A total of 960 high school-leaving students – 458 girls and 502 boys – native of Nyaruguru district, Southern Rwanda, on Thursday officially started a three-week national civic education programme locally known as “Itorero ry’Igihugu” aimed at inculcating in them some cultural and humanity values meant to supplement their six-year high school education.
The training, which is taking place at two sites of Cyahinda and Kibeho, features students from Nyaruguru’s 14 sectors. 435 students camping at “Groupe Scolaire Marie Merci” high school come from six sectors, namely Kibeho, Mata, Ruramba, Kivu, Ruheru and Nyabimata while the remaining 525 students staying at Cyahinda Teacher Training Center come from eight remaining sectors, that is Cyahinda, Nyagisozi, Busanze, Munini, Ngera, Ngoma, Muganza and Rusenge.
And they will be taking 17 different courses including the history of Rwanda, the role of the youth in conflict prevention and resolution, the role of the youth in fighting against violence under its different forms, job creation, the importance of fighting against drugs and HIV/AIDS among the youth, first aid skills and national service – just to say the least.
“Cultural values such as integrity, patriotism and a sense of humanity must be of a paramount importance in you before you even think of any other things. That way, I am sure, there will never be any other Genocide in Rwanda”, Dieudonné Kambanda, the country’s coordinator of activities in Itorero ry’Igihugu , told hundreds of his keen audience at Cyahinda center.
Nyaruguru district’s Mayor, François Habitegeko, went an extra mile to emphasize the message.
“A society which doesn’t obey its cultural values anymore just gets on the brink of collapsing”, he said.
“Aim at having integrity and be visionary [farsighted]”, Mayor Habitegeko urged his audience, acknowledging that Rwanda has had a “souring historical record” climaxing into the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi, and that by heeding his advice, among others, his audience would be able to turn that gloomy history page for the better.