Some stakeholders I have met

The Belgian Jesuit missionary
- In 1953 Père Jean-Claude Michel was told by Jesuit hierarchy: Go and teach in Africa’ Has been there since. Only returns to Belgium, his country of birth, for briefs occasional visits
- Has worked in many places in the Congo, in The Ivory Coast, in Burundi and is now in Rwanda, working as the coordinator of the recently opened Kigali Jesuit school (400 pupils)
- Speaks a few African languages but says his English is very poor
- Very intelligent, educated and insightful. Very aware of the context in which he works. Passionate about educating young people.
- Is in his seventies, has difficulties reading because of very pooe eyesight but has the drive and the energy of a twenty-year-old.
- Is the archetype of ‘a man with a mission’
I spoke and listened to him for a couple of hours... it felt like a few minutes. I would like to listen more to his incredible wealth of experience and wise pieces of advice.
He has asked me to come to his school a do a brief training session with his staff on the topic of bilingual education. It will be a great honour to do so...


The bright bureaucrat
- Richard Niyonkuru works for Mineduc (Ministry of Education)
- Has a MA in management from Cape Town University, in South Africa
- Is in charge of the ‘Vision 2020 murenge’ - one computer per child program: two poor schools per District will be chosen and everything will be done to bring 400-500 computers to the schools. If no electricity is available, solar panels will be installed. All this at the Government’s expenses. So far only 18 schools are already operational and only two have access to Internet. (I would like to visit one of them if possible when I come back to Kigali)
- Has a lot of information about what the government official policy offers
- Is matter of fact and rather cold in his presentation.
- Admits that he does not know much about teaching methodology

I am disappointed by the computer. It is cheap (181 US $), but has very limited use. It does not use work with Microsoft software but with a free system called Linux: I am not impressed by his presentation of what it offers. I think there are cheaper and better ways to bring computer and Internet access to Rugerero. I will look into such alternatives...



The local community worker
Cesumi Damian works for Adenya a local NGO dealing with health, educational issues.
- Is in charge of the educational section
- Knows everybody and everything in the area of schools and educational policies in the Nyaraguru District.
- His role is to help local teachers become more effective teachers.
- Is quite aware of the limitations of what he can achieve in the context of where he works
- He is a realist who has not become a defeatist.
- Is probably the person I have met so far who knows the most about what is going on in the educational world around Rugerero.
- After our meeting at the school, he gives me a lift on his motorbike back to my cottage. I did not feel like walking and this came as a bonus...
I hope we can meet again soon...


The Academic and his top guns
Dr André Mawingana is the acting vice-chancellor at the Kigali Institute of Education
- I have made an appointment to see him and find out about existing distance primary school training programmes
- When not sure about something, calls colleague: the head of the distance education programmes, the Head of Primary school education
- Finally admits that there is nothing done in the country to help primary school teachers being ‘trained on the job’
- Concedes that there are thousands and thousands of them who would love to study for a primary school teaching diploma while teaching in their rural, remote schools
- Their salary would then jump from 25 000 RWFr per month (45US $) to 90 000 (160US$) – which could explain why nothing has been done to raise the standard of primary school education
- The acting vice rector encourages the man in charge of primary school education, who is adamant that something needs to be done, to write a proposal about such a course to the Minister of Education.
We all agree: something needs to be done... Will it?

The businessman-entrepreneur
- Gerard Pieci speaks better English than French
- Runs a number of successful business, one of them in installing solar panels
- Used to be a teacher of maths and physics
- Now wears expensive suits that he would have never been able to afford, had he remained a teacher
- Was recommended to me by the Mayor of the Nyaraguru District
- His motto: ‘Bring light to Rwanda’
- Tells me it is easy: bring solar panels from China, store them in Kenya, bring them to Kigali and then to Rugerero Primary. Install them in a couple of days and ... there is light!
- Has an uncomplicated philosophy of life
- Will send me name of headmistress who recently had solar panels installed on her school roof
- For the average Rwandan, fixing a broken shelf is mission impossible, for Gerard, bringing solar energy to the remotest primary school is Pieci easy... child’s play...
I will check his credentials once again