Historical

The Protestant Education Service began its activities in Rwanda during the colonial period, before Rwanda gained independence with the Protestant Alliance of Ruanda-Urundi. Since 1963, the organs of the Protestant Council in Rwanda (CPR) had established an Education Commission with a President and a Secretary of this commission who was responsible for daily monitoring of educational activities and the problems arising from them in order to find solutions. It is this education service within the CPR that took the name of the National Bureau of Protestant Education (BNEP).

Since the creation of the CPR, the BNEP has been led and coordinated by the Secretary General of the CPR. In June 1988, the BNEP was given a permanent staff headed by a Director responsible for monitoring and coordinating all educational activities in the schools of the Protestant churches that are members of the CPR. Currently, the activities of the BNEP are governed by the articles that make up Chapter II of Organic Law No. 20/2003 of 03/08/2003 on the organization of education. These articles recognize partnership in education. Article 18 of this Chapter stipulates that the State recognizes parents, private individuals, associations, and various communities as partners in education in accordance with the laws in force as well as the agreements signed with its partners.

BNEP Mission

Teaching is an integral part of the Church’s overall mission as recorded in various biblical texts. This mission is summarized as follows: “To make disciples of God’s people, to educate, instruct, and develop them in every way so that they may become wise and understanding” (cf. Deuteronomy 4:4-6; Matthew 28:19-20; John 10:10b-20). The leitmotif of the BNEP then becomes: A wise and understanding people (Dt. 4:6b).

The Objectives of BNEP

The BNEP has the following main objectives: Identifying human resource needs in CPR member churches Improving the functioning of schools Strengthening Christian education in schools Training competent personnel at all levels of education Supporting and promoting craft training, especially for out-of-school youth Developing, implementing and monitoring the education policy of Protestant churches.

From these main objectives, the BNEP, during the next 20 years, will be guided in its educational work by the following objectives:

1. Contribute to the comprehensive education of the Rwandan people (morally, spiritually, intellectually, physically and professionally);
2. Contribute to the development of abundant, competent human resources fully dedicated to the construction of the country and the Church;
3. Contribute to the promotion of Christian values ​​and positive values ​​of national and universal culture;
4. Contribute to the education of women;
5. To train workers and leaders of Protestant churches;
6. Promoting the quality of education at all levels: preschool education, primary education, vocational education, secondary education, higher education, special education;
7. Strengthen functional literacy;
8. Strengthen and promote partnership and collaboration with the State, parents and national and foreign institutions and organizations involved in the education sector;
9. To raise awareness among members of Protestant churches about the creation of associations for the promotion of private education, particularly in the country’s capital;
10. Create ecumenical institutions of higher education.

BNEP Vision

In 20 years, the nationals of the schools of the Protestant churches which are members of the CPR will demonstrate:

• of an essential creative knowledge based on the fear of God;
• of a spirit of holistic self-development;
• of active participation in the life of the church and Rwandan society in general;
• of committed, transparent and democratic leadership;
• of an opening onto the universal;
• of a spirit of self-criticism.

BNEP staff

Reverend Samuel Mutabazi

Director of the National Office of Protestant Education

Jean Baptiste Ndamukunda

Monitoring, Statistics, Archives, Documentation and Project Design Officer,
Secretary of the Africa Office of GPNreformation via CPR

Pierre Claver Bisanze

Christian Education Officer,
Peace Education Program Officer

Athanase Rutayisire

Church Staff Capacity Building Project Manager

Location

The building housing the CPR offices is located in:

City : Kigali
District : Gasabo
Sector : Kimihurura
Cell : Kimihurura
Avenue : Lac Muhazi
Street : Amajyambere

Common life

To strengthen team cohesion, fraternity, and unity, the National Bureau of Protestant Education (BNEP) organizes home visits for each employee. This visit facilitates getting to know the family being visited, sharing food, and prayer. At the end or mid-year, the BNEP team also organizes a social outing with their spouses.

BNEP agents have set up a solidarity fund into which each agent pays a monthly sum of one thousand Rwandan francs (1000Frs). The primary objective of this fund is to enable BNEP agents to strengthen the cohesion of BNEP staff and their family members; to help each other to resolve certain social problems such as the relief of the person who is the victim of an unfortunate event such as the loss of a close family member or during happy events such as marriage, birth, etc.