Laptop programme back on track but senior students lose out

University of Rwanda (UR) students and those at Integrated Polytechnic Regional Centres (IPRCs) are excited and relieved about the government’s decision to resume the distribution of laptops about three months after it was placed on ice.

Final-year students, however, are now excluded from the programme, a decision that has seniors outraged.

Concerns about misuse caused the government to suspend distribution in November 2023 after launching the programme in September for vulnerable families sponsored by the UR. The university management realised that some beneficiaries were selling the laptops instead of using them for academic purposes as they were supposed to.

The distribution of laptops resumed on 13 January 2023. At least 38,000 students at the UR and IPRCs are expected to benefit from laptops, offering them crucial tools for their studies. These students rely on scholarships and will have to repay the loan at 11% interest after graduation and after they start earning an income.

This time, they are receiving quality laptops compared with those they received previously, and that were assembled locally. The cost of the laptops is added to the sponsorships that cover students’ tuition fees and monthly stipends for living costs.

“I am happy that I received a laptop and I hope it will enhance my learning process,” said Parfait Irasubiza, a student at the UR’s College of Arts and Social Sciences. “We were worried when the distribution was halted, and we thought it would not resume. We are excited that we are now beneficiaries, just like our peers from other colleges,” he added.

Seniors complain about exclusion

Senior students are upset about their exclusion and disagree with the government’s argument that giving them laptops with graduation looming would only add to their financial burdens. “It is unfair to exclude final students,” a student who identified himself only as Mugisha Mugisha said. “We need the laptops for projects and other academic activities. Having laptops after graduation would help us in this digital world.”

Claudette Irere, state minister for ICT and technical vocational education and training, clarified the government’s stance. “Laptops are given as a tool to be used in studies; giving a laptop to students who have less than a year left would only put them in debt,” she said.

While the debate on including final-year students continues, the programme’s resumption provides a significant academic boost for many. Irasubiza said: “I’m ready to put this laptop to good use.”