A Scottish initiative to help improve the education of Rwandan women is getting off the ground with recently confirmed support of five Scottish universities.
The Universities of Dundee, Stirling, Glasgow Caledonian, Edinburgh and St Andrews have agreed to waive the fees for seven female Rwandan students to study for one year postgraduate in Scotland starting in September 2003 as part of the Rwanda University Scholarship Scheme.
Spearheading the initiative is Gerda Siann, Professor Emeritus in gender relations at the University of Dundee who has just returned from a visit to Kigali where she was part of a team with six senior Rwandan civil servants selecting the women for the Scottish university places. She is passionate about providing improved educational opportunities for women to whom it is denied.
She says: "The standard of applicants was high. Candidates ranged through engineers, doctors, IT specialists, educationalists and agriculturalists. I have brought home the files of 14 women and will now visit each of the Scottish universities to match seven of them to the most suitable institution."
She explains: "Like elsewhere in Africa, women in Rwanda face numerous obstacles that limit their access and opportunities for education. The events of genocide worsened the situation. However, more recently there has been impressive progress by the Rwandan government and civil society in reconstructing the society. The Rwandan government is placing an enormous emphasis on higher education, particularly of women."
The Rwandan government has agreed to meet the subsistence costs of the seven women and the Association of University Teachers has made a significant contribution to the cost of airfares from Rwanda to Scotland. In addition, the University of Dundee has agreed to give some money for hosting meetings in Dundee for the successful students during their year of study so they can keep in touch with each other. The British Council in Edinburgh has also offered to host some meetings.
The initiative has received strong support both from the Rwandan Ambassador to the UK, Mrs Rosemary Museminali and the Honorary Scottish Consul for Rwanda, Dr Alan Goodall.
Contact Professor Gerda Siann 0131 554 4919
By Jenny Marra, Head of Press 01382 344910 j.m.marra@dundee.ac.uk