working 9 to 5...or 6

Can a get a woo woo?! The internet bill has been paid at school so we now have internet access!! However, this will have to be quick because (in theory) I have a meeting in a few minutes.

My primary job thus far has been to oversee the Accreditation process of the MPH program here. Every few years the program has to undergo a review by National Accreditation Board of Rwanda, which means filling out 3284234 forms, and getting minute details about the structure of the school.

So every afternoon at 2 pm (though note it is now 2:20 pm and no one is in site), I sit down with the director and 4-5 staff members to hammer out questions. For example, how many librarians does the school have? Are there student scholarships available? What incentives are in place to attract female students?

Since I’m sure everyone is dying to know, there are currently (as of last month) three librarians, private scholarships are available, yet many students take out private loans (I feel you MPH students of Rwanda!), and none.

This is not exactly brain surgery, but on the plus side, it’s a great introduction to the school. I know the ins and outs of how things work and the curriculum, staff, etc. However, this does mean that my mornings are spent filling out at least 50 pages of forms…and this is only for the general MPH program. We still have to accredit the Masters of Epidemiology and 6 other certificate programs.

And the meetings thus far have all include Ikawa. (coffee) I am easy to please, add in a donut and I will fill out the paperwork for the entire National University of Rwanda. Anyway, it sounds like people are slowly coming into the conference room….time is currently 2:37.