Rwandan Minister of Education, Eugène Mutimura has ordered the Christian University of Rwanda, one of the academic institution based in Kigali to pay several million rent arrears after the same academic institution has been embroiled in a legal tussle with the proprietor of a building housing the campus, APA learnt Thursday from an official source in Kigali.
In an official correspondence obtained by APA in Kigali, Rwandan minister of Education reminds the management of the university that from current assessment conducted at the private university, the institution has also accumulated debts in respect of unpaid staff salaries, statutory payments to social security boards and rent for the two university’s campuses in Kigali and Western Rwanda.
“The university also faces serious governance and management challenges and inefficient quality assurance mechanisms to ensure effective teaching and learning,” the Rwandan official said in a letter obtained by APA in Kigali.
In the meanwhile, the management of the Rwandan private university which is led by the former Rwandan Prime Minister Pierre Damien Habumuremyi said although the institution failed to pay rent it was occupying in recent months, the university has agreed to offset arrears quarterly.
The reaction by Rwandan official comes after private higher education in Rwanda has been growing in recent months with major concerns about quality education management.
Since that enactment of the Private Universities Act in late 2000, Rwanda has seen a tremendous growth in the number of private educational platforms over the recent years.
Education experts believe that yet, this growth also has a downside to it, as rapid expansion entails a risk of compromise on quality and expenses.
Rwanda currently lists 24 private academic institutions, but concern about the quality of higher education has been on the rise in recent months.
CU/abj/APA