Students in class. A massive school feeding program begins in February 2016
Rwandan students will not worry about studying on empty stomachs while in school beginning academic year 2016, Prime Minister Anastase Murekezi has announced.
Apparently, food will be provided under a partnership between parents and government.
Primier Murekezi told thousands of participants at the 13th National Dialogue that the school feeding program will be fully functioning in February 2016.
In September 2015, Districts were instructed to use a part of the budget initially planned for boarding schools (RWF1.4 billion)- that is, 100Frw per student and per day to support 114,730 students provisionally identified as needy in all Districts.
By October 2015, participation to school feeding program was at 69 % in Secondary Day Schools commonly known as Nine and Twelve Year Basic Education (9&12YBE) Schools.
The main target was to establish guidelines for this program, carry out an assessment of the beneficiaries and then mobilize funds to implement the program.
While schools offer meals at schools, some parents cannot effort contributions to the feeding program. Vulnerable parents continue demanding for government support to feed their children at school.
Venantia Tugireyezu Minister in the Office of the President said yesterday that the family is the foundation of the country’s development, and thus “We need parents to play their role.”
She said the government will partner with parents, and much focus on vulnerable children. Currently, she said, 65% now receive meals at school.
Meanwhile, out of the 20 resolutions of the 2014 national dialogue, school feeding program was among them, but was not implemented, together will the digitalization of genocide archives and implementation of secondary cities.
During the 2014 national dialogue, Rwandans resolved to create secondary cities to help curtail rampant rural-urban migration to Kigali city.
A master plan was developed to establish six strategic secondary cities including; Muhanga and Huye in South, Rubavu and Rusizi in West, Nyagatare and Musanze from Eastern and Northern Province.
However, Murekezi has told the ongoing dialogue that the secondary cities master plan is not yet fully implemented but in progress.
Activities relating to the expropriation and development of the basic infrastructure were the main targets for this resolution.
In April Augustin Kampayana, director of rural development told KT Press that population pressure in Kigali city has lead to high unemployment widening of slums. “The plan is to divert the trend by 35% in 2020 from 17% today.”
“We have seen sudden collapse of several mega cities…it is wise to have secondary cities,” said Joan Clos, Under-Secretary General and Executive Director of the UN Habitat during g his visit to Rwanda in February.
Meanwhile, Murekezi also told participants that implementation of resolution-20 ; strengthening mechanisms for sustainable preservation of proof and evidence of Genocide against the Tutsi is in progress and will be fully completed in the next two years.
On digitisation and preservation of Gacaca archives, he said a study was conducted and completed. Gacaca documentation officers have been recruited and are being trained.
