The Ministry of Education has officially instructed the Ecole Belge de Kigali to discontinue its Belgian education programme by September 2025. The order, communicated in an April 8 letter to the school leadership, follows the Rwandan government’s decision to sever diplomatic relations with the Kingdom of Belgium in March and Rwanda Governance Board’s public notice of March 27, which prohibits all faith-based and non-governmental organizations in Rwanda from cooperating with Belgium and its affiliated entities. ALSO READ: Rwandan regulator asks NGOs, church to end cooperation with Belgium In the letter seen by The New Times, the Minister of Education Joseph Nsengimana tells the school director and president of the parents committee that “effective September 2025, your school must cease implementation of the Belgian education program currently in place.” Nsengimana advised the school to “begin making the necessary arrangements to transition to an alternative education program” for the academic year 2025-2026. ALSO READ: Kagame warns Belgium against undermining Rwanda’s progress A spokesperson of the 60-year-old school told The New Times on Wednesday morning that it was “too early” to comment on the ministry’s decision and the alternatives the school would consider to replace the Belgian education programme. “We are still holding internal meetings to determine what the next steps will be,” the school official said, promising to communicate any new information that might be available. ALSO READ: Ecole Belge marks golden jubilee An official from the ministry said that they would facilitate the school in the transition. “The Ministry of Education is providing advisory and technical support to École Belge de Kigali to ensure a smooth and effective transition to an alternative education program,” Jean-Claude Hashikineza, the Director General of Education Communications said in written responses to The New Times. “The Ministry is committed to protecting the interests of learners during this transition. We are working closely with the school’s leadership to provide timely guidance and support, ensuring that students continue to receive a quality education with minimal disruption.”
