Effective from the next academic term, schools within the same district will purchase major foodstuffs—such as rice, maize flour, and cooking oil—at a uniform price set by district management, Education Minister Valentine Uwamariya announced. She explained that the government is seeking ways to address challenges in school feeding, including the procurement of food. Uwamariya made the disclosure on March 28 during a session with the House’s Standing Committee on Education, Technology, Culture, and Youth.
School head teachers told The New Times that the proposed procurement arrangement should be carefully considered to ensure effective implementation and to benefit both schools and students’ nutrition. Currently, schools typically obtain food through open‑bidding tenders, with the successful bidder awarded the contract, while day schools may purchase commodities directly from farmers. The minister noted that investigations revealed schools in the same district were paying vastly different prices for identical items, indicating malpractices and undue benefits for certain entities. In some cases, a school paid twice the price another school paid for the same rice, maize flour, or cooking oil. “We found that the food‑supply tender was effectively awarded to the school leader, indirectly,” she said, adding that individuals were exploiting the procurement process.
Going forward, the minister said, food‑price negotiations will be conducted at the district level so that all schools in a given area purchase major commodities at the same price. “From the next academic term and in subsequent years, districts will negotiate prices, ensuring uniformity across schools,” she affirmed.
Oswald Kariwabo, head teacher of Gisenyi Adventist Secondary School in Rubavu District, welcomed the move, noting that government‑set prices could relieve schools. “Suppliers will bid at the district level, agree on prices with the district, and the district will select the lowest‑priced bidder and direct schools to source from that supplier. That would be better for us,” he said.
Samuel Nkurunziza, head teacher of Kagarama Secondary School in Kicukiro District, which serves over 1,000 students, agreed that district‑wide pricing could ease schools’ burdens, especially given limited procurement expertise. He explained that the school’s tender committee consists of teachers and parents, but cautioned that implementation might be challenging because districts contain many schools with varying food needs.
Joseph Nshimye, head teacher of Groupe Scolaire Riba in Nyaruguru District, observed that commodity prices fluctuate with suppliers and have risen since the Russia‑Ukraine war. He cited maize, now costing Rwf 1,000 compared with Rwf 710 in February–March 2022. Nshimye suggested that districts should handle procurement, emphasizing that market prices are driven by supply and demand rather than district directives.
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