Roger’s Rwandan Relocation

A University of Teesside lecturer is to leave his job to begin an incredible adventure in the African country of Rwanda.

Roger Sapsford, Reader in Social Research, will shortly be leaving the University to take up a position at a new university in the Rwandan capital of Kigali. The move to Rwanda will reunite Roger with his wife Pamela Abbott, former Director of the University of Teesside’s School of Social Sciences & Law, who is now the Vice-Rector of the Kigali Institute for Science and Technology (KIST) University.

KIST was formed in 1997, with a student body of just 209. It now boasts some 4,000 students, all of whom are studying on science/technology related courses designed to help Rwanda rebuild and maintain a working social, technical and economic infrastructure.

After the civil war and attempted genocide of the early 1990s, Rwanda was a country in ruin. Initiatives like KIST are essential for the country’s long term future.

Roger said: “After the civil war ended, Rwanda had wiped itself out. The whole country was left with just four doctors and the most basic services, such as the sewage system, had completely broken down. But now KIST is making a huge difference to the country.

“Rwanda still receives much of its money from aid, but they are doing wonders with it. By using some of the aid money to fund KIST the Rwandans are investing in the future, as well as taking care of their immediate problems.

“One of KIST’s specialities is technological innovation to suit Rwanda’s needs. In rural areas, for example, the main fuel source is wood, and with a growing population this risks devastating the forests. KIST have therefore designed fuel-efficient stoves which burn very little wood, and it is the government’s aim to get one of these in every household. The limiting factor, of course, is money.”

Roger added: “I’ll be managing the postgraduate programme and helping them to maintain their standards in line with European universities. I’ll be helping to introduce a PhD scheme and a programme to train new lecturers, and probably teaching some social research methods, so they can measure the impact of technological innovation on communities.

“All courses are taught in English and French, so as well as attaining a high level of technical skills, all the KIST graduates are also bi-lingual. So I’ve been brushing up on my own French as well. I want to maintain links with Teesside and eventually arrange exchange visits and external assessments of courses.

“My overall aim, as odd as it sounds, is to train myself out of a job. I want to help improve the skills of the Rwandan staff as well as the students, so that in a few years there will be a member of staff ready to take my place.”

Roger has been a full-time employee at Teesside since 1998, after 20 years at the Open University. He is also a former Home Office Researcher where he looked into the effectiveness of the prison regime.

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