A lecturer during class at the University in Kigali.
By Edwin Ashimwe,
KIGALI Rwanda
It has
been roughly two and a half months since learning institutions closed in Rwanda
in an effort to curb the spread of the coronavirus pandemic.
However, with the closure of
schools one of the key concerns was whether teachers from private schools would
continue to receive their salaries.
The Government has since
challenged private learning institutions to diversify their revenue streams and
told them they could benefit from a $200-million (about Rwf186 billion) relief
fund designed to help the private sector recover from Covid-19 impact.
Claudette Irere, the Minister
of State in the Ministry of Education in charge of ICT and TVET Education, said
earlier that; “For teachers in private institutions, who were the most affected
during this time, we encourage and will help the institution owners to seek
help with the government fund allocated for the private sector.”
This help should mainly be
used for the teachers, he emphasised.
However, private universities and their staff have raised
concerns over the clarity of when the ‘allocated’ fund will be operational.
“It is still unclear how and when this fund will be
accessible to learning institutions.” Dr Callixte Kabera, the president of the
private universities’ association told The New Times.
“It is clear that it has been delayed, thus leaving most of
the private universities with an alternative of laying off their staff.”
While teachers working for public schools are paid their
monthly salaries, a teacher from the University of Technology and Arts of
Byumba said; “We have not been paid since the pandemic struck.”
“But the
school leaders say that they are still waiting on when the recovery fund will
be operational”
The concerns
come after the government extended the closure of universities and other
schools until September.
This means
that if they open in September, universities will have been closed for more
than six months since the initial lockdown in March.
Alternatively,
a source from the Ministry of Education encouraged learning institutions to
take advantage of the opportunities that have been availed.
For
instance, Lawrence Uwambaje, the Director General of the Teacher’s saving and
Credit Cooperative (Umwalimu Sacco) advises teachers and lecturers to make use
of existing saving groups.
“We have
allocated a fund to our member institutions, so far we have 8,000 members,
which means that this can cover up a good number of teachers”
Uwambaje added that; “The fund is given at a rate of 13 per cent, with a loan duration of two years. Institutions have been given a grace period of two years and can be paid on a quarterly basis.” - The New Times
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