Debating Environmental Conservation

Saturday

September 7, 2019

University of Tourism Business had sponsored a debate among secondary schools on the question of how well is Rwanda conserving the environment so that it can continue to draw draw many tourists to the country. Rwanda hopes that tourism becomes a significant sector of the country’s economy. Having been “on safari” at the Agagera National Park, I  agree that the natural beauty of Rwanda’s environment is a treasure.

This Saturday Conference  at the new Conference Center in Kigali featured a panel of national experts on the economy and environment and the final debates for the award. The Maranyundo Debate Club was debating with Lycee de Notre Dame, another girl’s school, for the top spot.

The debate was certainly lively!

Maranyundo students were the voice of considering how Rwanda needed to do much more in the field of conservation and preserving the environment. The opposing team was speaking in praise of what Rwanda was dong at the national and business levels to conserve the natural and wild spaces. They cited how the Genocide against the Tutsis ruined so many aspects of the land, the environment. But the Maranyundo debaters cited the fact that all nations have had tragedies, wars, environmental pollution. Yet many are making strides faster than Rwanda especially in educating the people about what each individual can do to move conservation efforts forward.

The 6 judges who  evaluated the debaters overwhelmingly felt the debates were “brilliant.” They cited how quickly the debaters thought on their feet. The  high caliber of conservation, the good evidence both sides cited. They agreed that the final round “was one of the best debates we have ever seen.”

In the end, the Lycee of Notre Dame was declared the winner; a Maranynundo debater won outstanding debater.  The MC reminded everyone, however, that all the finalists were winners…and had gained valuable skills and experiences for their continued education and career choices. (She also reminded the boys groups that the two finalist teams were from girls schools!)

UTB and the corporate co- sponsors of the conference—Rwanda Travel Board, School of Wildlife Conservation, Hermosa Life Tours and Travel---had interesting perspectives for students to note. The panel discussed the meaning of conservation as  essential for tourism, so creation of sustainable use of resources is a priority. Also, careers in tourism are not limited to tour guides. Careers are growing in National Parks, in the business sector, and many companies  which benefit from a strong tourism economy are adding positions to support the tourism economy. Education is also essential and the promotion of school gardens, teaching guides and curriculum guides are also essential to make change. Since 2016, when the focus in the education standards included conservation and environmental protection, 214,000 jobs have been created in Conservation.

It is so interesting  to attend events like this as we continue to develop the work of this STEM focused school for girls here in Rwanda. There certainly seem to be a number of ways that the graduates of MGS can think about using their science and math proficiency to improve the environment that is becoming so important to this fast growing nation.