Paulus Kayiggwa
12 October 2008
Kigali — A cabinet meeting that convened in Village Urugwiro Thursday requested that the Ministry of Labor and Public Service teach English to all non-anglophone public service workers.
The government wants to see all public servants speaking English so they can communicate with their counterparts in the region, a source in the ministry told Sunday times on Friday.
The development comes after Rwanda became a full member of East African Community (EAC) and applied for Commonwealth membership.
According to the Minister of Public Service, Anastase Murekezi, English training programmes will commence as early as possible to equip workers with the predominant global language.
He explained during a telephone interview on Saturday that public services workers need to know English for a better understanding of various documentations in EAC, COMESA and around the world.
"We shall begin with our ministry before the programme is applied to other ministries. It will be facilitated by government," Murekezi said.
The State Minister for Industry and Trade Promotion, Vincent Karega, acknowledged the development saying that across the world, exchanges in trade, education, communication, and information technology are all done in English.
"French speaking only in France, some parts of West Africa, parts of Canada and Switzerland," he said during a telephone interview on Friday.
"English has merged as a backbone for growth and development not only in the region but around the globe," Karega stressed.
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