleges and universities. Anna Masozera, one of the parents whose children go to the International School of Kigali said she is happy with the safe and supportive environment offered at the school. “Our daughter has had the opportunity to receive quality education at the international school of Kigali where she has been since 2010. In fact, what excites us about the new campus is that the facilities will allow the school to make a more permanent and meaningful contribution to Rwanda’s development agenda.” ISK new campus is easily accessible from Gacuriro and Nyarutarama and offers beautiful views of the surrounding landscape. Parents, guardians, and students interested in learning more about the International School of Kigali are encouraged to explore the school’s website (www.iskr.org) and contact admissions@iskr.org. The school offers a US-based curriculum. It has 35 qualified teachers (from all over the world) some of them Rwandans. At the moment, 15 per cent of ISK students are Rwandan nationals and the goal is to bring this number up to 50 per cent. It has the capacity to accommodate over 200 students, but after the completion of phase two, the number will increase to 400 students, the complete investment for the new campus will be between $11 and $12 million equivalent to Rwandan francs. However, renovation works will cost are about $500,000.
