Author: Nicole Kamanzi Muteteri

The University of Rwanda-College of Education is a specialized institution in teacher education with academic, assessment and certification of all teachers at the secondary school level.

In the framework of the restructuring process of the University of Rwanda, the College relocated from Remera Campus to Rukara Campus, Kayuonza District, Gahini Sector, in October 2017.

With longstanding experience, the college offers ultimate opportunities to aspiring educators and professionals and conducts regular supervision on the implementation of instituted curricula to ensure that students are acquainted with all necessary knowledge and skills.

The college offers bachelor degrees, a Masters and Ph.D. in education and related courses in addition to offered courses in Postgraduate Diploma in Education and Postgraduate Certificate in Learning and Teaching in Higher Education.

The College of Education has 26 six programs designed for Ph.D. holders with ambitions to immerse knowledge in education, 10 programs for Master’s degree holders, 4 education programs for post-graduate diploma and offers a certificate for short courses in education.

All these programs are licensed by Rwanda’s Higher Education Council (HEC).
Most importantly, students are taught by education professionals with longstanding experiences in the education sector and specialties in research and supervision of Masters and Ph.D. students.

Experts at the College of Education get research findings published in international scientific journals. Most research outcomes are also published on the website of Rwanda Journal of Education (https://www.ajol.info/index.php/rje).

The college has all the essential equipment contributing to improved quality education. It has a fully-fledged Multimedia studio, languages laboratory and a special laboratory facilitating access to differently-abled students.

The College of Education hosts students from different countries and educational backgrounds. For instance, the African Centre of Excellence in Innovative Teaching and Learning Mathematics and Science (ACEITLMS) has 35 students in Masters and more 16 pursuing Ph.D. from Rwanda and abroad.

{{Offered programs }}

The College of Education has different schools with different specialties. The School of Inclusive and Special Needs Education has a Masters of Education in Special Needs Education and Ph.D. of Research in Education.

The school offers courses in various options namely: Inclusive Education, Disability Studies and Special Educational Needs.

The School of Education offers a Postgraduate Diploma in Education and Postgraduate Certificate in Learning and Teaching in Higher Education.

The school of Masters courses in Curriculum and Instruction as well as Educational Leadership and Management, English Education, Kinyarwanda Education, Kiswahili Education, and Enseignement du Français.

It also has Ph.D. by Research in Education offering courses in Mathematics Physics, Chemistry, Biology, ICT, English, Kinyarwanda, Swahili, and French.

The school has programs in Social Studies, Primary and Early Childhood Education, Geography, History, Psychology of Education, Educational Leadership and Management, Curriculum, Philosophy of Education Economics of Education.

The ACEITLMS also has Masters and Ph.D. programs in Biology, Chemistry, Physics, and Mathematics.

{{Easy payments }}

Payments have been made easier for students at the College of Education. Tuition fees ate deposited to accounts of the University of Rwanda at different banks.

The University of Rwanda has also a scheme of paying tuition fees within two installments. More details concerning fees structure and payment information at the University of Rwanda can be accessed through the link below: https://ur.ac.rw/?Fee-structure-and-payment-information

{{Application}}

The application to study at the University of Rwanda is completed through the university’s website www.ur.ac.rw and proceed through the Application Portal.

The application process requires an e-mail address, Identification or passport number for foreigners.

Courses are offered in English at the University of Rwanda.

The applicant must pay Rwf 10,000 non-refundable fees for Rwandans and East African students while foreigners have to pay Rwf 12,000.

For more payment details, visit: www.postgraduate.ur.ac.rw .

The incident took place on Sunday night in the Nyarusange village, Rubimba cell of Kabare sector.

It is said that the murder suspect has been warning, at different times, that he would kill the stepmother accusing her of poisoning him and stirring his mental health.

The Executive Secretary of Kabare sector, Semugeshi Mbarwa has told IGIHE that the man was immediately arrested.

“The man has had persistent mental health problems and would often destroy his family’s properties and cutting all banana stalks in their plantation. He used to accuse the stepmother to be behind all his mental problems until he went home and stabbed her to death,” he said.

Semugeshi further explained that the murder was well planned though the suspect had mental health problems confirmed by medical documents.

The suspect was arrested as he tried to escape after committing the murder

and handed to Rwanda Investigation Bureau (RIB) station in Kabarondo.

The training was concluded on Thursday with a pledge to donate 600 wheelchairs within three months.

At the closure of the training, Stephen Hunter, the representative of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints said that they are working with relevant institutions to identify beneficiaries of wheelchairs and crutches yet to be donated for free.

“We are working with relevant institutions to identify people in need of those wheelchairs and crutches starting with different hospitals from across the country,” he said

Hunter explained that they started training staff to take care of targeted beneficiaries to show them how these wheelchairs function and identifying what kind of support disabled persons need.

