The relocation is said to concern the Day Programme students while those in the Evening Programme will remain in Gikondo.
Speaking to IGIHE on Wednesday, the Deputy Vice-Chancellor of the UR in charge of institutional advancement, Dr Charles Murigande said the relocation plan is under discussion but promised to announce the decision soon.
“There are still internal discussions, no decision has yet been taken. We shall let the media know as soon as it is decided,” he said.
Asked if the decision concerns Day Programme students only, Dr Murigande answered “Yes, but that is still under discussion too. We shall let you know in a few days.”
The plan has ignited discontent among students who have asked the UR to announce the decision earlier so that they can prepare for the relocation if it is to happen starting the next academic year which opens in September.
Some students told IGIHE that they have heard speculations that the relocation is caused by the insufficiency of buildings in Gikondo while there are vacant buildings in Huye campus as a result of relocations of many students from there to other UR’s campuses around the country.
The expected CBE relocation comes three months after the UR announced plans to also relocate its School of Journalism and Communication (SJC) from Gikondo to Huye as well but no final decision has come to the public yet.
SJC was relocated from Huye to Nyarugenge campus in September 2011 and then to Gikondo in February, last year.
Among the CBE students to shift, include some among over 600 students in Accounting and Business Administration who were relocated from Huye end of 2016.
Matheus Bizimana, a third-year student in Accounting, said they struggled to settle in Kigali and that taking them to Huye can cause him a loss of home equipments as it happened when they shifted to Kigali in 2016.
“We are not happy with those stories of relocation. I was in second year when we unhappily shifted to Kigali because we sold our materials cheaply and left others there unsold but we have settled now and are comfortable especially because we are getting temporary jobs in Kigali. We couldn’t carry some materials like the bed, saucepans and stoves. We are likely to lose again,” he said.
Bizimana pleaded with the UR officials to allow those in Gikondo to complete their studies on the campus and lead those starting the first year to Huye, adding that taking them back to Huye especially those going to the fourth and final year is preventing them from job opportunities.
Gisèle Ishimwe, a student who started her studies at CBE in Gikondo said the relocation challenges the students with limited means while those with good financial means are considering joining private higher learning institutions in case their request to join the Evening Programme is not granted.
University of Rwanda, the sole country’s public higher learning institution, was founded in 2013 bringing together the former seven public institutions which were reduced to six colleges. Three colleges are in the City of Kigali while others are in the districts of Huye, Musanze and Nyagatare.
Since its inception, the university has made numerous reforms especially in relocating students from college to college, something that has often made the public question the effectiveness of the reforms.
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