Author: b_igi_adm1n

A delegation of eight members led by the Minister of Education (MINEDUC), Habumuremyi Pierre Damien this Friday visited the Hendrix College in Conway, Arkansas, where they spoke of the country’s continuing need to rebuild its higher education system in the wake of the 1994 genocide against Tutsi.

Habumuremyi pointed out that Hendrix College will perform a crucial role to uplift the future higher education of the Rwandans.

The program now includes 129 Rwandan students enrolled at 18 institutions across eight states in USA.

The Minister noted, “The quality of education you deliver to these students is very important to our country. We are here to cement our relationship and explore new areas of cooperation,” he said.

Habumuremyi also met with the Rwandan graduates this summer.

Among the delegates Prof. Silas Lwakabamba, Rector of the National University of Rwanda (NUR) noted, “We need to think strategically about how to build our capacities in higher education.”

Lwakabamba said that he hopes the delegation will continue to explore new ideas, including distance learning, remote library access, and faculty and administrative exchange programs.

President J. Timothy Cloyd of the Hendrix College noted, “We are very proud of our relationship and the partnership we have developed with the Republic of Rwanda. Not only does this support Rwanda’s vision for its future, it also benefits us”.

“Our students and faculty members grow because of their interactions with the Rwandan students and the friendships they forge with the Rwandan students,” Cloyd added.
Dr. Robert L. Entzminger, a Provost and Dean of the College, said the students’ success at Hendrix was a tribute to their talent and the way in which faculty members embraced the program and committed to its success.

Following a welcome ceremony on campus, the delegation toured the campus and observed the science teaching and research facilities. They also met with faculty and staff representatives.

Founded in 1876, Hendrix College is a national leader in engaged liberal arts and sciences education. Hendrix is featured in the 2011 edition of the Princeton Review as one of the country’s best 376 colleges and is listed in the 2012 edition of the Fiske Guide to College as one of 25 “Best Buy” private colleges included.

The campus has been affiliated with the United Methodist Church since 1884.

In 2007, Hendrix led the creation of the Rwanda Presidential Scholars Program, a partnership with the Rwandan government to enroll Rwandan students at colleges and universities in the United States.

The program is administered by Hendrix in partnership with the William J. Clinton Foundation.

The Hendrix led higher education consortium was the brainchild of David Knight, the chairman of the Hendrix College Board of Trustees.

Knight, the Chief Legal Counsel at Stephens Inc., worked with President J. Timothy Cloyd to begin Hendrix’s relationship, and both men have been instrumental in recruiting new colleges to the consortium during the past four years.

The first four Rwanda Presidential Scholars graduated from Hendrix in May 2011.

Source: Hendrix College website

IGIHE.com CEO Meilleur Murindabigwi has been shortlisted among the top 10 innovators in the world by JCI international.

He and his nine other nominees are expected to receive their awards at JCI’s general assembly at Brussels in Belgium on 2 November.

Reacting to the news, Murindabigwi, “I’m overly happy because we’ve worked hard to perform and deliver better news and I’m happy that our work is recognized.”

He further added,” I never thought that I’ll be given such a ranking. This is an identification that the good things we do are recognised internationally. I also appreciate my colleagues that assisted me to achieve my dream. Such nominations should encourage us to deliver even better services,” he remarked.

Normally, JCI annually awards young innovators that have made major progress in various developmental sectors like health, entrepreneurship, politics, law, culture etc.

Selected people are also identified as Ten Outstanding Young People in the World (TOYP) meaning they have unique ideas and activities.

The IGIHE.com CEO becomes the second TOYP Rwandan after Dr. Joseph Nkurunziza who was acknowledged with fighting for the rights of children under the category of (Contribution to children, world peace and/or human rights) 2010.

On his part Murindabigwi has been acknowledged on his news website which he formed in 2009 together with his friends. It is believed that he formed the website after realizing that there was some online information that misrepresented Rwanda’s progress.

Hence, he came up with a IGIHE.com which strived to report the reality about what was happening in the country especially in areas of economy, politics, entertainment sport among others.

JCI judges who represent exemplary institutions like the UN, showed their appreciation to Murindabigwi’s effort to change the history of how media was used negatively to incite killings in the 1994 genocide.

In a continuous campaign to ‘Keep Kigali Clean’ the problem of lack of public toilets in the city requires immediate attention if the city of Kigali is to retain its position as the cleanest city in Africa.

