China-supported Luban workshop inaugurated at Rwandan technical school

KIGALI, Nov. 19 (Xinhua) -- A Luban workshop, a Chinese-supported vocational training facility, was inaugurated Saturday at IPRC Musanze in northern Rwanda, aiming to enhance technical and vocational education training (TVET) in Rwanda.

The Rwanda Luban Workshop was established through a partnership between Rwanda Polytechnic and Jinhua Polytechnic of East China's Zhejiang Province.

"The Luban Workshop is established with cutting-edge technologies that today's world needs. It is a tremendous achievement as it will help Rwandan students to get the best education, the best training in a conducive environment," Sylvie Mucyo, the vice-chancellor of Rwanda Polytechnic, told Xinhua in an interview.

Mucyo said the partnership between Rwanda Polytechnic and China's Jinhua Polytechnic will allow the exchange of expertise, where Rwandan students and staff would collaborate with their Chinese counterparts on projects leading to solutions that the industry needs.

"It will support students to be creative and innovative to work on solutions that the community and industry need," she said.

She commended China's support of TVET in Rwanda, saying it has contributed to changing students' and parents' perceptions of technical and vocational training.

IPRC Musanze, which has graduated more than 1,700 students since 2018, offers different courses such as irrigation and drainage technology, construction technology, highway engineering, e-commerce, and information technology. The student enrolment has grown from just 171 in 2014 to more than 1,800 currently.

Mucyo expects the collaboration with China to continue in different areas leading to Rwanda's economic transformation.

Chinese Ambassador to Rwanda Wang Xuekun noted that with joint efforts of Jinhua Polytechnic and Rwanda Polytechnic, IPRC Musanze has been nurturing many young talents. He underlined that TVET is an area, where both China and Rwanda attach great importance because of its role in human resource development and national transformation.

Wang said the 10 years of collaboration between Rwanda Polytechnic and China's Jinhua Polytechnic "reflects the deep friendship between Chinese and Rwandan people, but more importantly, tells us what we could achieve through working together."

He also spoke of the need to create an enabling environment for the workshop to benefit more Rwandan young people.

"Our two sides shall mobilize more resources to support its operation, tailoring the curriculum to local needs in order to better contribute to Rwanda's social transformation," he said.

Stressing the importance of people-to-people exchanges at various levels, the envoy called for more exchanges to promote bilateral cooperation in TVET and other sectors.

Maurice Mugabowagahunde, the governor of Rwanda's Northern Province, said the 10 years of collaboration with China has led to various accomplishments.

"This workshop will help Rwandan students to be competitive not only on the local but also on the international market once they finish their studies because they will be familiar with modern equipment," the governor told Xinhua. "That is why we are very thankful for this cooperation with China."

The inaugurated workshop includes a laboratory equipped with new technologies including robots to train students.

Chen Hairong, vice president of Jinhua Polytechnic, said the Rwanda Luban Workshop will establish a communication platform for teenagers from China and Rwanda as well as exchange programs. "Let us build Rwanda Luban Workshop to be a model among the workshops in Africa," Chen said.