Several faith-based schools run by the Catholic Church in Rwanda risk
being closed by the government over the poor state of infrastructure and
school facilities. PHOTO FILE | NATION
Several faith-based schools run by the Catholic Church risk
being closed by the government in coming months over the poor state of
infrastructure and school facilities.
While the
government insists that the church should fund renovation of the schools
or risk closure, the church says it needs help from well-wishers
including the government.
While there are no definite
figures about the number of Catholic schools that face closure, several
head teachers who have spoken to Rwanda Today have expressed concern about the existing dilapidated infrastructure.
Urgent help
The school administrators are appealing for urgent help to save students from potential risks like accidents.
“Our
facilities need to be revamped and we have requested that if the
Catholic Church can’t find a quick solution, then they should urge
parents to contribute to building one room at a time to avoid potential
dangers,” said Jean Paul Safari, headmaster of Rutonde Primary school,
which is one of the most affected schools in Rulindo District.
With more than 1,310 students and 19 teachers, the school relies
on only 14 classrooms after three were deserted after rains and wind
weakened their foundation and roofs.
Nine of the classrooms were built 50 years ago and urgently need new doors, windows and their roofs repaired among other things.
Due
to the limited space, the school reported having between 55-65 students
in dilapidated classrooms without proper air circulation and prone to
damage from strong winds and rain.
Common phenomenon
This
is a common situation in most Catholic Church-owned schools where
government support is limited to paying and training teachers, and
supplying teaching materials.
Schools managers told Rwanda Today
their pleas for funding at respective dioceses were unsuccessful as the
Catholic Church was not getting any returns from the schools.
“The
church diocese told us that we are not contributing any money to it and
so it was difficult to source money meant to fund maintenance,” said
Gorette Umugwaneza of Lycee de Zaza.
Challenge
Sister
Umugwaneza said that while some parents were are unwilling or unable to
provide financial support, the school managers were also struggling to
upgrade school equipment like desks and computers. A factor she said was
taking a heavy toll on teaching and learning.
The
schools say the situation has been getting worse with the changes in the
education sector, which saw enrolment figures increase sharply and the
abolition of the double shift system that is under gradual
implementation starting this school year.
The issues
recently came to the attention of the Minister of Education Eugene
Mutimura who carried out a tour of schools in Southern Province in
January. He specifically assessed the quality standards of the education
at the schools, among other aspects.
While at Groupe
Officiel de Butare — once a famous Catholic church owned school built in
the 1930s — the old infrastructure and outdated equipment caught his
attention.
He warned that the school management needed
to fix the infrastructure urgently, but the managers cited financial
difficulties. The management of Groupe Officiel de Butare estimated Rwf1
billion ($1.1 million) was needed to fix the outdated learning
facilities and ensure a conducive learning environment.
Discussions
Catholic
Church leaders said discussions with the government on a possible
funding partnership were still on. However, the National Secretariat for
Catholic Education director Janvier Nduwayezu said the talks were
advancing at a slow pace.
However, officials from the Ministry of Education told Rwanda Today they were not aware about such negotiations.
The
State Minister in charge of Primary and Secondary Education Isaac
Munyakazi said the ministry was not going to tolerate any school — be it
privately or church-owned — whose infrastructure posed safety risks for
students.
He said under the existing partnership with
the Catholic Church, the infrastructure rehabilitation and maintenance
of the schools was solely an obligation of the owners.
Asked
about whether he was aware of the Catholic Church’s plea for funding to
rehabilitate the school infrastructure, he said, “I don’t know of such a
discussion, and personally I have not seen the request.
“We
are currently doing an assessment of the schools, after which we may
decide to close those that do not meet set safety standards.”
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