Civics and Governance
Primary 6 · Social and Religious Studies
Civics and Governance
Lesson 5 of 5
16 min
Uwase and Habimana both want to be class prefect. They each give a short speech about what they will do. Then every pupil writes one name on a small paper, folds it and drops it in a box. Nobody sees who anyone chose. When the papers are counted, Uwase has won. Habimana shakes her hand. "Congratulations. I will help you."
That small election works like the big elections of a country. Today you will find out how Rwanda is governed.
| Arm | Who | Main job |
|---|---|---|
| Legislature | Parliament: the Chamber of Deputies (80 members) and the Senate (26 members) | Makes laws, approves the national budget and checks the work of the government. |
| Executive | The President (Head of State), the Prime Minister and the ministers (the Cabinet) | Carries out the laws and runs public services every day. |
| Judiciary | The courts, led by the Supreme Court | Settles disputes and judges people accused of crimes, fairly and independently. |
Rwanda is a world leader in women's representation: women hold more than 60% of the seats in the Chamber of Deputies.
The government does its work through public institutions, each with its own job:
| Institution | Its job |
|---|---|
| RDF (Rwanda Defence Force) | Defends the country and its borders |
| RNP (Rwanda National Police) | Keeps law and order and road safety inside the country |
| RRA (Rwanda Revenue Authority) | Collects taxes |
| REB (Rwanda Basic Education Board) | Supports basic education, for example the curriculum and learning materials |
| NEC (National Electoral Commission) | Organises elections |
| RIB (Rwanda Investigation Bureau) | Investigates crimes |
A non-governmental organisation (NGO) is a group that is not part of the government and does not work to make a profit. Examples working in Rwanda include World Vision, Save the Children and Plan International. The Rwanda Red Cross Society is a humanitarian organisation that helps in emergencies. These organisations work alongside the government on things like clean water, schools, child protection and disaster relief.
Democracy means rule by the people. In a democracy, people choose their leaders in elections. In Rwanda:
Obey the law, pay taxes (as an adult), vote, take part in umuganda, protect public property, respect other people's rights and help defend the country.
Tip
Think of your school. Parliament is like the meeting that writes the school rules. The Executive is like the head teacher who runs the school every day. The Judiciary is like the fair committee that decides what happens when a rule is broken.
Answer: The legislature (Parliament).
Answer: 80.
Answer: The National Electoral Commission (NEC).
Answer: So that every voter can choose freely, without fear or pressure.
Answer: No. It is an NGO: it is not run by the government, although it works alongside it.
What you learned today
Sources and credits
The numbers of deputies and senators and the share of women were checked against the Parliament of Rwanda (parliament.gov.rw, link only). The rest of the lesson is written by Ganzaa.
This lesson adapts CC BY-SA material and is shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Quick check
Match each arm of government to its main job.
Tap one on the left, then its partner on the right.
