Publication: Leadership Styles And Development Of Rwanda’s Education Sector In The Pre And Post Tutsi Genocide Of 1994
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2013
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Mount Kenya University
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Abstract
From the attainment of independence in 1962 to 1994, the development of the education sector in Rwanda was not only slow but also characterized by discrimination and inequality. Nonetheless, after the 1994 Tutsi genocide, the situation was averted and this is said to be due to the good leadership styles applied. In view of this, the present study aimed at gaining an understanding of the impact of these leadership styles on the development of the country Rwanda. Specifically, focus has been made on development of its educational sector. It examined the developmental trend in the educational sector, the leadership styles and strategies; and their impact on education development in Rwanda during the pre and post Tutsi genocide of 1994 period.
This study is significant mainly for the youth of Rwanda, who are regarded as the future leaders. The study will inform them on the impact of leadership styles on the development of a country‘s economy, especially when they compare the effects of leadership in both periods of pre and post genocide of the Tutsi of 1994. The study will also inform policy decision makers on appropriate strategies for the education sector development, especially in addressing the challenges identified from the research findings and also consider the researcher‘s proposed recommendations.
The study employed exploratory and descriptive study approaches and it was carried out in all the 30 districts of Rwanda. The target population was composed of 53 participants: all district educational officers, Ministry of Education senior officials and education sector donor agencies, legal representatives of faith based institutions and teachers that served in both regimes of pre and post Tutsi genocide of 1994. The participants were all purposively selected. Data was collected using interviews and structured questionnaires.
The study generally shows that there is a significant difference in the educational development between pre and post Tutsi genocide of 1994 epoch. During pre genocide of 1994 period, access to education, and employment of graduates among others were based on ethnicity, regionalism and discrimination, which ultimately created an elite class that hindered development.
Transformational and Visionary leadership styles employed by the Rwandan government in the post Tutsi genocide of 1994, have not only culminated into educational development but also the reconstruction of the economic and social fabric of the country. However, regardless of the tremendous improvement in access to education over a short period of time, quality of education remains a challenge.
Highly recommended also is the need of professional career guidance right from the foundation levels of education, involving the parents and teachers, as a continuous process of identifying children‘s talents and therefore orient them, is an essential recipe for the paradigm shift from advocating for paper qualification mentality to development of talents and job creation skills.
Therefore, the Ministry of Education should seriously focus on improving quality of education at all levels. This should be done by mainly considering; increasing the number of qualified teachers, increasing teachers English language competency as a medium of instruction, decreasing teacher-pupil ratio caused by the successful strategies of increasing access to education as per MDGs requirement, providing more teaching and learning materials, and revising the curriculum to fit the
labour market demands. The good news is that, plans are underway in the Ministry of Education to tackle most of these challenges but this research study informs the Ministry further the urgency based on the findings, hence recommendations to hasten the process.
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Leadership