Officials from the Rwanda Union of the Blind (RUB) and former students have raised their concerns after Groupe Scolaire Gahini, a secondary school in Kayonza District, phased out its programme for learners with visual impairment arguing that the move undermines efforts to promote inclusive education.

For nearly three decades, GS Gahini was regarded as a model for inclusive education, bringing together students with visual impairment and other students in the same learning environment. Since admitting its first eight blind students in 1997, the school has enabled more than 100 learners with visual impairment to complete secondary education.

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However, the school stopped receiving visually impaired students three years ago. The last students left the school in the 2024-25 academic year when six students completed S6, effectively ending the programme.

The school said they had not stopped the programme deliberately, although it had handed over specialised equipment to Rwanda Basic Education Board (REB). Instead, its administrator said, admission requests declined over the years.

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RUB Executive Director Jacques Mugisha said the development came as a surprise to the organisation, which has since sought answers from education authorities.

"We were shocked to learn that GS Gahini had stopped receiving students with visual impairment. We have followed up on the matter through different channels, but without success," Mugisha told The New Times.

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He described the school as Rwanda&039;s flagship inclusive secondary school, saying it had demonstrated for years that students with disabilities can successfully study alongside their peers.

"GS Gahini has been receiving students with visual impairment for more than 25 years. It remains the country's only secondary school that truly implemented inclusive education on such a scale. It played a major role in proving that learners with visual impairment can thrive in mainstream schools."

Mugisha, an alumnus of the school, said studying alongside sighted students helped learners with visual impairment integrate into society while challenging misconceptions about disability.

"Inclusive education allows students with visual impairment to demonstrate their abilities. When they later meet in workplaces or communities, people no longer doubt their intellectual capacity because they already studied together."

Allegations of deteriorating support

According to Mugisha, an assessment conducted by RUB found that support for visually impaired students steadily declined under the school's current leadership.

He alleged that students increasingly experienced neglect and unequal treatment, with school leaders showing little willingness to accommodate their needs.

Mugisha argued that the school had all the infrastructure, equipment and experienced teachers required to continue the programme.

The school had a dedicated resource room built with donor support, Braille equipment for students and teachers, and staff trained in inclusive education.

"The decision is unjustified. This is a school that has been recognised nationally for championing inclusive education." he said.

Former student recounts challenges

A former student, who requested anonymity because of the sensitivity of the issue, said visually impaired learners often felt neglected despite studying in what was considered an inclusive school.

She said they frequently struggled to obtain class notes because they relied on classmates who were also busy taking their own notes.

The school administration, the former student added, did not consistently provide the specialised academic support they required.

"Even after examinations, we could miss our results because nobody followed up. When our performance declined, the school blamed us instead of addressing the underlying challenges," she said.

She recalled that as early as 2011, students met the school headmaster after concerns emerged about the future of the programme.

"He told us our performance was poor and that he intended to phase out admitting students with visual impairment. We asked where we would go if GS Gahini stopped receiving us, but we never got an answer."

The former student said the issue was later raised during the 2012 National Children's Summit, prompting intervention by education authorities who later conducted assessment.

Following the assessment, which was a recommendation from the summit, the school received additional Braille equipment, recorders and learning materials, while teachers were instructed to strengthen support for learners with visual impairment.

The interventions, the former student said, significantly improved academic performance.

"The following year, one visually impaired student became the best performer in the entire school in HEG during the national examinations. Many of us performed well, obtained scholarships and continued to university. I am now pursuing a master's degree."

She believes the programme's eventual closure reflected a lack of commitment from the school leadership rather than a lack of potential students.

"Our hope is that GS Gahini reopens the programme, but reopening alone is not enough. There must also be consistent follow-up to ensure learners receive the support they need."

She stressed that inclusive schools remain preferable because they prepare learners with disabilities for life alongside the wider community.

School says enrolment declined

GS Gahini Headteacher Luke Karemangingo rejected claims that the school deliberately stopped admitting students with visual impairment.

He said enrolment gradually declined over several years until no students with visual impairment remained at the school.

"We did not stop receiving students with visual impairment. We simply reached a point where no students were requesting admission. Learners have the right to choose where they study, and perhaps many opted for other schools." he said.

Karemangingo maintained that the school remains willing to admit learners with visual impairment should they seek enrolment.

"As a school with experience in inclusive education, we would be happy to receive them again. We are open to any student who wishes to study here."

He said a team from the Ministry of Education had recently visited the school to assess its readiness to resume the programme.

Regarding specialised equipment previously used by visually impaired learners, Karemangingo said the school transferred Braille machines and other materials to the Rwanda Basic Education Board (REB) after they remained unused for years.

"The equipment had become idle after the number of students declined. We decided to hand it over to REB so it could benefit other schools that needed it."

REB says inclusive education must continue

The Rwanda Basic Education Board confirmed it had received complaints about the discontinuation of the programme and subsequently dispatched a team to assess the situation.

Irenée Muyizere, Director of Special Needs and Inclusive Education at REB, said school administrators attributed the decision to declining enrolment.

However, he emphasised that the government remains committed to strengthening inclusive education and does not support phasing out such programmes.

"The school reported that the number of students with visual impairment had declined. We are verifying the reasons why learners were no longer being deployed there."

Muyizere noted that the government had invested in GS Gahini's inclusive education infrastructure over the years.

"Rwanda is promoting inclusive education, and GS Gahini has been one of the country's model schools. We cannot afford to lose such an important programme."

He confirmed that REB took custody of the specialised equipment after the school indicated it was no longer being used.

Should the programme resume, he said, the government would ensure the school is re-equipped.

"Even if there are only one, two or three learners with visual impairment, they deserve access to quality education. We hope the programme will resume, and the necessary equipment can always be provided again."

There are no exact figures of students who studied at GS Gahini from 1997 since it first received eight students with visual impairment. Available figures indicate that 106 students with visual impairment completed secondary education at GS Gahini between 2002 and 2025.

For Rwanda Union of the Blind, what matters is not the number of how many completed at GS Gahini, the issue is on whether that legacy can be restored as the country continues to expand inclusive learning opportunities for children with disabilities.

"We don’t just demand that the school reopens and starts receiving students with visual impairment; we also demand transparency and rights to be respected,” Mugisha said.

"There should be deep assessment on why the school no longer provides a conducive environment for learners with visual impairment. There should also be consistent follow up if the school reopens.”