Rwanda: ICT to Attract Street Children to Schools
Rwanda: ICT to Attract Street Children to Schools
The New Times (Kigali)
12 November 2007
Posted to the web 12 November 2007
James Buyinza
Kacyiru
THE Ministry of Education has started an initiative of using Science and Technology (ICT) to attract street children to school.
Education minister Dr Jeanne d’Arc Mujawamarya has said that her ministry and the Indian government have embarked on an initiative that would use computers to entice street children (Mayibobo) in Kigali City to go to school.
While speaking to journalists at the Prime holdings on Friday, Mujawamariya said that they have constructed two computer kiosks at Kacyiru and Remera Catholic Primary Schools, which are already attracting many street children.
Mujawamariya said that the ministry plans to put up many computer kiosks in all primary schools located in Kigali slum areas, where the number of street children is high to enable them exploit the opportunity they had missed.
She said that would help street children who would have become dangerous to the public attain basic skills for the development of the country.
"Street children are not dull but lack opportunities like this, to be able to engage in development activities," she explained.
The computer packages for these children will include personal hygiene, sensitisation of masses about the dangers of HIV/Aids and prevention, ways of controlling malaria and games.
Dr Mujawamariya explained that there will be a camera situated at the ministry to monitor all the children using these computers.
She added that they would be able to know the statistics of people using that service.
The ministry is expecting a high turn up of street children going to school as a result of the programme, she said.
