The academia in Rwanda is demanding for changes in the local historical content contained in the national curriculum for primary and secondary schools and tertiary institutions.

Specifically, the academics want all past cultural practices of the country taught in schools.

According to Prof Joseph Gahama, a senior lecturer at University of Rwanda, College of Education, the teaching of history in the country has centred on the monarchy but excluded some historical aspects such as the traditional way of life of their subjects.

“We all know the famous Alexis Kagame, one of the prominent writers of history here in Rwanda, but his writings were exclusively on the life of kings and their entourage, not the history of the people,” he said.

Having been criticised to be teaching programmes that serve or liaise well with political interests, Prof Gahama called on interested researchers to dig into varied historical features that can be studied and taught to include history of mentality, architecture history, economy, gastronomy and other social lives.

Type of food

“For example, a child would wish to know the types of diet and food in Rwanda years ago, the life expectancy vis-à-vis the environment and other cultural values,” he added.

Teachers, on the other hand, have urged curriculum developers to take advantage of ongoing syllabus reforms to incorporate the suggestions.

According to Hodali Mutebutsi, a history teacher at Martyrs High School, the proposals by university lecturers are timely and should be considered so that programmes of history are rationalised in all tiers of education.

“We would be very glad to teach such programmes,” he said. “The perception has been that the history of Rwanda was distorted so as to serve political needs.

“Our children and students deserve better; there is a lot that can be learnt in the history of Rwanda.”

Experts believe Rwanda is enormously untapped when it comes to the cultural values of the past. According to Senator Tito Rutaremara, the society changes alongside its history; in a radical changing society like Rwanda, much can be documented and learnt.

“There is a lot that we don’t know; very few was written by the renowned canons, who also tapped from royal poetry, but a lot can be studied and published,” Dr Rutaremara said.

The senator noted that politics is among key pillars for national development, adding that Rwandans can learn from past national economic programmes and how they shaped life before the arrival of Europeans.

Match regional standards

“All these can be adopted and be taught in school,” he added. “For example, our children would wish to know that sorghum and beans were the only crops in Rwanda and that extensional wars and the arrival of colonialists changed Rwandan farming as rice, bananas, Irish potatoes and other vegetables were introduced.”

To boost quality of education, Rwanda has embarked on a curriculum review and officials say the integrated upgrade of its education system is meant to match regional standards.

READ: Rwanda now moves to review education policy for improved standards