Rwanda has urged East African Community (EAC) member states to harmonize tuition policies to ensure equal treatment of students across the region, framing it as a crucial step toward deeper regional integration in higher education.
At the inaugural EAC Ministerial Conference on the Higher Education Area, held in Kampala from September 9–11, Rwanda’s Minister of Education, Dr. Joseph Nsengimana, revealed that Rwandan policy dictates that all schools charge the same tuition fees for all students regardless of nationality.
He called on neighboring states to adopt a reciprocal approach.
“In Rwanda, all the students pay the same tuition fees, regardless their nationality. We want to make sure that when Rwandan students come to Uganda, pay like Ugandans because when Ugandan students come to Rwanda, they pay like Rwandans,” Dr. Nsengimana said.
He recognized Kenya for a similar policy, but called upon the others in the region to take the same approach.
The minister’s appeal aligns with broader EAC goals of harmonizing education systems, creating a common higher education area, and facilitating student mobility across borders.
By standardizing tuition and related policies, the bloc hopes to remove barriers that limit access and foster a stronger sense of regional belonging.
Meanwhile, one of the resolutions from the conference include the consensus that all member states should acknowledge degrees from accredited universities in the region.
Rwanda will host the next edition of the ministerial conference in 2027, a milestone that will allow the country to push further for harmonization and equity in the region’s higher education sector.
