Private schools in Rwanda are closing down due to low patronage and the attractiveness of public schools.
The “problem” started with the government’s twelve-year basic education policy which made public schools affordable and preferable.
A report by Daily Nation said the Ministry of Education invested hugely in expanding capacity and teaching infrastructure at public schools across the country. and introduced the school feeding programme and abolished school fees. desperate proprietors who face closure of their institutions are now asking the government to sponsor students in private schools at public school rates.
It also introduced the school feeding programme and abolished school fees.
reports say desperate proprietors who face closure of their institutions are now asking the government to sponsor students in private schools at public school rates.
But the government has rejected the idea.
More than 30 private schools are said to have closed indefinitely in 2017, while others are struggling to stay afloat after losing students to public schools.
According to statistics from the Ministry of Education, the government owns 460 out of more than 1,575 schools in the country.
The rest are run by religious bodies with the Catholic church owning 620 schools, the Anglican church 279, Adventist church 22 and Muslim schools 16. Another 178 schools are run by parents’ associations and individuals.
The most affected institutions are private boarding schools.
Figures show that students in private schools decreased from 101,510 in 2012 to 79,076 last year while enrollment in public and government-aided schools almost doubled in the same period.
According to John Gasana, the Vice chairman of the Private Schools Association, competing with public schools requires huge capital investment to improve infrastructure, equipment and hiring skilled teachers, something many private schools cannot afford.
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