Rwandan higher learning institutions need to rethink how they teach civic education to equip students with the skills to navigate misinformation, hate speech, and harmful online content, a University of Rwanda lecturer has said. Presenting a paper at the University of Rwanda-College of Education conference on June 15, Pravda Mfurankunda, a lecturer at UR's School of Arts and Languages, argued that traditional lecture-based approaches to civic education no longer respond to the realities young people face in increasingly digital societies. ALSO READ: A generation awakened, redefining civic responsibility “Civic education is central to a country’s development. You cannot build a nation without civic education,” Mfurankunda, who teaches citizenship and transformative education, told The New Times. Mfurankunda’s paper, titled Digital and Language-Based Approaches to Civic Education in Rwandan Higher Education: A Constructivist Perspective, warned that misinformation, hate speech and irresponsible online behaviour are increasingly shaping students’ civic engagement. He noted that many young people have only a limited understanding of Rwanda’s history, including the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi, making them vulnerable to manipulation online. “If children and young people do not know their history, they cannot understand how to become active participants in the development of their country,” he said. ALSO READ: Yolande Mukagasana's initiative to raise responsible citizens According to Mfurankunda, digital platforms present both opportunities and risks. “Young people, especially Gen Z, spend a great deal of time on social media. They should benefit from these opportunities by making good use of online platforms rather than becoming agents of destruction,” he said. He warned that some youth fall victim to misinformation and online hate because they lack the critical thinking skills needed to assess information from different sources. “Critical thinking teaches them to compare information from different sources, verify it, fact-check it, and ask themselves, ‘How does this content relate to what I found elsewhere?’” he said. Drawing on constructivist learning theories advanced by major international scholars, Mfurankunda proposed moving beyond content transmission towards more participatory methods of civic learning. His conceptual paper recommends integrating culturally embedded language resources, such as proverbs, storytelling and debate, with digital learning platforms including Moodle and Google Classroom. ALSO READ: Educating youth about Genocide non-negotiable, says Bizimana Through these approaches, students can discuss contemporary civic issues, analyse misinformation and online hate speech, and develop ethical digital behaviour, he said. Mfurankunda also argued that language education can help address communication gaps among university students while strengthening critical thinking. Teachers, he said, can use online classroom platforms to facilitate discussions and debates on controversial issues, enabling students to build both communication and analytical skills. Rather than reposting content uncritically, he said, students should use digital platforms to share constructive messages inspired by Rwanda’s values and the lessons drawn from the Genocide against the Tutsi. Mfurankunda recommended that Rwandan universities strengthen students’ critical digital literacy, adopt more participatory approaches to civic education, and integrate culturally grounded teaching methods to foster responsible digital citizenship.
