UNIT 3:NATIONAL SERVICES AND SELF-RELIANCE
Key Unit Competence: To use language learnt in the context of National services and self-reliance
Introductory activity
Picture observation and interpretation
As you interpret these pictures, answer the following questions:
1. What would you tell about the activities that are taking place in fig 1 and fig 2?
2. How would you define the term self-reliance?
3. Discuss the relevance of urugerero and ubudehe programs in selfreliance philosophy.
4. Explain three things that make you proud of your country (Rwanda).
5. Based on the activities discussed above, with clear reasons pick out ones that promote respect and hard work.
3.1. National service and self reliance rationale
Reading and text analysis
3.1.1. Learning activity
• Text: National service and self-reliance
National service is a system where young people, upon completing a given level of education and meeting certain conditions, offer their services to the state. During this period, they are expected to provide free and voluntary services to the state. They are also expected to serve their nation with dignity and pride. This makes training compulsory. In some countries, national service is voluntary. The recruits are given basic military training and other courses such as First Aid, disaster response, patriotism and community service. In most countries, national service takes the form of rendering military service to the state for a specific period upon completion of a given level of education. National service is identified with programmes in which people volunteer for civil service.
The specific shape of the service is greatly influenced by socio-cultural variables of the particular society in which it is implemented. National service is crucial in the socio-economic and political development of countries. It also fosters social cohesion and patriotism among the youth in a country. The youth become self-reliant and cases of unemployment and drug abuse are reduced.
Urugerero is a form of national service aimed at developing programmes that enhance growth in all sectors of the economy in Rwanda. The model is voluntary to all youths aged between 16-30 years. Itorero is a home-grown initiative that helps to instill positive values among the Rwandan youth and develop love for the nation. It aims at ensuring the youth develop a value system that promotes voluntary service to the nation with the aim of promoting unity, tolerance, patriotism and democratic governance. Intore, is a person who has undergone the training of Itorero and is expected to volunteer for Urugerero. Umuganda is a form of community service that is compulsory to all able-bodied citizens and aims at establishing social cohesion among communities. The efforts of Urugerero, Itorero and Umuganda lead to sustainable social and economic transformation in our country.
Adapted from: General studies and communication skills for Rwandan schools, senior six students book, REB(2017)
• Comprehension questions
1. Examine the structure and ideals of Urugerero and identify the socio-cultural values which greatly influence the service in Rwanda.
2. Assess the following statement, ‘Urugerero is the driving force towards achieving development in Rwanda’.
3. What do you understand by the terms national service and self-reliance? From your definition in question (1) above, is national service carried out in Rwanda? Explain
• Text 2: Mandela’s vision
Mandela’s administration inherited a country with a huge disparity in wealth and services between white and black communities. In a population of 40 million, around 23 million lacked electricity or adequate sanitation; 12 million lacked clean water supplies, with 2 million children not in school and a third of the population illiterate. There was 33 per cent unemployment, and just under half of the population lived below the poverty line.
Government financial reserves were nearly depleted, with a fifth of the national budget being spent on debt repayment, meaning that the extent of the promised Reconstruction and Development Programme (RDP) was scaled back, with none of the proposed nationalisation or job creation. Instead, the government adopted liberal economic policies designed to promote foreign investment, adhering to the “Washington consensus” advocated by the World Bank and International Monetary Fund.
Under Mandela’s presidency, welfare spending increased by 13 per cent in 1996/97, 13 per cent in 1997/98, and 7 per cent in 1998/99. The government introduced parity in grants for communities, including disability grants, child maintenance grants, and old-age pensions, which had previously been set at different levels for South Africa’s different racial groups. In 1994, free healthcare was introduced for children under six and pregnant women. The provision extended to all those using primary level public sector health care services in 1996. By the 1999 election, the ANC could boast that due to their policies, 3 million people were connected to telephone lines, 1.5 million children were brought into the education system, 500 clinics were upgraded or constructed, 2 million people were connected to the electricity grid, water access was extended to 3 million people, and 750,000 houses were constructed, housing nearly 3 million people.
