What a generation of scholarships can do

AN 18-year-old Rwandan entering university today is a member of a gifted generation. This is a generation born after the Genocide; the only Rwanda they know is inclusive, developing and safe. Often, it is the subtle changes that will have the greatest impact on history; when we look back on Rwanda today, and again 20 years from now, the impact of our primary and secondary schools may stand out the most for its positive effects. Since 1994, Rwanda’s reformed primary and secondary school system and policies should rank among the most important changes that have shaped our nation’s development. The future of our country is emerging from its schools, and as difficult as it is to assess on a particular day, Rwanda’s graduates are a very bright point for our country and its long-term development, not only academically but in terms of their social maturity and their drive to develop themselves and our country. In a similar way, at the university level, another highly positive, long-term change is taking place: international university scholarship programmes are now making an exceptional investment in many Rwandan students, which will lead to a long-term yield for these students, their families and the country. In 2006, according to the U.S.’s “Open Doors” report, Rwanda had approximately 210 students on student visas in the U.S. In 2011, the number had risen to 465. In 2012, it rose again to 565. This is due in large part to two programmes, one formal and one less so – the Rwanda Presidential Scholars programme, and now the terrific rise in Rwandan students earning scholarships to international universities such as Harvard, the University of Pennsylvania and Dartmouth, which can give them “full need” scholarships if they are admitted. For U.S. universities beginning in August 2014 alone, a recent report shows that Rwanda has increased its U.S. scholarships by more than 40 students from these most selective universities, at no cost to Government. This is impressive and shows what an opportunity these universities present to our students and country. With a typical scholarship valued at $250,000 total over four years, the investment from the universities in each student is significant, yet the benefit is likely much greater than that, in terms of the impact and network that a Rwandan student who has studied at Yale, or the University of Chicago, or engineering at Northwestern, will bring back to this country. And the students from Rwanda, in turn, have a great deal to bring to their universities. International students at the world’s top universities diversify any debate because their experiences are bound to be different. They build an appreciation for other countries in native students. These students are ambassadors for Rwanda’s story, and this improved understanding paves the way for a deeper, more fulfilling engagement, based on mutual respect rather than misunderstandings and ignorance. Because Rwanda will have to observe this development over time, it may be hard to see for some years, but this will lead to many positive changes for our country. No department director, chief executive or high-ranking military personnel can succeed without a deep appreciation for global politics, economics and culture. What international students gain from access from attending the world’s best institutions is not only obvious but much more profound. Great leaders are built by gaining experience to a network where they can compete at the highest levels. The skills one receives from a world-class education are not only invaluable to the individual but to the nation as a whole. The first leader of modern Singapore, Lew Kuan Yew, is internationally lauded for helping transform his country from a third world nation into a first world nation in one generation. One of his first acts as Prime Minister was to get students educated abroad and then immediately bring them back and give them opportunity; a programme called the ‘Presidential Scholars Programme’. A good portion of Singapore’s cabinet and senior military leadership went through this system. Allowing students to surround themselves with the best during their studies, come back and immediately gain experience, and then take up leadership positions builds a momentum for progress that is palpable. In fact, it is the foundation that can lead to transformative, sustained development in our next generation, using solutions that we cannot yet identify but that a generation of young leaders with a great education can. Today, Rwanda needs to give its next crop of leaders the self-belief and skill to take up the mantle and get the experience they will need to take on more responsibilities. Many observers and counterparts of the Rwandan government express their astonishment at the youthfulness of Rwanda’s leadership. A look at the people in the executive office of the President speaks volumes for a leadership’s willingness to empower young people. Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair remarked that over the years of working closely with people in the Government in Rwanda whom he “would have happily had with [him] in #10 [Downing Street].” Rwanda’s students going off to these universities are most likely a decade away from making a major change in Rwanda. But that within itself is the most promising news; Rwanda’s young leaders are on their way. These students will go on to study economics, engineering, literature, computer science, and more. These are the next central bankers, innovators, infrastructure builders, writers, and entrepreneurs of Rwanda’s future. A generation of scholarships will show its merits as they gain skills and help to develop this country. In terms of its high-yield potential through the work and leadership of our students, this generation of international scholarships may prove to be one of Rwanda’s greatest investments for its future development. We should commend our students who have earned scholarships as they go forward and build their dreams. The entire nation and region benefits from their success. Let’s encourage our nation’s students to get the best education available to them, to develop their skills, and to look forward to contributing to the development of their families and country. To the students who study abroad, let us wish them the best and remind them: Rwanda is waiting for you. Adam Kyamatare is an economist based in Copenhagen Twitter: @adamkyam

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What a generation of scholarships can do