Inside Higher Ed: Paul Kagame, president of Rwanda, came to Pittsburgh Friday to officially announce that Carnegie Mellon University would open a branch campus in his country, where it will offer a master of science in information technology.
While many American universities have opened branch campuses abroad, most have been in Middle Eastern or Asian nations with deep pockets to support the ventures. (Carnegie Mellon is among those universities, with a branch in Qatar.) Only a few American colleges and universities have degree programs in Africa, and they have generally not attracted the fanfare of efforts in China, Qatar and elsewhere.
7 comments:
Is Carnegie Mellon ignorant or just stupid? I can understand the decision to put a school in Rwanda, to help boost the educational opportunities for the people of the country but Carnegie seems to be very connected to the government of Rwanda and the schools seems to be an effort to serve them. Also given that Carnegie in Rwanda is going to be the same price here as it is there CMU will be serving a very small percent of the population and one that is probably connected to or in favor of it. This move on CMU's part is essentially ignoring that genocide happened and aiding the people that let it/ made it happen.
In general I agree with Zoe that CMU has made some wrong moves in the creation of this branch. I think that it is absurd to believe that making the tuition the same in Rwanda as it is in Pittsburgh is reasonable. I understand that in some manner CMU would be required to work with the government if they want to build a branch in another country but by putting the tuition so high the only possible way of attending is by working for the government for two years. This branch is simply educating future government officials. Although the intension might have been good to start out with the ending result does not align with the original intensions.
All over the US there are hundreds and hundreds of different colleges and universities. Why are we among the first to keeping up ties to Rwanda? Because everyone else has caught on to the fact that it is a bad idea. Africa is one of the most unstable continents right now, there is a reason why people actually prefer expanding to Asia and the Middle East.
I can't figure out what Rwanda has to offer us and what we are providing. The entire thing seems a little random and very controversial. It is also fair to point out that the genocide did occur in 1994. That wasn't something that happened at the end of the 19th century. I feel that it is way to soon to start trusting the stability of a country when years before, in my lifetime, they had one of the most serious problems. In the end, the mixture of a previously unstable government, not so old genocide, and then CMU, doesn't really add up for me. It takes a country a lot more than 17 years to pull its act together. On top of that, there are plenty of surrounding areas that aren't completely trustworthy as well. Is that safe for the students?
After all the negativity, it is important that kids and teens in Africa get a good education and the opportunities that an education can provide them with. It just seems like a dumb move on the university's part.
Zoe raises a good point, bringing a capitalist institution like one of the most expensive universities in America to a country that can barely feed the general population is straddling the line that separates brash stupidity and flat out ignorance. This will only cater to a very small percentage of the Rwanda population and just serve to worsen the class divide that the country is already suffering through. As a side note, there were about twenty or so African students standing outside the UC last week protesting this. It's rather clear that this is a questionable idea, and apparently Africa has caught onto this. While the government of Rwanda feels that this will help position them as one of the world leaders in technology, but the people at large will only suffer for this. It makes me wonder what our actual motives behind this are....
As controversial as this decision was for Carnegie Mellon, I think CMU's choice to build a graduate engineering school in Rwanda is worthwhile. By sparking successful economic development in Rwanda, there will be positive diplomatic and intellectual repercussions for the rest of Africa as well. I agree that the continent is far from stable now, but perhaps by being the first university to make this sort of effort, we can help Rwanda's ascend to become East Africa's leader in information and communication technology (ICT).
While I think that every one has good points especially because we are not addressing the genocide in rwanda. I could be really naive but I think this could be a really clever way for cmu to get involved in the politics in rwanda. By having an influence over the youth of the country especially ones involved in the government it could be an outlet for change. Thats provided that cmu has pure intentions towards improving rwanda but by being a large and one of the only influences in terms of education we can start to really change the landscape in the long term.
Ok! I have to disagree with some people’s points, but I think that regardless this will be a great opportunity for some citizens of Rwanda who are not able to leave their country to go and study. Realistically the majority of them probably will get a scholarship anyway, and having to serve two years of service with your Government is a typical requirement of such opportunities. Sometimes you even have to serve for more! The Government is not going to hand you free or reduced education unless you help them afterwards. That is the reality of the situation that is also my reality! In addition I am a bit biased to this because I have a friend in Rwanda who cannot afford to study anywhere else and will be applying to this program. No Government is innocent, nor will I pretend to know CMU's motives for having a university me there, but it will benefit some people, so look at the advantages. In addition, I do not understand why people have mentioned the genocide. It is amazing how everyone always mentions it, but when it was actually occurring, many countries were “unaware” or hesitant to assist in ending it.
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