NURC calls for teachers’ participation in teaching youth about genocide history

Ndayisaba was speaking Saturday to teachers from Kamonyi and Muhanga Districts of Southern Province as they visited Kigali Genocide Memorial.

The action was organized by a local organization ‘Christian Action for Reconciliation and Social Action (CARSA)’.

He said that the new generation should be explained thoroughly about the history of the genocide as a way to help them avoid divisionism.

“This generation is made up of children who did not get involved in the genocide, however, the history affected them, they see their effects, so they want to get well explained about the history,” he said.

“They should have critical thinking and stand firm so that no one could lead them back in the same tragic history we passed through; no one else could help us to achieve that than teachers. For you to help them, you should also have learnt about that history,” he explained.

Ndayisaba said that all Rwandans have the scars caused by the genocide. He however, urged teachers to prevent Rwandan children from falling back in such history.

Innocent Nzeyimana, a teacher at Groupe Scholaire Mbati said that he learnt a lot from the lecture adding that he got responses to different questions that he used to be asked by students.

“This lecture is very crucial and we are going to implement what they requested us, we have learnt a lot from here and we will not get confused in telling the history,” he said.

CARSA Coordinator, Christophe Mbonyingabo said that the action to take teachers and students to the memorial aimed at helping youth to grow with unity and reconciliation values.

“They aimed at training youth to build on unity and reconciliation along with values of sustainable peace. It is very crucial to bring them here to learn from the memorial about the history of the country. We can’t affirm that what they learn from their parents or to school are completely enough, it is necessary for them to be here to enable them fight against the genocide consequences, ideology and denial among others,” he said.

The teachers toured different parts of the memorial and laid wreaths to the graves where over 250,000 victims are laid to rest .