Photo The New Times

Practicing journalism and free expression is a right provided for in the country’s constitution but it should not impede the rights of others, members of the media heard on Wednesday.

Addressing journalists attending the training on ‘Freedom of Expression and Media Offences’, city lawyer Valery Gakunzi reminded practitioners that although Article 38 of the constitution states that freedoms of expression and access to information are rights, they should be practiced within the set laws.

“The constitution guarantees rights to both freedom of expression and access to information but is also clear that these rights should not impede public order, good morals, protection of the young and  the right of every citizen to honour and dignity and protection of personal and family privacy,” he reminded.

The training was organised by the Legal Aid Forum.

He added that besides few inherent freedoms like the right not to be tortured under any circumstance, most others have legal limitations.

He reminded the journalists that the stories that they are covering should look out for the legality, proportionality and necessity parameters.

Challenge institutions

Gakunzi challenged the journalists to take any public institution that denies them information to court.

“The judiciary is the custodian of the Constitution. It is their job to protect the rights and civil liberties of the citizens as guaranteed by the constitution. It is not enough to complain. Anyone who feels frustrated for being denied their rights should take the institution responsible to court,” he said.

The Executive Secretary of the Rwanda Media Commission (RMC) Emmanuel Mugisha agreed.

He said that the blame-game between institutions and journalists has been ongoing for a while and invited the latter to take up what they consider the infringement of their rights to the courts of law.

“When we sit here, the complaints are the same all the time. If speaking out has not been enough, perhaps taking these matters to court is the better option,” he said.

Commendable steps

The Head of Development Cooperation at the European Union Rwanda office, Lluis Navarro commended the efforts the government has put into improving the legal framework around freedom of expression and access to information.

“Access to information is guaranteed in the Constitution. This right is also reflected in the 2013 Access to Information Law, which has been recognised as solid and progressive legislation,” he said.

However, he pointed out that there is still work that needs to be done to improve awareness among the public, as well as with authorities in order to implement and enforce the legislation.

“Despite the improvement in the legal framework, we note some persistent reports on instances of self-censorship and curtailed freedom of expression. Such issues can ultimately limit accountability, which is key to sustainable development,” he said.

The open discussion training is organised by the Legal Aid Forum (LAF) and is bringing together journalists, judges, prosecutors, lawyers and investigators to explore different topics on media freedom, its limitations as well as how to deal with media related offences. - Nasra Bishumba, The New Times

Grade 3 pupils from Kiangungi Primary School in Embu East clean Kiangungi shopping centre as part of CBC assessment. Photo MARTIN FUNDI

The demands of the Competency Based Curriculum have caused a massive reduction in hours teachers of English and Kiswahili spend with learners. 

A report by curriculum materials providers Tusome shows schools have lost up to 30 lessons in English and Kiswahili since the rollout of the new curriculum. 

Titled ‘Tusome external evaluation end-line report’ the study assessed the implementation of the ‘Tusome’ project in lower primary in public schools.

Tusome was launched in 2014 to help learners in Grade 1, 2 and 3 to fluently read in English and Kiswahili.

The report says teachers seem comfortable using Tusome material in the classroom. 

“[However,] they have faced significant challenges following the 40 per cent reduction on instructional hours allocated to English and Kiswahili under the Competency-based Curriculum,” the report reads.

Learners’ ability to read in English and Kiswahili has significantly dropped on account of the fewer hours.

Under the CBC, learners take three Kiswahili and English lessons each week. In the 8-4-4 system, English and Kiswahili lessons were taught each day of the week.

About 70 hours of teaching and learning Kiswahili and English have been lost. 

“Endline results found on average that teachers were around 30 lessons behind since the last evaluation,” the report reads.

The majority of the learners assessed were still struggling to read at least 20 words each minute correctly.

In Grade 1, 72 per cent of learners were not able to read at least 20 English words each minute while in Grade 2 some 46 per cent could not handle the same task.

In Kiswahili, the situation is worse as some 62 per cent of Grade 1 learners could not read as were another 29 per cent of Grade 2 pupils.

Julius Jwan, the Basic Education principal secretary on Tuesday said that the government would review the timetable in schools to reclaim time lost for English and Kiswahili lessons.

Under CBC learners in lower primary take 35 lessons each week in nine subjects.

The subjects include Literacy Activities, Kiswahili, English, Mathematics, Environmental Activities, Hygiene and Nutrition, Religious Education, Physical Education, and Pastoral Programme of Instruction.

Mathematics, literacy activities, Environment get the highest allocation with five lessons each week.

Kiswahili, English, and Religious Education on the other hand have three lessons each week.

Hygiene and nutrition are taught twice each week while the Pastrol programme is taught once a week.

The exit of the Tusome project's financier USAID puts it in the hands of the government.

In the evaluation, 23 per cent of teachers further reported that English and Kiswahili lessons under the Tusome project were paced too fast.

Another 31 per cent reported a lack of materials as a challenge to a fluent reading of English and Kiswahili among lower primary learners. - The Star

Police officers appear to move a dead body outside the French embassy. Photo Sky News

A gunman has killed four people during a shooting rampage in the diplomatic quarter of Tanzania largest city, Dar es Salaam.

Three police officers and a private security guard were fatally shot in the attack on Wednesday. 

The assailant was later shot dead while holed up in a guardhouse at the French embassy's gate.

Inspector-General of Police Simon Sirro said the motive is not yet known but suggested the attack could be related to Tanzania's role in fighting Islamists in Mozambique.

Tanzanian troops were sent to the neighbouring country earlier this month to combat the insurgency as part of a regional security force.

Mr Sirro said in an interview aired on local television: "There are problems, our soldiers are there."

He also said police are working to identify the Dar es Salaam attacker.

Videos of the shooting have been shared online with footage showing the gunman inside the guardhouse - apparently filmed by onlookers from buildings across the street from the French embassy.

He exchanged fire at very close range with police and men who appeared to be embassy guards.

Police said the attacker had first shot two police officers with a pistol at an intersection in the district, which houses a number of diplomatic missions.

He took rifles from the fallen police officers, and headed on foot to the French embassy a few hundred metres away, firing randomly and occupying the guardhouse.

President Samia Suluhu Hassan said on Twitter that the attacker had been "neutralised" and "calm has returned".

"I send my condolences to the police service and the families of three policemen, and one officer of the SGA security company, who lost their lives after an armed person attacked them in the Salenda area of Dar es Salaam," Ms Hassan said.

Six people were injured in addition to the four who were killed, police commissioner of operations and training, Liberatus Sabas, said in a tweet shared by the account of the Tanzanian police force.

Mr Sabas told reporters it was too early to say whether the gunman was a Tanzanian national, or whether he had links to terrorism.

Tanzanian television aired footage showing police officers in bulletproof vests who appeared to be wrapping a dead body outside the embassy in white material to remove it from the scene.

SGA Security, which describes itself as a major security services provider in East Africa, did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Earlier this year, Sky News was the first international broadcaster to reach the centre of the Mozambican town of Palma since it was ransacked by ISIS Mozambique, also known locally as al Shabaab. - Rebecca Speare-Cole, Sky News