Rwanda will close day schools in Kigali for six days to ease traffic congestion during the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting, CHOGM, next week.
“In order to ease traffic flow in the City of Kigali during CHOGM, and to avoid disruption to movement of day scholars and their teachers, the Ministry of Education would like to inform parents and student, all day schools in Kigali will be closed from 20th to 26th June 2022,” said Gaspard Twagirayezu, Minister of State in charge of Primary and Secondary Education in a statement issued on Monday.
The Ministry also announced that the end of Term 3 exams for students will begin on June 27.
“Day students living in Kigali are encouraged to revise lessons or engage in self/distance learning at home while boarding students will remain in their respective school,” said Twagirayezu.
Over 40 heads of state have confirmed their participation, with up to 10,000 guests expected to descend on Kigali over the course of six days.
Prince Charles, the Prince of Wales, and his wife Duchess Camilla, as well as UK Prime Minister Boris Johnston, have confirmed their participation. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is also scheduled to arrive in Kigali.
The Kigali Convention Centre, which has a seating capacity of 2,600 guests and 650 parking spaces, is one of the confirmed venues for the CHOGM. The other venue is the Intare Arena in Rusororo, which can accommodate 2,316 delegates.
Kigali Conference and Exhibition Village, located in the city center, will also serve as a venue. It has previously hosted international gatherings such as the World Economic Forum and the African Development Bank (AfDB).
High-end Marriott, Serena, and M-Hotel hotels have been reserved for the event.