Rwanda is turning to technology and education to try to forget the horrors of the past and unite the people. Monday marks the 20th anniversary of the genocide in Rwanda, where over 800,000 ethnic Tutsis (and moderate Hutus as well) were slaughtered over a period of 100 days. There are still feelings of tension and resentment -- as well as guilt from foreign powers like Britain and the US for not stopping the killings (which led to huge amounts of foreign aid after the massacre) -- but the Rwandan government has a plan to forever unite its people.
The Rwandan government hopes that providing education and technological knowledge to everyone, rich or poor, will accomplish several things, including weaning the country off of foreign aid, bringing equity, understanding, and a shared national identity to the people, enticing investors and multinational corporations to the nation, and ultimately placing Rwanda into the 21st century with a service-based economy. Here is the official mission statement of the Ministry of Education:
The mission of the Ministry of Education is to transform the Rwandan citizen into skilled human
capital for socio-economic development of the country by ensuring equitable access to quality
education focusing on combating illiteracy, promotion of science and technology, critical thinking and
positive values.
Don't overlook the last two objectives in the list: critical thinking and positive values. The government hopes that by teaching its people to think critically, they will not fall prey to the propaganda and brainwashing which led to the violence 20 years ago.
The leadership is carrying out this ambitious plan by bringing buses equipped with laptops, wifi, and teachers to rural areas, as well as Knowledge Labs where students and teachers work together to launch businesses and computer applications. Laptops are being purchased for primary schools across the country.
Analysis:
Does education have the power to unite people? Will education really prevent another genocide? I think there is a good chance that it will. Just look at college students around the world. Young, educated people are often the ones fighting for peace and tolerance. In Tiananmen Square they protested the government and petitioned for freedom. UNCG is marked by a growing student diversity and its acceptance of minority and oppressed groups, such as the LGBT community and various refugee groups which the students engage during service learning. Other factors may contribute to the school's progressivism, such as the young age of the students or simply the progressive culture of the country, but exposure to different ideas, points of view, and ways of life are certainly involved.
Of course, the practical side of the Rwandan approach is that education and especially IT education (extremely important for the business world today) will lift people out of poverty and perhaps take away jealousy and reasons to hate others.
Sources:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/africa/20-years-after-the-genocide-rwanda-looks-to-a-tech-revolution/2014/04/04/bbde2df2-bb4a-11e3-80de-2ff8801f27af_story.html?tid=hpModule_949fa2be-8691-11e2-9d71-f0feafdd1394
http://www.gov.rw/Education-and-capacity-building
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