Relief as students can pursue internship placements again

Students from different universities in Rwanda have described the opening of public and private offices to full capacity as a positive move that would allow them to complete the internships they require to graduate.

A cabinet meeting on 4 March 2022 eased restrictions on COVID-19 and resolved that all public and private institutions should operate fully, putting an end to a two-year period of limited staff in the offices.

All public servants, as well as those in the private sector, are now due back in the office after the number of positive cases of COVID-19 reduced significantly. Rwanda has vaccinated more than 70% of its population with at least two jabs.

Over the past two years, many staff members had to work from home, rotating with others to curb the spread of COVID-19. As a result, universities have been struggling to manage academic student internships.

Will students now get internships?

The announcement is a welcome one for students, who have often struggled in vain to secure an internship.

“I tried to secure internships from different public and private institutions, but all in vain. The feedback has been always negative, and I was told that there was no space to accommodate me because they are understaffed,” said Leon Fabrice Ishimwe, a final-year-student in biochemistry at the University of Rwanda’s (UR) college of science and technology.

“I was worried as the internship is part of the package for any final-year student to get a green light to graduate,” he said, adding that he was optimistic that his worries would soon end as offices are fully open following the cabinet resolution.

“I have submitted my request to several institutions, and I hope to get an internship and acquire practical skills at an applied research institution. It was always hard to do an internship as it requires physical presence and practice,” Ishimwe said.

Joseline Umwali, a psychology student in UR’s college of arts and social sciences, said she was advised to conduct internships virtually or use other electronic ways, but she decided to wait and attend physically.

“I hope that I will get an opportunity to attend physically and meet people with psychological issues and offer them support. Such people need physical contact and I thought it was ideal to wait until the time comes for fully reopening,” she said, hoping to get an internship soon to apply the skills she has acquired over the past three years.

Academics are hopeful

Dr Balthazar Ntivuguruzwa, the vice-chancellor of the Catholic University of Kabgayi, confirmed that some students could not carry out internships due to the COVID-19 restrictions that limited the number of staff in the office.

“There were rotations among public and private employees and the option for placement of students in internship was limited. Some students were denied internships because there were limitations,” he said. “Now that offices are fully reopened, we hope that students will be given internships and they will be able to complete their academic year on time.”

He noted, however, that a few students did manage to obtain internships, depending on their faculties, especially those in the social sciences.

Ignatius Kabagambe, the head of communications and internationalisation and spokesperson of UR, said there has been an issue in getting internships for final-year students and the principals of the universities were trying to handle it at college level. The hope is that students will now be accommodated at different public and private institutions.