BUJUMBURA, February 10th (ABP) – The education inspector in Bujumbura City, along with communal director of education in Muha, on Saturday, February 7, 2025 inaugurated the premises of the Tumaini School/Hope Christian School located in Kazimuha, Ruziba neighborhood of the Muha commune, Bujumbura City.
It was also an opportunity to inaugurate the drilling water developed by the representation of the school to supply the latter and the surrounding population with drinking water.
The principal of Tumaini School, Sylvestre Nibitanga, indicated that the idea of setting up a school got into his mind when he was in 2nd Modern Arts, after reading the novel entitled “The Negro Woman” in which they talk of a woman who was able to found a girls’ school, inspired by the missionary school where she had studied.
He noted that in his vision, he wanted to set up a school so that children could learn and love languages (Kirundi, French, English and Swahili) as he had loved them. He indicated that they started in 2017 with the nursery section as a tenant of the premises of a private individual and that the first laureates of the nursery school are currently in class 6 of the basic school. “We currently have 130 students in the basic school (from grade 1 to 6) and nearly 150 children in the nursery school,” he said, adding that for the nursery school, they are still renting.
He also noted that before building those premises of the Tumaini School including 11 classrooms, he had to sell his house, thus thanking his wife who did not go against his decision, all the people who gave him constructive advice, and his friends who have supported him since the commencement of the project until now.
As for the future prospects, Nibitanga wishes to pursue his vision until the establishment of a university. To that end, he has asked the education authorities to remain by his side through visits to the school and advice, so that the school continues to improve. He asked administrative authorities to supply the school with electricity so that children can have computer skills at least from the grade 3, without forgetting that the population from the locality could also benefit from it.
For his part, the communal director of education in Muha commune, Antoine Kabura, reassured that the Tumaini basic school is one of the schools in Muha commune that provide quality education because, he explained, the students have good results. Given that his initiative aims to support the government in the education sector, Kabura promised that the communal directorate of education in Muha commune will continue to work in collaboration with the initiator of the school. He encouraged teachers to continue their efforts so that there are students who will represent the school in the exam giving access to schools of excellence.
On behalf of the parents who have children at the said school, Aaron Ndayishimiye thanked the school principal for establishing it in that locality. He appreciated the efforts of the school’s representation that developed the drilling water not only for the benefit of the school, but also for the benefit of the population. He hopes that their children will continue their studies in the same school and be hired there.
The representative of the teachers of the Tumaini basic school, Simon Niyonkuru, did not fail to express his gratitude to the principal Nibitanga for hiring them. He asked him to build other schools to hire other young people. As a token of gratitude, the teachers of the school awarded a he-goat to its initiator.
The school principal also indicated that he also has an orphanage center housing 30 orphaned children who are at his charge and study in different schools including the Scheppers Lycée of Nyakabiga, noting that he provides them with clothes and school materials. The orphanage center started in 2017, a little before the implementation of the school project, he said.
