Rwanda audit finds widespread underuse of school textbooks
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A new study by the Rwanda Academy of Language and Culture (RALC) shows that reading habits are fading, with more than 31% of Rwandans not reading books or newspapers.
Ambassador Robert Masozera, who chairs the academy, said the findings highlight a gap between literacy and reading culture. While 79% of Rwandans can read and write, only 68.2% regularly read books or news outlets.
“The challenge is not literacy, but the habit of reading,” Masozera said. “Parents do not value reading, and many households lack access to books.”
He made the remarks during a discussion of The Unity Quest, a memoir by Kayitesi Judence about surviving the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi as an 11-year-old.
The research also found that 69.6% of families encourage children to read, though Masozera said many households still have no reading culture at all. Limited availability of books in Kinyarwanda and reliance on English-language texts were cited as key barriers.
Libraries remain scarce, but Masozera stressed that even where books are available, people often do not use them.
Rwanda has pledged to build what it calls a “reading family,” encouraging homes, schools and communities to promote literacy. Masozera said the government is considering a campaign dubbed One Book per Family, but it has yet to begin.
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