City places especially around CHK and the route towards Camp Kigali Primary school have become stinky for many pedestrians urinate along this path every day.

Busy places including; Remera, Giporoso, Nyamirambo ,gatsata ,gikondo ,kimironko and kacyiru lack public toilets and this has contributed to emergence of stinking spots that contrast the clean image of the city.

The fast growing city of Kigali requires improved sanitation facilities especially public toilets. However such public toilets are rare to find around the city and the ones available are not known to people and very far from where people have their routine businesses.

The busy city business center Mateus also lacks public toilets. Igihe.com talked to the business people at Quartier Mateus who said they quickly need the problem to be fixed because this is a highly congested center.

Uwase Jane, a wholesaler of home equipment said that it takes them long time to get to public toilets. “I always leave home after I have used the bathroom. It saves me time and money while using the city public toilets located as far as the main roundabout,”explains Uwase.

Mama Jackie adds that she bought a bucket that she uses whenever she wants to ease herself. “I bought the bucket because I knew I couldn’t make it to Rubangura’s house and other public toilets not near,” she laments.

There are several city dwellers that use private buckets to ease themselves.
Although they didn’t reveal where they empty their waste, a respondent who preferred anonymity told this reporter that at the end of the day such contents normally mixed with water and detergents are emptied into the streets drainage system.

Mugabo Jean, a wholesaler of plastic shoes said like many others says he uses restaurant toilets especially during lunch period, “Whenever I go for my lunch I make sure that I come back when I have finished easing so that I don’t take long distance searching where to ease from”.

“The major Public toilets are mostly found at UTC complex, Rubangura house and opposite the roundabout in Kigali city costing 100Frw per user. Toilets are fewer than the high demand from city dwellers,” explains Mukahirwa Chantal a caretaker at UTC public toilets.

Mukahirwa says, “We always receive many people. In most cases some have to wait in a long queue because of lack of enough public toilets”.

The Gasabo district Mayor Ndizeye Willy acknowledged the public toilets problem saying that toilets are few. However, the mayor says building of public toilets is among the district goals they have to achieve.

“We don’t have enough toilets. We have already built public toilets at Gisozi. Construction is also underway at Kicukiro and Kinamba. Plans are also underway to construct public toilets at Nyakyonga and Gatsata such that by next year the city shall have enough public toilets,” says mayor Ndizeye.

Rwanda is the only country in the east African region where road traffic discipline is highly observed. Wearing helmets while riding on motocycles, fastening seat belts and other road user cautions have become part of Rwandan culture.

However, there have been complaints about the un hygienic sharing of a single helmet by many passengers that ride on moto taxis. This has resulted into an innovative gear known as ‘Smart Cover Head’.

The ‘smart cover head’ is made from artificial tissue that can be disposed of without any hazzadous effects to the environment.

The ‘smart cover head’ is fitted onto the head, on top of which the passenger wears a helmet. The ‘smart cover head’ is used by one person.

the Moto taxi operator is responsible for providing the ‘smart cover head’ to every passenger they carry.

The teaching partnership and student internship exchange program between Carleton University located in the capital of Canada, Ottawa, Ontario and the School of Journalism and Communication of the National University of Rwanda has been suspended.

Professor Allan Thompson, a journalist that helped run the project since its inception in 2006, declared in a statement Thursday that the school has closed down a house where students lived on the exchange.

Thompson in a letter to current and past participants in the initiative noted, “It is with a great deal of sadness that I confirm that the Rwanda Initiative has formally suspended its activities.

“We have closed down our house in Kigali and paid severance to our local staff members.”

He added that the project cost $240,000 a year to run and would not continue until a new source of funds and new housing arrangements are found.

The school had exhausted spare funds after its partnership agreement with the U.S. Government expired in May.

The school will also stop sending visiting lecturers to the National University of Rwanda or Great Lakes Media Centre.

The Rwanda project had served as a chance for journalism students to take a two-month internship with a media organization by both Rwandans and the students from Carleton University.

The professor also outlined in the letter that the University of Rwanda refused to keep paying rent on the project house located in Kimihurura sector, Kigali city, and that “the school therefore had to vacate the house by the end of August and let our staff go”.

Thompson added the initiative continues to seek new funding opportunities.