2012 Academic Year: Students head back to school in shifts
The new system introduced by Rwanda’s Ministry of Education (MINEDUC) minimized transportation hitches among students as they returned to school for the 2012 academic year.
Secondary school students reporting back to schooltravelled in two shifts to suppress typical transport shortages that occur during the opening and closing of every term.
The State Minister in charge of Primary and Secondary Education, Dr. Mathias Harebamungu said that the first shift composed of students from the Western and Southern Provinces returned back to school on 08th January 2012.
The second shift, which includes those from Kigali City, Northern and Eastern Provinces, reported the following day.
The main objective of this arrangement is to ensure that no student gets stranded while going back to his /her school because public transport companies take advantage of the surge in passengers to hike fares.
Those who went back on 08th January resumed their studies on 09th whereas those who reported on 09th January commenced their studies the following day.
The Ministry, in partnership with the District Education Officers (DEOs) and the National Police, demanded transport companies to ensure that all students are transported back to their respective schools putting on school uniforms. The Minister said that this will help them to easily be differentiated from other passengers.
Harebamungu added that the ministry had agreed with ONATRACOM, the state transport agency, to transport students studying in remote areas across the country without hiking fares.
NtacyoBurahinda of the Rwanda National Police requested drivers to avoid cases of over-speeding and overloading while transporting the students, citing this as one of the major causes of road accidents. He added that all vehicles that transportedstudents were fully inspected for the safety of Rwanda’s children.
