Like other levels of education in Rwanda, higher learning is undergoing reforms aimed at boosting quality, aligning academic programmes with evolving labour market needs; promote internationalization, and positioning the country as a competitive education hub on the continent. ALSO READ: Education: What to know as equivalence process goes fully digital In an exclusive interview with The New Times, Edward Kadozi, the Director General of the Higher Education Council (HEC), outlined his priorities since assuming office six months ago, as well as reforms designed to improve service delivery, streamline accreditation, equivalence issuance processes, and strengthen links between academia and the industry. ALSO READ: Why Rwanda is reforming education system “When I joined HEC, my priority was to understand the higher education sector from multiple perspectives: the institutions we regulate, the national priorities we must align with, and HEC’s capacity to deliver on its mandate,” Kadozi said. This included consulting stakeholders in higher learning institutions, the Ministry of Education, and other authorities to assess expectations, identify bottlenecks, and design appropriate reforms to address them. ALSO READ: Experts on need to bridge education output, labour market gap Curriculum alignment with labour market needs A key focus, Kadozi noted, is ensuring graduates leave university campuses equipped with skills that match the evolving demands of the labour market in Rwanda and beyond. “This starts with labor market needs assessment and curriculum development. We have the Rwanda National Qualifications Framework as policy, but it must be fully operationalised in collaboration with higher learning institutions. We are engaging the private sector and industry actors in curriculum review, quality assurance, and academia-industry collaboration,” he said. The council has initiated benchmarking of academic programs at both national and regional levels, intending to harmonize academic programmes, promote credit accumulation and transfer within the country and in the region, and talent mobility. For instance, we have benchmarked academic programs of business and finance, education, medicine, and nursing, said Kadozi. He added that they have started engaging professional bodies to participate in curriculum review, assessment, and quality assurance, to make sure that the needs of the labor market are translated into curriculum development and delivery of teaching. Digitising accreditation process HEC is introducing a time-bound calendar for curriculum submissions, programme accreditation, and institutional approvals. This, Kadozi explained, will eliminate backlogs caused by institutions submitting requests at any time, and will enable HEC to focus resources on specific tasks within set timelines. To speed up service delivery, HEC is developing the Higher Learning Information Management System (HEMIS). Once operational, this platform will allow institutions to submit applications, track progress, and receive feedback online. It will streamline the verification and approval of academic documents from Higher Learning Institutions for graduation and help manage and track the stock of skills in the labor market to inform policy decisions. “The system will integrate the academic document equivalence process, which has previously faced delays. Once finalised this year, the process will be faster and more efficient,” Kadozi said. Internationalisation Another priority is making Rwanda more attractive to international students, faculty, and top-ranked universities. This involves strengthening quality assurance, improving academic excellence, and ensuring student welfare. “International students look for quality first. Beyond academics, we must ensure their welfare is addressed, including accommodation, insurance, visas, as well as providing dedicated support services at host institutions,” he said. HEC is working with Rwandan diplomats abroad to attract credible global universities to establish campuses or collaborate with local institutions, focusing on key priority areas under the National Strategy for Transformation (NST2) and Vision 2050. Performance measurement and transparency To address what Kadozi calls “information asymmetry” in the sector, HEC plans to introduce performance measurement and accountability frameworks. These will assess universities based on how they deliver academic programmes, academic outcomes such as graduate employability, research output, student welfare, among others. “We will publish rankings and assessments so that the public knows which institutions perform best. This will also encourage healthy competition, enhance quality assurance and excellence,” he said. We need to close the existing issue of misinformation among students and parents when they decide which university is the best for them. Research, development, and staff capacity Kadozi stressed that for Rwanda to become an education hub, research and development must be strengthened. This includes improving academic staff development, research capabilities, and pedagogical skills. Universities need research agendas aligned to national development priorities, and they need to prioritize fund mobilization for research and development, he noted. “We are encouraging higher learning institutions not just to teach but to invest in staff development. Enhancing academic staff capacity will translate into better delivery of teaching and stronger research,” he said. HEC is aligning Rwanda’s higher education system with the East African Community frameworks for common higher education standards. This ensures local institutions remain competitive regionally and internationally. Long-term vision While some reforms, such as the digital information management system, specifically the equivalence issuing component, are expected to be completed within this year, others, like performance ranking and comprehensive internationalisation strategies, may take up to two years, he said. Kadozi believes these reforms will eventually make Rwanda a model for higher education governance and delivery in Africa. “Our goal is clear: to strengthen quality assurance, embrace technology in research and teaching, close the gap between academia and industry, and ensure our graduates are globally competitive. If we do this, Rwanda will not just meet local needs, but will educate the world,” he said.
