Rwanda, a small, densely populated, landlocked country in central Africa, has the potential to become on of the first great developing country success stories of the twenty-first century. From the unimaginable tragedy of the country’s 1994 genocide, Rwanda’s new leaders are building a future based on justice, reconciliation, national pride and entrepreneurship.
Rwanda’s leaders are determined to move from an almost complete dependence on foreign aid, to nation characterized by a culture of initiative and entrepreneurship, a vibrant private sector, and productive interaction with the world. Rwanda’s president, Paul Kagame, has been described as a model for modern, democratic, African leadership. The country’s determination has led to impressive results in the short time since the genocide. But much remains to be done.
Education plays a pivotal role in this transformation. For Rwanda, with few natural resources, the importance of education takes on even greater significance. Rwanda also faces unique challenges created by its recent tragic history. During the genocide, most of the teachers were killed, school buildings demolished, and children’s education disrupted. While an impressive 95% of Rwandan children were enrolled in Grades 1-6 in 2006, only half of those children remain in school through the end of grade 6 and only 10% go on to secondary school. Of that 10% less than half are girls, which means roughly 5% of girls aged 13-18 in the country attend secondary school. In addition, at the secondary level in Rwanda, only 54% of teachers were considered qualified in 2006, which led to many qualified teachers being hired from Uganda or Kenya.
