The National Curriculum Development Centre [NCDC], will soon release revised editions of Rwanda’s history books to replace the current ones. Charles Gahima, the Executive Secretary of NCDC, said that the present history books in the school curriculum were not factual. Gahima, explained that since 1997, numerous meetings have been held with academics and consultants, who are well versed with Rwanda’s history, to update the current history lessons being taught in schools. “We had a lot of meetings to agree and also referred to the present history books. We also consulted and had to involve some of the national academics,” he said. The ‘1954 Rwandan revolution’ is one of the contentious subjects that was revised. “You can’t call it [1954 Rwandan revolution] when some people were thrown out of the country,” Gahima said. He added that the new history syllabus contains the causes of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi. Gahima stressed that in the revisions made, all information is based on facts. “We are saying that the new history lessons should be based on facts,” he said. Jeanne Baranyizigiye, the curriculum designer said they had finished the syllabuses for primary and secondary schools. Ends