The Land Restitution Act of 1994 enabled people who had lost their property as a result of the Natives Land Act, 1913 to claim back their land, leading to the settlement of tens of thousands of land claims. The Land Reform Act 3 of 1996 safeguarded the rights of labour tenants who live and grow crops or graze livestock on farms. This legislation ensured that such tenants could not be evicted without a court order or if they were over the age of 65. The Skills Development Act of 1998 provided for the establishment of mechanisms to finance and promote skills development at the workplace.
The Labour Relations Act of 1995 promoted workplace democracy, orderly collective bargaining, and the effective resolution of labour disputes. The Basic Conditions of Employment Act of 1997 improved enforcement mechanisms while extending a “floor” of rights to all workers. The Employment Equity Act of 1998 was passed to put an end to discrimination and ensure the implementation of affirmative action in the workplace.
Adapted from history for Rwandan schools. Senior five student book. Rwanda education board.
• Comprehension questions
1. How would you identify the challenges of South Africa when Mandela’ administration inherited the country?
2. Explain the improvement of people’s welfare under Mandela’s presidency.
3. Using examples, justify how different people got back their lands and how workplace democracy was promoted.
4. Compare South African National service activities and ones from your community.
5. Evaluate the idea of self-reliance from Mandela’s leadership as referred to the passage.
3.1.2. Application activity
Vocabulary, sentence construction and a research work
I. Vocabulary
Use dictionaries and thesaurus to look up the meaning of the following words and expressions used in the texts above.
Text 1.
a. Self-reliance
b. Dignity
c. compulsory
d. undergo
e. instill
Text 2.
a. depleted
b. scaled back
c. adhering
d. labour tenants
e. bargaining
f. affirmative
II. Construct meaningful sentences using the words above.
III. Carry out research on African self-reliance and then analyze the success of some African leaders. Present your work to the class.
IV. Examine some community development projects that the youth in Rwanda may engage in to achieve self-reliance and reduce poverty.
3.2. National services programs in Rwanda
3.2.1. Learning activity
Reading and text analysis
• Text: National service in Rwanda
The Constitution of the Republic of Rwanda provides for national service in Article 47. All citizens have the duty to participate, through work, in the development of the country; to safeguard peace, democracy, social justice and equality and to participate in the defence of the motherland. The law shall organise national service, whether civil or military. The drafters of our constitution acknowledged the crucial role of national service (Urugerero) in the socio-political and economic development of our country. Plans for the implementation of Urugerero began towards the end of 2012. Actual Urugerero activities started on 17/1/2013, but it was officially launched on 22/1/2013.
Rwanda adopted a blended model. This was meant to cater for different categories of participants. The compulsory category brings together the youth (16-30 years). Other categories of the population are allowed to participate through voluntary service. Their participation depends on their time, professional background and identified priorities. Priorities focused on during Urugerero are identified at least 3 months before the date of commencement of mobilization and training of the participants. The cost of the service is shared between the state and beneficiary institutions or organisations. Activities of national service are coordinated by the Office of the President through the National Itorero Commission (NIC). Urugerero aims at developing programmes, which enhance efforts put in place to accelerate growth in all sectors of the economy.
Participants undergo training related to domains of service, civic education and basic military training. Upon completion of training, participants are expected to implement what they learnt in the training. The Intore, a person who has received the teachings from Itorero, engages in activities such as awareness campaigns in development projects for HIV and AIDS, gender balance, family planning, adult literacy and community work (Umuganda). They also engage in environmental protection activities, construction of shelter for vulnerable groups and support local leaders in implementation of government policies.
Throughout the programme, the students are taught values and attitudes such as integrity, humility and patriotism. This enables them to change their attitudes and contribute towards the development of their country.
Urugerero is open to all Rwandan citizens, those living in the diaspora and non-nationals who may desire to participate and provide service to the country. In addition, university graduates who have previously participated in Urugerero are permitted to participate again. Participants are drawn largely from their own local communities and deployed to other areas. The length of service for the compulsory category is usually 12 months. Out of which 2 months is for training (Gutozwa), basic military training and training in the specific domains of service during Urugerero. For the voluntary participants, the length of time varies from individual to individual.