Following the training, 17 wheelchairs and 3 crutches were donated to beneficiaries who participated.

Beneficiaries and their families thanked The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.

Karema Jean Claude from Ngoma district, Eastern Province lost his two legs. He said the donation gave hope for a normal life again because the former wheelchair had been damaged and was always worried that it would collapse.

“These kind people have changed my life. I was hit hard being unable to go to the bathroom and visit neighbors. I have now been given a wheelchair matching with my weight giving confidence that it would probably last longer without ravage,” he said
Nyiramahirwe Valentine, the spouse Muhayimana Erneste from Kicukiro district who has spent a year without a wheelchair.

“We would hire a wheelchair every time we wanted to move around. With the new donation, we will no longer have such worries,” she said

Habiyambere Pierre Damien is an old man living in Gikondo, in Kicukiro district; who received new crutches better than irreparable ones he used before.
“I am so happy to receive new crutches that can be repaired if there is any kind of damage, ” he said

The Executive Secretary of the National Council of Persons with Disabilities, Emmanuel Ndayisaba, thanked The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day saints for taking care of people with disabilities in Rwanda.

He also asked trainees from different hospitals across the country and urged them to make good use of acquired knowledge and make a fair selection of beneficiaries to get promised 600 wheelchairs staring with people with most pressing issues.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints opened in Rwanda since 1989. It has run different projects supporting needy Rwandans worth US$ 12 million.

The wheelchairs donation project started in 2012. Since then, 2,840 wheelchairs of different types 300 crutches were donated.

50 physiotherapists were trained as well as 32 stakeholders involved in the manufacturing of wheelchair and crutches.

This church donates between 6000 and 9000 wheelchairs all over the world every year.

Mbala is married with three children. He has a Master of Divinity from the Nairobi International School of Theology, and a Master of Public Affairs and a Master of International Studies from the University of Washington. He is currently a Ph.D. student in New Testament at the University of Aberdeen in Scotland, UK.

In an exclusive interview he had with IGIHE, he discussed the state of the church in Africa and in Rwanda, the gospel in relation to politics, and also share more on the three-day seminar he has been invited to conduct on a theme ‘Anchored in Christ’. This seminar will take place at Solace Ministries Conference Center from this afternoon August 8, 2019, to August 11, 2019.

{{IGIHE: There so many vocations in church, why did you choose to become a pastor? }}

{{Pastor Baron:}} I think it is something personal in a sense that God calls individuals for a specific purpose; we see in the Bible God telling Jeremiah ‘before you were born I knew you and I had called you to be a prophet of the nation.’

I believe God knew me before I was in the womb of my mother and he has predestined me to be who I am today, that means a Christian first then a pastor… So all I did was say yes to the Lord and became a pastor.

{{IGIHE: Many people are not familiar with Gospel Influence Ministry; Can you tell us more about this ministry you are pastoring?}}

{{Pastor Baron:}} The Lord laid on my heart to start this ministry called ‘Gospel Influence Ministry’, it came from a concern regarding the status of the church in Africa.
Someone said ‘the church in Africa is a mile long but an inch deep’.

This is a problem, we hear today’s teaching focused on the prosperity gospel, deliverance gospel, extreme grace gospel; which is a distortion of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Therefore, there is a need for reformation, like in the times of Martin Luther [who drove the creation of the Protestant church], to call the church to the true gospel about the person and the work of Jesus Christ.

{{IGIHE: Is it is your first time in Rwanda? What do you think of our country Pastor Baron Mbala?}}

{{Pastor Baron:}} This is not my first time in Rwanda. The first time I came here it was in 2002. I was invited by the Evangelical Restoration Church with Apostle Masasu. Since then I have been coming here a lot.

I have to say that Rwanda has been completely transformed, the people of Rwanda, and the gospel as well…I am very proud of the leaders of Rwanda and their achievements and their vision. This proves that this county is heading it the right direction.

{{IGIHE: What is your opinion on gospel and politics?}}

{{Pastor Baron: }} As far as the relationship between Christ and politics, I believe Jesus himself said you are the light of the world and the salt of the world. Christians are called to influence their community; for the purpose of displaying Christ in the community.

So I think it is important for Christians to be involved in the politics, to participate in all level of government programs, but it has to be done in a way that glorifies Christ; bringing to the table values that transform the community for the better, the transformation that is needed.

If there is a person that can be called the best politician it should be a Christian because we believe that Christian values are the best values. Unfortunately, you will find many of those in influential places that are involved in corruption and other misdeeds are Christians. It should not be so.

{{IGIHE: Why do you think a lot of young Christians choose to become atheists these days?}}

{{Pastor Baron:}} This is an issue of concern; we see many young Christians leaving their faith and becoming atheist. Saying ‘we don’t believe in that God’.

