Private higher education helps with access, development

Higher education in post-genocide Rwanda has experienced significant growth over the past 25 years – from a handful of universities to more than 30 universities and higher learning institutions, of which 26 are private. In 2019 the total enrolment in all of the higher learning institutions was 86,140 students. Just more than half were enrolled in private institutions.

The National University of Rwanda, better known by the French acronym UNR, was the only public university 25 years ago. The Adventist University of Central Africa (originally Université Adventiste
d'Afrique Centrale) started classes in 1984, to become the first private institution in the country.

Only 2,000 students graduated from UNR from 1963, when the university was established, to 1994. In 2019, the total enrolment in all of the higher learning institutions was 86,140, according to figures from the education ministry. Just more than half, a total of 57% of these students, were enrolled in private institutions.

Dr Callixte Kabera, the president of the Private Universities’ Association and vice-chancellor at the University of Tourism, Technology and Business Studies in Rwanda, talked to University World News about the increase in the number of institutions, the role they play in socio-economic development, and the quality education issue, among other challenges.

UWN: What do you think contributed to the evolution of higher education institutions?

Kabera: A few factors contributed to this evolution. The historical background of education in Rwanda based on ethnic and regional segregation prevented many Rwandans from studying. Refugees who returned to Rwanda after the 1994 genocide, who did not have the opportunity to study, [contributed to the growth].

The country also needed to rebuild itself because the human capital was gutted by the genocide.

The youth were hungry to study because the public and private sector were in real need of qualified staff, causing universities to even open at night and on weekends, running programmes for working staff.

One can add the post-liberal policy of opening up higher education. There was a high potential for opening private institutions to fill the gap as the National University of Rwanda at the time could not satisfy the needs of Rwandans in terms of furthering education.

UNW: How has the establishment of more universities contributed to the development of the education sector and the country?

Kabera: It has contributed a lot in providing short-, medium- and long-term solutions. It availed competent and qualified human resources and this has placed Rwanda among countries with a high rate of socio-economic development, among other factors.

Those private universities have directly and indirectly created jobs for many people. The rate of Rwandans who graduate has increased tremendously.

So has access to education. There are 26 private universities and higher learning institutions – 13 are local universities spread all over the country and the other 13 are established in Rwanda with their mother universities abroad.

UWN: What do you think about the growing number of universities, especially the private ones?

Kabera: First of all, I don’t believe there is a high number of universities compared to the population that has to be served in the region and Africa at large.

The big issue is the capacity of the country to employ the graduates. For instance, around 570,000 people finish secondary school annually. Based on this, we should have more higher learning institutions and polytechnics.

UWN: Does the factor that there are younger people in Rwanda contribute to the increase of higher education institutions?

Kabera: Yes, it is obvious. Two-thirds of the total population are young. Twelve years of basic education [free education for all] causes added pressure for more institutions and polytechnics.

The government alone cannot cater for the growing number of people who finish secondary education. The learners believe that they can find a job if they study at universities and polytechnics. This is true when you look at the landscape of employment in Rwanda.

UWN: The quality of education has been criticised and employers say university graduates are not ready for the market. Why do you think this is the case?

Kabera: The issue of quality is mixed. On the one side, it is a matter of generation gap. If the country is progressing well in all areas, who is contributing to that? It is mainly those who graduated after the 1994 genocide. However, as I said, quality is a journey every institution has to undertake.

Quality had been affected and shaped by policies such as automatic promotion in public primary schools, language policies [moving from French to English as a language of instruction], the genocide that devastated the education infrastructure, and human capital, among others.

So, to meet the necessary quality requires a lot of investment in infrastructure, quality and competent staff, quality curriculum and didactic materials. It also requires improving academia and industry collaboration to build the trust and confidence of employers.

We have more quality people who graduate from schools and this is seen in the performance of those who get the opportunity to study abroad at prestigious and recognised institutions.

Increasing the quality of graduates requires more investments and improved collaboration among academia, industry, and other stakeholders to shape education policies from nursery school level up to higher education level.

UWN: How do you think universities should redesign courses responding to the needs of the labour market?

Kabera: It should involve quadruple collaboration: government, academia, industry, and parents to redesign the whole education sector so that universities receive well-prepared students.

Then the universities should redesign their courses based on market research showing what is needed by the labour market.

The participation of industry should be mandatory from the design of the curriculum up to graduation. The collaboration of industry in training the graduates is paramount if we are to build the trust and confidence of the labour market.

Then that collaboration should help put appropriate policies in place and also shape appropriate and essential investment in the education sector.

UNW: Do you think students still need to travel abroad to seek education they cannot find in Rwanda?

Kabera: Students should continue to seek education abroad at high-ranking universities for programmes, skills and opportunities we don’t have in Rwanda. However, those who travel abroad for similar education or even less, should not be encouraged.

There should be more investments in the education sector as a whole and government should collaborate with parents and industry to send abroad students to good universities only for specific needs and programmes that are not yet developed in the country.

UWN: How will COVID-19 affect education in the short and long term?

Kabera: It is true that COVID-19 will affect education in different ways. The shift from face-to-face to the online or blended model of teaching is a paradigm shift.

This requires new investments in capacity building and ICT tools and technologies as well as in pre-adapting the curriculum and methodology.

It requires a mindset shift of parents and policymakers that can produce quality graduates if the appropriate investment is done. In the short run, quality may be affected because of the disruption caused by the frequent closing and opening of universities.

In the long run, institutions that will invest in distance learning will survive and thrive, but others that leave technology behind will be adversely impacted.

UWN: The government has been following up and inspecting universities, and some private universities have been shut down. What do you think about the relationship between the government and private universities?

Kabera: The relationship between the government and private universities is not bad. Private universities interact with the government through the [Rwanda] Higher Education Council [HEC] as a regulator.

The regulator sets guidelines, rules, and regulations that need to be followed. Higher learning institutions, including private ones, are there to follow the rules and regulations and the HEC makes sure that they are implemented.

Nowadays, through the private association of universities, we take part in setting up and-or revisiting education policies, workshops, and capacity-building training as well as other meetings aiming at enhancing quality in education.

UWN: What should be done to address the challenges brought about by the pandemic?

Kabera: The policy-makers should support this shift to blended and online teaching. In the long term, COVID-19 taught us so many lessons that may help government and institutions to better prepare for such pandemics.

This story was updated on 12 March 2021 to indicate that the National University of Rwanda was not the only university in the country 25 years ago.