Rwanda: Minister Commends World Vision's Education Initiatives

The State Minister in charge of Primary and Secondary Education, Dr. Mathias Harebamungu, has commended World Vision Rwanda for its various interventions that supplement the government's education programmes.

He made the remarks while addressing visiting World Vision funding partners from the United States, on Wednesday, at the ministry's headquarters.

The visitors included Stuart Philips, who funded the construction of a modern Vacation Training School at Kibeho, Nyamagabe District through World Vision Rwanda.

The other one was Debbie Quesada from Golf Fore Africa, an organisation that funded the construction of Uwinkingi Health Clinic in Nyamagabe.

The facility provides life saving support to the community of over 24,000 people.

The meeting was also attended by  World Vision Rwanda National Director  George Gitau, as well as other officials.

The minister particularly thanked the NGO's support to technical vocational education, rehabilitation and construction of new classrooms in various parts of the country, provision of scholastic materials like textbooks, desks and provision of training to teachers, among others.

"Your contribution towards the development of the country is evident in all sectors. The government, particularly, the Ministry of Education, would not have registered all these achievements without the support of development partners such as World Vision," he said.

"Our new strategy is to shift the main focus from formal to technical education, because we want Rwanda to produce job creators, not job seekers," Harebamungu explained.

He revealed that 41 percent of the Education Ministry's budget in 2012 will focus on promoting technical education and called upon World Vision and other development partners to support the move.

Harebamungu also disclosed that through collaboration with various partners, school enrolment had increased from 20 percent before 1994 to 90 percent in 2011.

The donors thanked the government for the steps taken to promote technical vocational education that provides valuable skills to create jobs for the youth.

Gitau reaffirmed the organisation's commitment to partner with the government to support vulnerable people in various forms.

He said World Vision has in the past worked with district authorities to support various government programmes designed to fight poverty, including the cattle stocking programme dubbed 'One-Cow per Poor Family', elimination of thatched houses (Nyakatsi), among others.