There could be many reasons to that but for now I can think of two. The first being their disappointment on the controversy between what the church says and what they do, particularly what they see their leaders do.

The second thing is what we call the postmodernism mindset; with the coming of internet access and social media, we hear people saying there is not such a thing as absolute truth.

That truth is relative to a person and God is all of us put together, you are a piece of God and I am a piece of God, and all of us hold a piece of truth.

Having the church departing from the true gospel, treating it as means to an end, trying to see how the gospel can serve their purpose means Christians have no response to this challenge. We have Christians that are not deeply rooted in the true gospel and so they leave the church to find other options, other truths outside.

{{IGIHE: Pastor Baron Mbala you are having a 3-day conference with the theme “Anchored in Christ”, would you tell us what it is all about?}}

{{Pastor Baron: }} The purpose of this conference is to bring the church to realize that the gospel of Christ has to be the center of Christian life and the ministry. Salvation has two dimensions ‘Rescuing and participation’.

In the rescuing, we see how we were all sinners and therefore enemies of God, but in His mercy, he sent his son to deliver us from sin and give us His righteousness.

It is important to pay attention to the second dimensions of salvation that is participation; the Bible says in John 1:12, ‘To those who have received him, he has given the ability to become children of God’ the second dimension, therefore, is the incorporation of those that were rescued into the family of God in order for them to share the fellowship with the Trinity… So when we talk about anchored in Christ we want to say ‘we are not just rescued from the evil, but our ultimate goal is to be rooted, deepen and anchored in him and to share with him and through him the life of God.
The church nowadays is focused on rescuing, that is where we will find deliverance program, from curses, demons … the other thing we see in prosperity gospel where Christ has become a means to an end.

So in this seminar, we are saying that prosperity gospel is a half-truth, therefore it is not the gospel, deliverance gospel is a half-truth, it is not the Gospel; half-truth has never been the truth. We will share the gospel of Christ.

{{IGIHE: If you had any other message to give to Rwandans what would it be?}}

{{Pastor Baron:}} The one message I would give the Rwandan people is that God loves you, the history of where this country came from, leaving the genocide behind to rebuild into what we see today is simply a demonstration of the love of God for you.

Therefore, if you have tasted the love of God, he is calling you to be anchored to him through the love of Christ… the best days of Rwanda are still coming and the light of this country will shine around the world, starting with your neighbors.

And the church has a role to play in it; the church in Rwanda is in its adolescence still discovering its identity, and in that process there are struggles but we should not despise the church.

The church must remember that your identity comes from the cross so get back to the cross and all will be well.

{{Thank you Pastor Baron Mbala}}

Thank you!}}}

Residents learned about the closure today morning as they were stopped from crossing to DRC.
IGIHE correspondent in Rubavu district, Olivier Mukwaya has visited the border around 9 am and found it closed with approximately a thousand of cross border traders who wanted to cross to DRC stranded at the crossing point.

The closure of borders has been further confirmed to IGIHE by the Director-General of Gisenyi Hospital, Lt Col William Kanyankore.

“The borders have been closed. More details will be provided in a communication to be released clarifying reasons for the closure,” he said.

At least 1,676 people have died from the virus since the current outbreak started in DR Congo in August 2018, more than two-thirds of those who contracted the virus.

The first case of Ebola was reported in Goma on 14th July 2019 where the infected patient died within 24 hours.

Another man in Goma was diagnosed with Ebola on Tuesday this week and died the next day, on Wednesday evening as announced by the Ministry of Health in DRC.

World Health Organization has recently requested not to close borders claiming it might lead to illegal entries hence spreading the outbreak.

Elisaphan Dufitumukiza, a Rwandan who has been trading through Goma said they have been informed that the border will be closed for 21 days to find out if no new Ebola case is reported in Goma town again.

At least 55,000 people cross through the small border known as Petite Barrière and 77,000 through the large border, Grande Barrière in Rubavu district on a daily basis.

The pledge was made yesterday during the handover ceremony that took place at Lemigo Hotel where Handika took over from Kabandana Aimé.

It was attended by staff and members of Rotary Clubs in Rwanda.

Rotary club is an organization purposed to bring together business and professionals to provide humanitarian services and providing support to addressing problems facing the world by combating illiteracy and poverty, contributing to the provision of safe water, handling disputes and fighting disease.

Rotary Club Kigali Mont Jali was founded in 1999 and is one of the five Rotary clubs in Rwanda among which are; Rotary Club Musanze, Kigali Virunga, Kigali Doyen, Gasabo and Butare.

Rotary Club Kigali Mont Jali was established in 1999 as a subsidiary of Rotary Club Kigali Doyen [which was launched in Rwanda 50 years ago].

