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Rwanda to stop pupils going to DR Congo schools
Rwandan secondary school students leave for home. Rwanda is going to stop students from crossing the border to study in schools in neighbouring DR Congo over Ebola fears. NMG PHOTO
What you need to know:
- During a meeting with Gisenyi residents on Monday evening, one person asked Rwanda's interior minister how they were expected to survive if they were limited from going to Goma, a commercial hub.
- The minister, Shyaka Anastase, suggested they find representatives in Goma to conduct their business.
Rwanda is planning to stop students crossing the border every morning to study in schools in neighbouring Goma, in the Democratic Republic of Congo, over Ebola fears.
Health Minister Diane Gashumba said the students were going to be enrolled in schools in Rwanda instead.
She was part of a delegation that went to Gisenyi—a Rwandan city bordering Goma—on Monday where they cautioned the people to limit their cross-border activities.
Rwandan university and secondary school students are enrolled in schools in Goma, where tuition fees are more reasonable. Hundreds of them travel across the border every day.
Goma is currently facing an Ebola outbreak that has killed three people since July. Last Thursday, Rwanda closed its border with DR Congo, but re-opened it eight hours later, after national and international pressure.
During a meeting with Gisenyi residents on Monday evening, one person asked Rwanda's interior minister how they were expected to survive if they were limited from going to Goma, a commercial hub.
The minister, Shyaka Anastase, suggested they find representatives in Goma to conduct their business.
“Even though there is money in Goma, life is more important than money,” Mr Shyaka said.
A meeting between Ms Gashumba and her Congolese counterpart about the Ebola outbreak is scheduled to take place later on Tuesday in Gisenyi.
