Citizens prioritise the construction of a Technical School through the Community Scorecard
Through the Community Scorecard, citizens of Ntarabana sector successfully advocated for the construction of a technical school.
Technical Vocational Training Schools (TVET) were introduced by the Ministry of Education in 2010 to increase the number of school leavers with technical and vocational skills and thus improve their employment opportunities. PPIMA was introduced in Rulindo District in 2020 and our Partner – RWAMREC - soon became aware of the absence of a technical school in Ntarabana Sector; one of the more remote areas of the district.
This absence of a technical school was having an adversely negative effect on the future livelihood opportunities of youth in the community. And most notably it was imposing a financial burden on students and their families as they had to pay daily transport fees to commute to other sectors to attend technical school. Those who could not afford transport fees were unable to attend classes; this included teenage mothers whose opportunities for economic empowerment were already limited.
Our children will no longer go to school outside of our sector. This technical school will also help children from neighboring areas, as each course can accommodate 50 students. We are really happy and thankful to the community scorecard.
Twahirwa Narcisse (GFP from Ntarabana Sector, Rulindo District)
Through the Community Scorecard process facilitated by RWAMREC, Ntarabana Sector residents identified the lack of a Technical School as a challenge and the issue was prioritised for action and brought before District Authorities through Governance Focal Persons (GFPs) representing the Sector. In response, The District mobilised existing resources and those obtained through advocacy and financial support from the World Bank to construct the school. The school is due to open in January 2022 and initially will teach two technical subjects, namely tailoring and carpentry and will provide local youths with skills they can utilise in the Rwandan job market where Youth Unemployment rates are above 30%.
Through PPIMA support, RWAMREC will continue to advocate for the expansion of these school in Rulindo District, including further support and expansion of this school in Ntarabana Sector from World Bank funds. It will also continue to promote priorities identified in the District through the Community Scorecard process.
