Arriving in Rwanda and navigating the first night and day in
the country, are always an adventure. In this nation that is rapidly building
new infrastructure, developing new ideas and economies, there are always signs
of this progress blended with familiar signs, sounds and smells. Jane O’Connor,
Daphne Petri and I arrived from Amsterdam in velvet darkness. Upon immediately
embarking the plane, there is the sensation of familiar warmth, (now damp at
the start of the rainy season), accompanied by the spicy scent of Kigali.
Entering the airport arrivals section, we notice the new VIP center, bright
electronic posters announcing the 3 country visa (Kenya, Uganda and Rwanda) and
“Welcome to Rwanda…land of a thousand hills and a million smiles.” There is
also an announcement of Carnegie Mellon University programs…Masters degrees in
Kigali. Driving to the school, one notices the new street lighting system, new
gas stations, new construction, more bicycles. There is so much more traffic on
the road to Nyamata than when I first traveled here in 20008. This is a country
on the move!
I always try to take in this
arrival time and think about what it can say to me about the state of the
nation. The state of the nation will say a great deal about what sort of
education is going to be needed and thereby supported by the government. The state of the nation we saw as we
spent our first hour in Rwanda was a rapidly growing, dynamic place.
The Ministry of Education has
developed a Strategic Plan for 2013 – 2018. In the introduction, the Minister
writes of the three goals that the nation will move to accomplish.
“These
goals are: promoting access to education at all levels, improving the quality
of education and training, and strengthening the relevance of education and
training to meet labour market demands. Equity in access to education is
emphasised across all three goals to ensure that disadvantaged students, such
as girls, the poor and disabled, have access to meaningful learning
opportunities. “
These are lofty goals indeed. It will take more than a
vibrant economy to accomplish this model of a strong educational system. The
people must believe in schooling
as an enterprise that will benefit the individual as well as the
commonwealth. The people must believe that the solutions that an educated population
can offer to social issues, are the solutions that can improve the quality of
life for everyone . In many ways
it is a faith based enterprise in this age of data points and quantitative
research.
I looked for evidence that these other conditions exist for
supporting the Ministry’s Strategic Plan. At dinner after our arrival at the Residence,
Sr. Juvenal told us of the service work in which she is involving the girls as
part of their leadership awareness. Groups of girls are volunteering in local
schools, orphanages, hospitals to learn how these agencies support the needs of
their communities. At the end of their term, they are asked to address a school
assembly and describe how the experiences in the community have affected their
thinking about leadership and future study. The girls describe learning how daily life can be a
“struggle” for many. One girl is thinking, “how fortunate I am to be in school
learning new things;” Another says, “I am thinking now that learning is a
privilege;” “I now think that education is important to learn things I can pass
on to others to improve their lives.”
The experience of volunteering in the community is giving the Maranyundo
girls a sense of the importance of the strategic goals…the link between schooling
and “strengthening the relevance of education.” And these girls represent
future citizens of Rwanda who will support education budgets and methodologies.
Then, this morning, we went to Mass at the local church. (The
girls walk along the Nyamata road together. It is an impressive sight…a long
long line, 4 across, of white and blue uniforms moving along the path.)
In the Mass, I thought about what I had been reading about
the current Bishop’s Synod in Rome and the sense that the future of the
Catholic Church depends on the strength and vibrance of African Catholicism.
Well, I can attest that here in this little church in Nyamata, Rwanda, the
Faith is vibrant and energetic! The church was full at the 9:00 Mass; there
were people of all ages. Elderly
men and women, young families, many many children, young women with babies
asleep n their lovingly wrapped bindings. After the readings, the priest called
out to several children to come to the altar. He asked them “What did you remember
from the Bible readings today?” According to my Kinyawanda translator, one
little guy about 5 said “Nothing, I think.” “Then why did you come to church,”
asked the priest. “To hear the singing and dancing!” (Indeed, the singing and
dancing at Mass is wonderful!) Older children, including a girl from Maranyundo,
had heard hopeful messages from the story of restoring sight to the blind.
So here in the Nyamata community, the Sunday church service
calls forth the voices of children to participate. Children are believed to be the
country’s most precious resource. This community engaged in ceremony together
are a community that believes in common values. This could be a valuable set of
criteria for a strong support of universal education.
So these are the first impressions I get returning to this
nation committed to building an educational system that assures that all
students “have access to meaningful learning opportunities. “ The Strategic Plan
states, “Foundational to all of this is ensuring that our teachers are well
trained and motivated.” And in
order to create and support a teaching force that is respected and supported by
a community, all communities need to be committed to education, to schools, to
children and youth, to values and social policies that make sure children are
nourished and motivated in many ways. From what I see after only 24 hours among
the thousand hills, the long long journey is beginning in a time of peace and a
developing economy. Hopefully those elements can be sustained to allow learning
and teaching to flourish…in peace and prosperity.
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