Adapted from: General studies and communication skills for Rwandan schools, senior six students book, REB (2017)Comprehension questions
1. Who has the duty to participate in National service?
2. According to the passage, why is it important to participate in the national service?
3. Identify and explain the model adopted by Rwandans for national service.
4. Referring to the passage, what is the aim of urugerero?
5. How would you explain the term intore and their roles in Rwandan society?
6. Evaluate the impact of training skills to people themselves and the community.
Text 2: The contribution of community work in National service development
As part of efforts to reconstruct Rwanda and nurture a shared national identity, the government of Rwanda drew on aspects of Rwandan culture and traditional practices to enrich and adapt its development programmes to the country’s needs and context. The result is a set of home grown solutions from culturally owned practices translated into sustainable development programmes. One of these home grown solutions is Umuganda.
Modern day Umuganda can be described as community work. On the last Saturday of each month, communities come together to do a variety of public works. This often includes infrastructure development and environmental protection. Rwandans between 18 and 65 years of age are obliged to participate in community work. Expatriates living in Rwanda are encouraged to take part. Today close to 80 per cent of Rwandans take part in the monthly community work.
As part of Vision 2020 development programme, the government implemented a community service policy. It was designed to help supplement the national budget in construction and repair of basic infrastructure. The work done is organised by community members and is done voluntarily and without pay. The projects completed through community work include, the construction of schools, feeder roads, road repair, terracing, reforestation, home construction for vulnerable people, erosion control, and water canals.
Planning for community work is done in council meetings at the cell level. It is the responsibility of local leaders as well as national leaders to mobilise the population to participate in community work. Community members meet and agree on the date (usually a weekend) and the activity. Participation in community is compulsory for all able-bodied citizens. This policy is expected to lead to a more cohesive society as all the members come together to complete a project that benefits the community. The word Umuganda can be translated as ‘coming together for common purpose to achieve an outcome’. In traditional Rwandan culture, members of the community would call upon their family, friends and neighbours to help them complete a difficult task.
Successful projects include the building of schools, medical centres and hydro electric plants as well as rehabilitating wetlands and creating highly productive agricultural plots. The value of community work to the country’s development since 2007 has been estimated at more than US $60 million.
Professionals in the public and private sectors also contribute to umuganda. They include engineers, medics, IT specialists, and statisticians, among others.
The military personnel also participate in social activities like the building of schools and hospitals. This inspires the population to be very active as well.
Umuganda value has increased from Rwf12 billion in 2012 to Rwf17 billion in 2015 and Rwf19 billion in 2016. With the increase in monetary activities, community work has seen Rwandans build over 400 offices of micro finance institutions commonly known as Umurenge Sacco, and 11,000 classrooms for the country’s ‘twelve year basic education’ which has increased school enrolment to over 95 per cent of children in Primary Schools.
Adapted from History for Rwanda Schools senior five student’s book. Rwanda Education Board, Kigali January 2019
• Comprehension questions
1. Explain the relationship between home grown solutions and Rwandan cultural practices.
2. Describe different activities done during community work (umuganda).
3. Assess the relevance of community works to the country’s economic development.
4. How would you define the term umuganda according to the passage?
3.2.2. Application activity
Vocabulary, sentence and essay writing and survey report presentation
I. Use dictionaries and thesaurus to look up the meaning of the following words and expressions used in the texts above.
Text 1.
a) humility
b) shelter
c) Civic education
d) blended model
e) vulnerable groups
f) drafters
Text 2.
a) plots
b) call upon
c) feeder roads
d) expatriates
e) drew on
f) home grown solutions
II. Using the words given above, write grammatically correct sentences.
III. Conduct a survey on the importance of national service in socio-economic activities and present it to the classroom.
IV. Write an essay describing the importance of ubudehe in your community.
3.3. Scope of the National services in the world
3.3.1. Learning activity
Reading and text analysis
• Text: National service in the United Kingdom (UK)
At the beginning, in 1939, the national service enforced full conscription of all males between 18 and 41 who were residents in the UK. It continued in a modified form in peacetime by the National Service Act 1948. This Act of the Parliament extended the British conscription of the Second World War long after the wartime needs for it had expired, in the form of “National Service”. The need for national service in the United Kingdom was inspired by the wartime due to the need of more armed forces. The first phase of voluntary recruitment was from 1916 to 1920 during the First World War and the second period from 1939 to 1960.
