Andrew Stegmann

Private Schools in Rwanda Close Down as Public Schools Become More Attractive to Parents

Private schools in Rwanda are on the verge of closing down due to low patronage. A report by Daily Nation says desperate proprietors who face closure of their institutions are now asking the government to sponsor students in private schools at public rates.

But the government has rejected the idea.

The “problem” started with the government’s twelve-year basic education policy which made public schools affordable and preferable.

According to the report, the Ministry of Education invested hugely in expanding capacity and teaching infrastructure at public schools across the country; introduced the school feeding programme and abolished school fees.

More than 30 private schools are said to have closed indefinitely this year, while others are struggling to stay afloat after losing students to public schools.

School owners told Rwanda Today that even those that had managed to stay open were struggling to meet their operational costs.

“We’ve suffered a sharp decline in the number of students enroled, yet the school has accumulated debt, unpaid salaries and owes arrears to suppliers. It is not clear if the school will re-open,” said Samuel Batamba, the head teacher at College Nkunduburezi in Gakenke District.

Mr Batamba said the school used to have 900 students but now has only 80 students after it failed to attract new students while others enrolled in public schools.

According to statistics from the Ministry of Education, the government owns 460 out of the more than 1,575 schools in the country.

The rest are run by religious bodies with the Catholic church owning 620 schools, the Anglican church 279, Adventist church 22 and Muslim schools are at 16. Another 178 schools are run by parents’ associations and individuals.

The most affected institutions are private boarding schools.

Figures show that students in private schools decreased from 101,510 in 2012 to 79,076 last year while enrolment in public and government-aided schools almost doubled in the same period.

According to John Gasana, the Vice chairman of the Private Schools Association, competing with public schools requires huge capital investment to improve infrastructure, equipment and hiring skilled teachers, something many private schools cannot afford.

 

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Sources: Newspeak [1]. Image sources: [1].

Andrew Stegmann

Signs of Renewed Expat, Foreigner Interest in SA Housing Market

Due to improved sentiment about South Africa, it would not be surprising to see an increasing demand for SA residential property among foreigners and SA expats, according to John Loos, household and property sector strategist at First National Bank.

This is despite demand levels for SA domestic property from foreigners and SA expats being down significantly compared to 2015 and 2016, according to the FNB Estate Agent Survey for the first quarter of this year.

Estate agents surveyed estimated that 4.3% of total home buying for the two quarters up to and including the first quarter of 2018 was by foreigners.

The survey estimated that the percentage of SA homes being bought by SA expats was 1.51% of homes in the first quarter of 2018, after declining since 2015.

The survey also indicated that the number of buyers from other parts of Africa purchasing residential property in SA has slowed faster than overall foreigner home buying here in recent years. For Loos this could arguably reflect tougher African economic conditions compared to those in more developed countries in recent years.

The estate agents’ estimates about a weakening demand among foreigners and SA expats throughout 2017 reflected “dampened investor sentiment” towards SA in general, according to Loos.

In his view, this was likely caused by the stagnation of SA’s economy over a number of years, uncertainty about the SA government’s future economic policy, and “negative news” about the country such as sovereign rating downgrades to “junk status”.

“However, we have started 2018 with a noticeably more positive mood in South Africa, partly due to the political leadership change in the country following the ruling party’s elective conference in December 2017,” said Loos.

Positivity has also been reflected in a stronger rand and a rise in the RMB-BER Business Confidence Index in the first quarter of 2018.

“We will wait for further quarterly surveys before concluding that foreigner and expat buying levels are picking up meaningfully or not,” said Loos.

 

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Sources: Fin24 [1]. Image sources: [1].

Andrew Stegmann

Cape Refugee Centre To Be Reopened

Home Affairs Director-General Mkuseli Apleni says the department will comply with the 2017 Supreme Court order to reopen the Cape Town Refugee Reception Centre.

Last year, the Supreme Court ordered the department to reopen and maintain the Refugee Reception Centre in Cape Town. In its judgement, the court held that the closure was ‘irrational and unlawful.’

The Cape Town Refugee Reception Centre, which was closed in 2012, was at that time the second busiest Refugee Reception Centre in the country.

Addressing the media in Tshwane on Tuesday, Apleni said the department has begun complying with the court order.

“The Department of Home Affairs has no intention to disregard the judicial directive and we will duly respect the judgment. In this regard, we have commenced with plans to comply with the order,” Apleni said.

Apleni said the department has allocated a budget within the ambits of the current baseline.

“We have prioritised the funding and filing of key posts to get the centre operational. However, the department is dependent on Public Works to provide suitable office accommodation.

“To this end, we have engaged the Department of Public Works which, in turn, has issued a procurement instruction to their regional office in Cape Town,” Apleni said.

He said the Department of Public Works provided a project execution plan on 6 April 2018.

“The department will continue to uphold its constitutional obligation to those in need of protection from any form of persecution,” he said.

The Western Cape High Court had initially favoured the Department of Home Affairs to close the refugee office in Cape Town. The Scaralbini centre appealed the matter at the Supreme Court of Appeals, which ruled in their favour.

The Cape Town Refugee Reception Centre was established in 2000 as one of five Centres in terms of section 8.1 of the Refugees Act.

The Supreme Court of Appeal also instructed the Department of Home Affairs to furnish the court with monthly updates on the progress regarding the re-opening of the RRO.

 

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Sources: Town Press [1]. Image sources: [1].

Andrew Stegmann

Plans to Improve OR Tambo Immigration Services

Home Affairs Minister Malusi Gigaba says he plans to meet with Transport Minister Blade Nzimande over plans for Airports Company South Africa (ACSA) to deal with long queues and other issues at immigration at the OR Tambo International Airport.

Gigaba held a meeting with officials at the airport on Wednesday morning and walked over to the immigration point of entry.

Gigaba has told ACSA and OR Tambo International management that he doesn’t want to be persuaded against launching pilot projects that could improve services at the airport.

“I’m saying all of this as a way of telling you what I want to see happening. I can’t be persuaded against that.”

Gigaba says plans which include technological systems to eliminate long queues at points were supposed to be implemented during the next financial year, but he wants them to go live sooner.

“Initially the delay was on our side, but I would like them to be brought forward so that we can start piloting them and ensure that we provide quality service to our clients.”

These systems include e-visas, which will enable travellers to apply for visas online, and e-gates, which will allow self-service at airports.

 

For information as to how Relocation Africa can help you with your Mobility, Immigration, Research, and Remuneration needs, email marketing@relocationafrica.com, or call us on +27 21 763 4240.

Sources: Masego Rahlaga (EWN) [1]. Image sources: [1].