Parliament to quiz education ministers again

KIMIHURURA - Members of Parliament yesterday voted unanimously to summon education ministers again to explain why action should not be taken against them for their failure to stamp out genocide ideology in schools. The riled legislators say Education minister Dr Jeane d’Arc Mujawamariya and Joseph Murkeraho, State Minister in charge of Primary and Secondary Education, failed to explain what their ministry was doing to curb the vice in some schools. MP Bernadette Kanzayire said they want both ministers to re-appear before the Chamber of Deputies and give convincing explanations before stern action is taken against them. Kanzayire headed the six-member commission, which further scrutinised the measures put in place to curb genocide ideology in schools by the Ministry of Education. The ministers have already admitted before the House their failures concerning genocide ideology in schools and this is serious, Kanzayire said. The commission had also been mandated to summon education ministers to give further explanations on what the ministry was doing to fight genocide ideology. The committee was formed on December 21 last year, and given 15 days in which to accomplish the task. The report was presented to Parliament on Monday, January 14. But the committee members and other MPs in the House are now saying that the ministers failed to convince them because their explanations were contradictory. MP Francis Kaboneka complained that some of his colleagues in the House were dragging their feet over such a serious vice, which if not checked could destroy the society. The two probe committees have proved that the ministers failed their duties and even apologised. What more evidence do we need? Kaboneka charged. Many other MPs called tough action against ministers, saying the rule of law must be applied to every member of society regardless of his/her position. The tough talking MPs urged the two ministers to play their role as the custodians of education to save the future generation. Speaker Alfred Mukezamfura chaired yesterday’s charged session. Flanked by his Vice, Denis Polisi, Mukezamfura appealed to the MPs to follow legal procedures to avoid any future repercussions against the House. We must do something where people will not question us on the decision we took, Mukezamfura said. As the tension started rising, the Speaker ordered a 20-minute break. Out of 71 MPs present, 64 voted in support of Mujawamariya re-appearing before the House while 65 want Murekeraho. When the two ministers re-appear before the MPs, they will outline tangible measures adopted to end the lingering vice in schools. The date for the ministers to face the House is not yet decided. Mukezamfura said Parliament would petition the Prime Minister, Bernard Makuza, to allow the two ministers appear before the August House. In an interview after yesterday’s morning session, Kanzayire insisted the ministry of education had failed to come up with stringent measures to fight genocide ideology in schools. What the two ministers promised to do to curb the vice is simply lip services. They have not put anything in place, she said. She said the two ministers during the probe sessions tried to avoid most of the questions raised by the lawmakers. Their answers, Kanzayire added, were not convincing. The report also indicates that the two ministers were reportedly responsible for the increasing genocide ideology in schools and lacking rigorous measures to contain the problem. Kanzayire’s ad hoc committee followed an earlier parliamentary probe commission set up in August last year to investigate genocide ideology in schools. The probe committee then revealed a high rate of cases of genocide ideology in several secondary schools around the country, some scoring as high as 97 percent. The inquiry came up with a list of eleven schools, which were leading in cases of genocide ideology countrywide. Early this week, Murekeraho said that the ministry had equipped 6,000 teachers from various schools countrywide with skills of handling cases of genocide ideology.Ends

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Parliament to quiz education ministers again