[lg policy] Ruwanda:

Tue Mar 5 16:25:58 UTC 2019

Gov't retreat agenda to focus on transformation, accountability
This year's leadership retreat will explore ways to boost exports and
investments as well as reflect on the country’s development course, take
audit of past successes and failures and accelerating implementation.
By
Nasra Bishumba <https://www.newtimes.co.rw/profile/nasra-bishumba>
 Published : March 05, 2019 | Updated : March 05, 2019

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15th National Leadership Retreat at the Rwanda Defence Force Combat
Training Centre in Gabiro, Gatsibo District last year. / Village Urugwiro

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An estimated 250 senior leaders from central and local government as well
public parastatals and the private sector will on March 8 head to the
Rwanda Defence Force Combat Training Centre in Gabiro, Gatsibo District for
the annual National Leadership retreat where they will spend five days
dissecting issues regarding improving the quality of health, education and
how to increase agricultural productivity for growth among other topics.

The 16th National Leadership Retreat, which kicks takes place from Friday
to Tuesday next week, will also explore ways to boost exports and
investments as well as reflect on the country’s development course, take
audit of past successes and failures and accelerating implementation.

*The numbers*

One of the key questions that most are waiting to be addressed is how to
fix the problems in the education sector.

For instance, while the number of students in primary schools increased by
34 per cent between 2001 and 2011, the 2017 Fifth Integrated Household
Living Survey estimates that 22 per cent of children attending primary
school repeated their class in 2015.

The World Bank Rwanda Economic Update, which was released in Kigali in
December last year said that the issues of low school completion rates,
alarmingly low learning outcomes, and inadequate teachers’ skills among
others must be addressed if any improvement in the education system is to
be achieved.

For instance, the World Bank observed that despite Rwanda having
exceptionally high gross enrolment ratios in primary education, dropping
out remains prevalent with only 68 per cent of first graders estimated to
eventually complete six years of primary education.

Specifically, the retreat seeks to reduce repetition and dropout rates,
increase enrolment in secondary schools, improving quality in teacher
training and use of ICT in teaching as well as how best to provide quality
education from primary to tertiary education.

*Experts weigh in*

The Chairperson of the Rwanda Civil Society Platform, Jean Léonard
Sekanyange, told The New Times in a telephone interview that bringing the
issues in the education sector to the retreat table was a good and timely
idea.

He partly blames the challenges in the sector to the unpredictability of
the leadership caused by changes in the management of the Ministry of
Education

“In the last 25 years, the education system hasn’t really been stable where
everyone is happy with the results. This is mostly because the education
ministers frequently change where you find that just as one is beginning to
stabilise the system, he is replaced and then the new one also comes with
other new changes. There is no stability,” he said.

Sekanyange also said that while the government’s efforts to achieve
universal education is commendable, it has undermined the quality of
education.

He proposes the establishment of a sustainable education programme which
can be run by people who are experts in the sector and who will be given
enough time to correct what is not working.

“We also need a strategy where a child is followed up on a daily basis from
the moment they start school to when they sit for exams. It should be
mandatory for a student to attend classes for a particular number of hours
before they are allowed to sit exams,” he said.

Professor Eric Ndushabandi, a lecturer of Political Science at University
of Rwanda (UR) told The New Times in an interview that he was looking
forward to frank discussions regarding a language policy where both English
and French can be used 50/50 especially in Higher Institutions of Learning.

“It would be great to see discussions on pushing for an education system
that emphasizes competitiveness and an accountable education system that
inspects and conducts regular monitoring and evaluation of school leaders
and teachers. We also need discussions at the retreat addressing education
that emphasizes competitiveness, emulation, failing or repeating subjects
as part of the process,” he said.

The National Leadership Retreat, commonly known as Umwiherero, borrows from
a tradition in Rwandan culture whereby leaders would convene to reflect on
issues affecting their communities.

The objective of these meetings was to identify solutions and commit to
achieving them. Today, the annual national leadership retreat has become
one of several home grown governance tools that allow the country leaders
to hold themselves accountable.

*editorial at newtimesrwanda.com <editorial at newtimesrwanda.com>*

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 Harold F. Schiffman

Professor Emeritus of
 Dravidian Linguistics and Culture
Dept. of South Asia Studies
University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA 19104-6305

Phone:  (215) 898-7475
Fax:  (215) 573-2138

Email:  haroldfs at gmail.com
http://ccat.sas.upenn.edu/~haroldfs/

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