Kwibuka 32: Pastor Rutayisire recounts cost of divisionism on education

Anglican pastor and former educator Antoine Rutayisire has shared a personal account of how divisionism in Rwanda’s education system pre-1994 disrupted the life and career of Tutsi. He lost his university lecturing position. Rutayisire, 68, gave the testimony on April 16 during the 32nd commemoration of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi, in an event organised by the Ministry of Education. The ministry commemorated 77 former employees, teachers, and students killed during the Genocide. ALSO READ: 32 years later, Rwanda remembers Rutayisire traced his first encounters with divisionism back to 1961 when his father, a businessman who used to get goods from Uganda using a bicycle, was attacked, their property looted, before he was killed in 1963. “At the time, we were told he had gone to Uganda to get goods and would return. Years passed without answers,” Rutayisire recalled. He remembered waiting eagerly for his father’s return, not only for his presence, but for the sweets he used to bring home. “I missed the sweets, but he never came back,” he said. ALSO READ: Minister Bizimana details how bad politics laid ground for Genocide The trauma deepened when he started school. During enrollment, his mother was interrogated about his father’s whereabouts and death in front of him, an experience that left lasting emotional scars. Discrimination in the classroom Rutayisire described how ethnic discrimination became evident in primary school. In Primary Two, students were asked to identify themselves by ethnic group, Hutu, Tutsi, or Twa, introducing division at an early age. “We were only a few Tutsi in a class dominated by Hutu students,” he said. He recounted incidents where top-performing students like himself were rewarded, but also targeted. Fellow pupils wrote threatening messages, referring to him and his sister as “snakes.” “What children learn from teachers stays with them. Education can shape or destroy a society,” Rutayisire noted. Barriers to education and opportunity Despite excelling academically, Rutayisire said advancement opportunities were heavily restricted for Tutsi students. “To move from primary to secondary school, you had to be exceptionally brilliant,” he explained. He later went to a seminary but experienced further instability during the early 1970s, when violence and expulsions of Tutsi students intensified. Following the 1973 coup led by Juvénal Habyarimana, he said conditions temporarily improved, allowing him to complete his studies. However, discrimination persisted. After graduating, Rutayisire was denied a government scholarship despite strong academic performance. “A ministry official looked at my documents, then at my ID showing my ethnicity, and threw them away,” he recalled. A career derailed Though he eventually secured a scholarship and completed university with distinction—earning top grades and qualifying as a youngest university lecturer, his career faced another setback. “I received a letter stating that, due to government reasons, I was no longer a university lecturer and had been transferred to teach in secondary school,” he said. Efforts by the university to reverse the decision failed. He later pursued further studies and obtained a master’s degree in education in the United Kingdom after an external examiner recognised his academic level. Still, upon returning, he was sent back to teach in secondary school in Rulindo. “I sat with a master’s degree for five years, teaching in the lower secondary school,” he said. Even promotions were blocked. When his headteacher recommended him for a leadership role as Director of Studies, the ministry refused to approve the appointment without explanation. A hopeful present Rutayisire described the education system of that era as one that “fuelled, used, and sustained divisionism,” particularly affecting intellectuals and educators. He reflected on the post-Genocide rebuilding of the country which has eliminated discrimination. “What makes me happy today is that my daughter is a university lecturer, the youngest in her department. She is given the opportunity I was denied,” he said. He commended current efforts to promote merit-based opportunities and unity among younger generations.

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Kwibuka 32: Pastor Rutayisire recounts cost of divisionism on education