However, persons who were exempted from national service included the following: medically unfit as well as the blind, disabled persons, and those with mental disorders, British subjects from outside Britain who had lived in the country for less than two years, students, persons employed by the government of any country of the British Empire except the United Kingdom, clergy of any denomination, married women, women who had one or more children 14 years old or younger living with them, conscientious objectors, people working in reserved occupations like baking, farming, medicine and engineering.
The National Service Act 1948 was applied to all healthy young men who were not registered as conscientious objectors. It did not affect the exemption from service of registered as conscientious objectors or the procedure for registration
The period of serving in the national service in the United Kingdom varied due to national interest. By 1946, the period of national service was 6 months and this period was increased to 12 months in 1949. From this time, men who completed the service remained on the reserve list for the number of years in the age-range (four years) which started being counted from the moment they finished serving. However, men on the reserve list could only be called for periods of up to 20 days (previous acts allowed the period to be indefinite), and could not be called more than three times. In 1950, due to the British involvement in the Korean War, the national service period was extended to two years. To compensate this long period, the reserve period was reduced by six months.
In the United Kingdom, the national service was ended gradually from 1960. In November 1960, the last men entered in service and the last national service men left the armed forces in May 1963.
Adapted from history for Rwandan schools. Senior six student book. Rwanda education board.
• Comprehension questions
1. What would you tell about National Service conscription in the UK?
2. How would you explain what inspired the need of National service in United Kingdom?
3. With example, justify some criteria followed in UK to participate in National Service.
4. Why was the National service period in UK extended to two years?
3.3.2. Application activity
I. Use dictionaries and thesaurus to look up the meaning of the following words and expressions used in the texts above.
a) conscription
b) exempted
c) clergy
d) denomination
e) conscientious
f) Compensate
II. Make grammatically correct sentences using the words explained above.
III. Analyze the National services in United Kingdom and compare it with Rwanda National service.
3.4. Language structure: Coordinate connectors
These connectors join two independent clauses together. Their purpose is to show the connection between two words, actions, ideas, items in a series and complete sentences. The most common examples are: and / or/ nor/ so / but/ for/yet. The following table summarizes how coordinate connectors are used.
Exercise
Choose the best answer from brackets to complete each sentence
1. Would you rather have cheese ………honey on your sandwich? (For, nor, or, so)
2. His favorite sports are football……….tennis (or, and, nor, for)
3. I wanted to go to the beach,………Mary refused (but, or, so, for)
4. I am allergic to cats, …I have three of them (or, for, yet, so)
5. I am a vegetarian,……. I don’t eat any meat. (so, yet, nor, but)
6. Thomas will be late to work,………he has a dental appointment (but, or, for, nor)
7. Jennifer doesn’t like to swim,……….does she enjoy cycling. (and, or, but, nor)
8. ackson wanted to eat another piece of cake,…………he was on diet. ( for, but, yet, so)
3.5. Spelling and pronunciation
A. Practice the pronunciation of the words below. Pay attention to where you put stress. You can use dictionary where necessary.
1. self-reliance
2. community
3. dignity
4. volunteerism
5. vulnerable groups
6. autonomy
7. Labour tenants
8. Elites
B. Match the words with their corresponding phonetic transcriptions
3.6. End unit assessment
End unit assessment
I. Complete the following sentences using appropriate coordinating connectors
1. The national service enforced full conscription of all males between
18 …………41 who were residents in the UK.
a. but b. or c. and
2. Anna needed some money, ………….she took a part-time job.
a. or b. and c. so
3. Maria tried to read a story about National services in Kenya, ……… it was too difficult.
a. and b. but c. so
4. They must have done their duties,……………..they are conscientious people.
a. for b. so c. nor
5. The government did a lot to him through one cow per family and Vup program, ……..he is very poor.
a. but b. so c. yet
6. As a girl she had never been to school, ……………she had no opportunity of learning about how different national service works.
A. so B. for C. yet
II. Conduct a survey about the role of the Rwandan policies, such as VUP, Urugerero, community works and army or police weeks in socio-economic of Rwandan communities.
III. In not more than 300 words, write an essay comparing the National services in Rwanda and those of the United Kingdom.