President Kagame on Monday met with national examiners at Kagarama Secondary School in Kicukiro District. In his speech, President Kagame commended the examiners on their work, which earned the Rwanda National Examination Council the United Nations Public Service Award in 2006.
President Kagame said that the honour, like other handed to Rwanda by different international bodies, was a recognition of the council’s efforts and should serve as motivation to work harder and achieve more.
President Kagame urged teachers in the country to be exemplary as they are responsible for the cultural, moral and intellectual development of Rwandan children. Pointing out that in order to fulfill this task, teachers are obliged to continually update their knowledge, he said “A good teacher is one who endeavors to always enrich his or her knowledge – and one who practices what he or she teaches. You cannot ask students to be disciplined when you lack discipline yourself- the students will not understand you.”
In an interactive session following the President’s remarks, the teachers asked questions and offered suggestions concerning their working conditions. President Kagame commended teachers for their patience and assured them of government’s understanding of their hardships and commitment to finding a solution. He however noted that these problems should not stand in the way of teachers’ obligation to instill the right values in Rwandan children, and their task of raising a responsible new generation.