Author: IGIHE

The handover ceremony took place in Kinigi area of the Northern Province on Tuesday.

The property adds to the 16,000 hectares that had formerly comprised the national park.

Volcanoes National Park is home of the critically endangered mountain gorillas but the space has decreased by 54% since its establishment in 1925. Due to conservation efforts by the Government of Rwanda and its conservation partners, mountain gorilla numbers are recovering.

Gorilla population has increased from 285 in 1978 to 480 in 2010. Between 2003 and 2010, the population increased by 26.3%. This represents an annual growth rate of 3.7%. The increase in the mountain gorilla population has led to a major challenge for an adequate habitat.

Recognising the need for additional land, RDB Chief Executive Officer Clare Akamanzi appreciated African Wildlife Foundation for the land donation.

“Today’s donation to the Volcanoes National Park is a major step in the consolidation of Rwanda’s conservation gains for the benefit of communities today and future generations. Through gorilla conservation and tourism, we are directly benefitting from these wonderful animals. Over the last nine years, revenues from mountain gorilla conservation and the resulting tourism has brought $107 million into the national coffers,” she said.

Over Rwf531,466, 921 was last year distributed by RDB to more than 158 community-based projects through the tourism revenue sharing programme. The support will increase this year following the government’s decision in 2017 to increase the revenue sharing programme from 5% to 10% of all tourism revenues.

“In addition, in partnership with fellow conservationists, over 700 community-based projects providing housing, schools, health clinics, water tanks have been provided for the communities living in 12 sectors from four districts surrounding the Volcanoes National Park”, she said.

Over 298,000 tourists have visited the Volcanoes National Park since 2006. An average number of 29,000 tourists visited the Park annually between 2011 and 2016.

AWF President Kaddu Sebunya said Rwanda had distinguished itself as a leader in conservation following the most remarkable great ape recovery.

“I am excited by the great strides Rwanda is taking to develop its natural heritage sustainably and guarantee long-term socio-economic stability for its people. Through proactive government policies, community involvement and open governance, Rwanda is demonstrating that development and conservation are inseparable. Such a win-win approach to conservation suggests that there is nothing inevitable about conservation challenges in Africa today,” Kaddu said.

He said Rwanda and RDB had provided a template for sustainable development.

“With support from the Annenburg Foundation, AWF bought 27.8 hectares of land directly adjacent to the Park to donate to the Government of Rwanda to be incorporated into the Volcanoes National Park. AWF recognises that if mountain gorillas are going to survive in the long-term, this park must be strategically protected and we are committed to supporting RDB in this endeavour,” he said.

Among them, 51 students are from O’Level and 102 from primary school.

Speaking to IGIHE shortly after the results’ release on Tuesday, the Head of Examinations and Accreditation Department at REB, Dr. Michel Rwibasira Tusiime said that some students exhibited bad behaviours and resulted into temporary reservation of results for 153 students. He said results for two more students were completely withheld.

“Withholding results is temporal except those two students who entered examination rooms with cheating materials. Other cases are to be investigated and the results can be released based on the nature of each one’s case. There is no tolerance for these students who were caught with cheating materials,” said Rwibasira.

He said the students committed similar faults including the same answers to multiple choice questions, deletions and writing similar new answers while others unacceptably wrote their identifications on examination sheets.

He said that through different measures against malpractices, withheld results were reduced by 50% compared to the previous year.

While unveiling the results, the State Minister for Primary and Secondary Education at the Ministry of Education, Dr. Isaac Munyakazi said that some teachers are in prison over their bad behaviours in 2016 national examinations, adding that investigations are also underway about those involved in malpractices in 2017.

“We have some cases that are being investigated like where answers for students from the same examination room show that there was an irresponsible invigilator or allowed them to cheat. We cannot judge but institutions in charge are investigating the cases and all involved will face sanctions,” he explained.

According to REB, if students find that their results were reserved, they should go to the board to seek explanations. The students may provide necessary information which can help the board assess their cases and will probably release their results.

REB issued directives in 2017 stating that any teacher found involving in cheating cases shall be denied access to national examinations exercise and face legal sanctions.

Stocked in MAGERWA warehouses, the RMC’s Qurans and 1,444 cartons of ‘grapevine fruits’ locally known as intende, will go to auction on 28th this month.

According to the announcement from RRA, the auction is set on 28th this month at Magerwa in Gikondo, Kigali city.

Both the Qurans and grapevine fruits were from foreign donors to RMC.

RMC was reportedly informed too late about the arrival of goods, making them fail to clear taxes on time.

IGIHE heard that RMC is unable to pay the required Rwf30 million as taxes to acquire the goods.

RMC officials did not want to comment on the issue by press time.

Among other goods to be auctioned are mattresses, generators and machines, glasses and water dispensers and more commodities stocked at Magerwa and Ballore Logistics warehouses.

According to RRA, failing to clear taxes for goods in public warehouses before six months results in auction to avoid accumulating taxes and to leave space for incoming goods

He was until last year a student at Kigali Parents School in Gasabo District, the City of Kigali.

Manzi, 15, has championed the national examinations twice and plans to do it again at the next level.

Speaking to IGIHE yesterday shortly after the Ministry of Education (MINEDUC) released results of 2017 O’Level and Primary leaving examinations, Manzi could not hide his excitements.

“I and my family are extremely happy. I was the second nationwide in primary leaving examinations. I was happy and got more determined to work harder which has now resulted into sitting atop today,” expressed Manzi.

In his high school studies, Manzi has been studying on school’s scholarship due to his unwavering performance in class since he started primary school.

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According to Manzi, teachers and parents’ guidance helps him perform well in all his studies.

He said that being organised and reading many books with target to learn foreign languages, doing sports and good time management helped him excel.

“Parents have been collaborating with teachers to help me. Teachers also gave me their attention as a student who wanted to be the best performer. My values are good time management, good plans and championing to always be the best performer. Those things quite help me,” he said.

After being awarded by the school to study the whole O’Level free of charge, Manzi opted to work hard so that he would be the best performer at the national level.

Kigali Parents School head teacher, Charles Mutazihara told IGIHE that Manzi exhibited good performance since primary school, the reasonthey were optimistic that he would champion the O’Level leaving national examinations.

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“I wish to be a civil engineer. I will keep heeding parents and teachers’ guidance and I hope that I will make it,” Manzi said.

He always takes home over 90% marks in all subjects but particularly scores above 98% in Mathematics, Biology and English.

Manzi’s mother, Clementine Mukarutabana told IGIHE that his son never gets tired when working on his targets.

“At school, they nicknamed him Van Damme, (a movie star), because he strives to perform well in everything,” she said.

“He is determined, he awakes early in the morning, he has good schedule and he can’t get in bed before completing all his tasks,” she added.

Manzi emerged the best performer and was followed by Audrey Umurerwa from Mary Hills in Nyagatare District.

In Primary, Frank Mugisha from Saint André- Ruhina in Shyogwe Sector of Muhanga District emerged the bestand was followed by Schadrack Sifayake from Morning Star Bright Academy in Gatsibo District.

A total of 237,181 students sat for primary leaving examinations in 2017 while 98, 268 students sat for ordinary level examinations.

Primary schools’ results show the success rate stands at 86.3% while lower secondary schools (O’Level) succeeded at 89.9%.