The government’s education policy has been very clear cut; technology, whether electronic or mechanical, is the secret that will spur the country forward. A lot has been invested in building a firm foundation so that the future generation gets a firm footing. The skills they receive are wide ranging and it brings a sense of pride when they are put to good use. It is not the first time that a solar powered vehicle hits the streets. In fact that concept has been around for decades. But after toying with the idea of putting our abundant resources to good use, solar was put aside as tech firms instead embraced the use of electricity or a hybrid model to power cars. So, when a group of local students from Singhad Technical Education Society-Rwanda (STES-Rwanda) build their own solar powered vehicle from scratch, definitely that is front page material. First of all, they built the car (however lacking in aesthetics) using simple recycled materials but it is functional. With an autonomous driving time of four hours non-stop with top speeds of 50Kmh who would not tip their hearts to the students who dared to dream? With just a bit of tweaking on the design part, the solar car that is yet to be christened or whatever, is sure to find takers; if not on the golf courses, it could be used to move merchandise as it has a pay load of 500 kilogrammes. It is that kind of initiatives and learning to successfully think out of the box that deserves full support. The Workforce Development Agency and the Business Development Fund should step in now and give the students the needed push in the back.
