Education is one of the hardest-hit sectors by COVID-19 with the closure of all schools in the country. The government did not think twice about it because social distancing, one of the best weapon against the virus, would have been impossible. But the problem was how to keep the students busy because with the lockdown comes restlessness and lifting of the guard. Rwanda Education Board (REB) had an ace up its sleeve but never thought it would have to pull it out because of a global pandemic. The education portal found in place several others by universities and private developers though they are yet to have an effect. But not all students have the tools to tackle e-Learning, especially purchasing internet data. But as we had discussed earlier within these pages, people tend to bond during times of trouble and bring out the best in them. Rwanda Revenue Authority (RRA) relaxed its taxation policies because it appreciated the fact that people were going through hard times. The same thing happened in the banking sector with loan repayments being put on hold temporarily. Now, in partnership with the Ministry of ICT and that of education, major internet service providers have given free access to learning platforms. With most people now working from home, the issue of access to affordable internet will also soon be solved since measure to introduce working-from-home bundles are in the pipeline. One thing is for sure, even though the virus brought death and desolation, it also made people and governments to think out of the box and bring innovation. Our only hope the new measures and policies will remain in place long after COVID-19 has been defeated.
