Letters: the bittersweet irony of Rwanda's job market
Despite Rwanda's burgeoning economy, many are unequipped to take
advantage of the growth. Our letter this week argues the solution may
be a more practical approach to education
Thursday 13 February 2014 16.03 GMT
Many of Rwanda's citizens are underemployed while it's businesses are
understaffed. Photograph: Christopher Thomond
Anastasia Uglova in Kigali
I am the communications director at Akilah Institute for Women, a
college with campuses in Rwanda and Burundi that prepares young women
for professional careers in the fastest-growing sectors of the
economy. I was delighted to see the recent article on Rwanda's next
education challenge. It's very gratifying to read that people outside
east Africa understand what is happening economically in this region
and the unique educational challenges of rapid growth.
Take Rwanda as an example: a country with a burgeoning economy - the
result of political stability, an influx of foreign direct investment,
and the growth of information technology and tourism - but a
population utterly unequipped to take advantage of the new job growth.
Employers frequently complain to Akilah that they can't find and hire
qualified candidates fast enough. Your article quotes Rwanda's
education minister Vincent Biruta: "Students may be able to answer
exam questions but they need to be able to have the skills to go out
and find a job. Critical thinking is key. They need analytical skills,
to be able to come up with solutions."
The irony is bitter: the vast majority of Rwandans are underemployed
while the vast majority of businesses are understaffed. While the
education sector is making strides to rethink a historically
inadequate learning model of lectures and rote memorisation, most
colleges and universities are still focused on churning out large
numbers of graduates that are not qualified for the workplace. Indeed,
the expansion of educational access often comes at the expense of
quality.
What we do differently at Akilah is simple. Our graduates earn a
two-year career-focused diploma instead of a four-year bachelor's
degree, which minimises their financial burden and gets them onto the
job market as quickly as possible. The entire programme spans three
years. The first year is an intensive foundation course that precedes
the two-year diploma, helping young east African women make the
transition from a shaky secondary school education to advanced,
market-relevant college coursework. Most high school graduates have
been taught by teachers with very limited English-language skills, so
this boot camp style training in English communication, math,
information technology, and leadership is essential for advanced-level
coursework. No other institutions of higher education in Rwanda or
Burundi do this, but practical learning is the only way to go if
you're actually committed to ending youth unemployment, not just
expanding access to education.
After the first-year foundation course, Akilah students select one of
three majors: entrepreneurship, hospitality management, or information
systems - the three highest-growth industries in east Africa today.
The curriculum immerses students in hands-on, team-based learning with
an emphasis on leadership, problem solving, and critical thinking
skills, a minimum number of lectures, and a mandatory internship
component. Our model may not be so revolutionary in the western
context, but in countries working overtime on finding their place in
the modern global economy, a practical approach to education is
indispensable. Our results prove the value of our model: a 92% job
placement rate upon graduation.
Anastasia Uglova is the communications director at Akilah Institute
for Women. Follow @AkilahInstitute on Twitter
http://www.theguardian.com/global-development-professionals-network/2014/feb/13/rwanda-job-market-education-system
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