Today, on April 15, Institut Catholique de Kabgayi (ICK) took a big step to make sure new students have the English skills they need. They introduced an English test for students joining different departments.

This test was given to students in departments like Journalism and Communications, Education, Nursing and Midwifery, and Finance and Accounting. The goal is to check how good their English is and see if they might need extra help to do well in their studies.

Lecturers in these departments think being good at English is really important for students to do well in their studies and later in their jobs.

Constant Niyonzima, who heads ICK’s English Language Resource Center, explained, “The test is important because it gets students ready for the global job market. Being good at English is something bosses look for in many industries. With this test, we’re making sure our students can compete in this job market.”

Niyonzima also mentioned that there are three levels of English proficiency: beginner, intermediate, and advanced. They keep track of students’ progress from the start to the end of their studies. Students take the entry English test at the beginning, and before they graduate, they take another to see how much they’ve improved.

Students have different feelings about the new test. Some see it as a chance to get better at English and do well in their future careers. But others feel nervous about it and worry it might affect their grades.

One student said, “I thought this test could help me get better at English and do well in the future. But I was also nervous about how it might affect my grades.”

The introduction of this English test at ICK is seen as a good move to make sure students are ready for the challenges in their studies. By checking their English skills at the beginning, the university is helping them succeed in their future careers.