It is one of six clubs of Rotary Club in Rwanda, the others being Musanze, Kigali Virunga, Kigali Doyen, Gasabo and Butare with 104 members.

Handika, the new president expressed gratitude for the trust members bestowed onto him.

“Our biggest project is to sponsor marginalized children to access education. We have been sponsoring the Rwanda Children Educational Foundation (RCEF) for three months, helping parents pay for their children’s education,” he said.

Handika thanked contribution from every member of the organization and expressed optimism that more achievements will undoubtedly be realized.

Handika will workz hand in hand with his deputy Aimé Kabandana, and the club’s secretary, Albert Mugunga.

Members of Rotary Club Kigali Mont Jali visit different schools every year where they donate various equipment and Mutuelle de Santé among other contributions.

It also partners with other clubs to make health care services accessible to citizens through Medicare.

The Assistant Governor of Rotary International District 9150, Rugera Jeannette, who is also a member of Rotary Club Kigali Mont Jali promised cooperation with the new leader to effectively fulfill his duties.

“These duties require sacrifice. It is not easy to lead such a club but determination leads to success. Helping the needy benefits the donor in return,” she said

Rugera tasked members to invite more people to join Rotary Club in Rwanda.

Emmanuel Bimenyimana, the Manager of Rwanda Energy Group Limited (REG) Branch in Kacyiru has told IGIHE that the suspect was held on Tuesday 23rd, July 2019 while conducting a regular electricity anti-theft inspection.

He explained that Hitimana was caught red-handed with tools he used to deviate transmission of electricity through the cash power.

“We were in a routine inspection when we found a cable aside from the cash power to deviate electricity that he was able to use electricity without paying bills,” said Bimenyimana.

The suspect Hitimana has however told IGIHE that he was not aware that he was illegally connected to electricity.

Emmanuel Bimenyimana said it is impossible that this man did not know what was happening with his cash power.

He also revealed that such diversions might be the cause of the fire that gutted the area recently and urged the public to call REG staff for electricity connections assistance to enhance transparency and avoid unnecessary accidents.

The suspect has been taken to Rwanda Investigation Bureau.

She made the request yesterday addressing 124 youth from 26 East and Southern African countries at the opening of two-week training in IT use for development taking place at SOS Hermann Gemeiner Rwanda in Kigali city.

Beneficiaries of the training are youth from secondary schools and universities supported through SOS Children’s Villages International.

The training will focus on carrying out campaigns, leadership, and entrepreneurship all entrenched in technology.

Mbabazi asked the youth to play a key role, building the Africa they desire, starting from their countries.

“Don’t think about watching porn films when you have access to technology. You should rather take advantage of it to transform Africa starting with your contribution. The time is now, you don’t have to wait for tomorrow,” she said.

Mbabazi urged them on self-esteem, embracing the good character, determination and focusing on one’s goals as aspiring leaders to transform societies.

Mwanaidi Makame Juma, one of the participants from Zanzibar told IGIHE that he was encouraged by the advice of Minister Mbabazi and pledged to put into reality acquired knowledge.

SOS Children’s Villages operates in 47 African countries. It supports children with vulnerable backgrounds to access education, clothing among other areas uplifting their livelihoods.

Information from African Parks, a firm managing the Akagera National park, indicates that the Park was visited by 44000 people, half of who are Rwandans, earning receipts of about $2 million for the first time in the history of the Park.

In June 2015, seven lions-consisting five females and two males-were translocated from South Africa into Akagera National Park, in the Eastern Province. These two male lions were added in the Akagera Park in 2017. Today, there are 21 lions in the park and still counting. Since the hunt of wild animals was made illegal, they have greatly increased.

The lions in Akagera faced extinction for 25 years
In 2010, African Parks’ experts were contracted by RDB to manage Akagera National Park.

In order to encourage Rwandan people to be involved in tourism, every year a team of 1800 students visits the park together with their teachers.

Today this park is among the most renowned in Africa because, habitat to the Big 5; rhinos, lions, buffalos, elephants, and Leopards.

Just 4 years ago, 7 wild lions were reintroduced to @AkageraPark in Rwanda after a 20-year absence. Today, we are pleased to share that the population has since tripled! To learn more visit: https://t.co/RoHrJej5AY pic.twitter.com/vF512ZJsIs

— African Parks (@AfricanParks) July 20, 2019

His body was found around 11 am yesterday.

The Mayor of Rulindo district, Emmanuel Kayiranga has told IGIHE that Nsimiyimana went home on Wednesday to change clothes after work and headed to a trading center in the area.

It is suspected that he was killed on his way back home from the center.

Nshimiyimana’s body was found with injuries on the head.

Mayor Kayiranga said that investigations are underway to establish the cause of his death and urged residents to collaborate with local leaders providing information that might lead to suspects behind his death.