Jill Barham Secondary School was started 1994 by the Anglican Diocese of Cyangugu but because of the war in the same year, the structures were destroyed and the activities became on standstill up to 1995 when the work was restarted in September. The same year, the school opened with only secretarial option. The school was officially opened on 19th september 1998 by His Excellency the vice president Paul KAGAME.
The school was built by the former bishop of Cyangugu Rt. Rev. KENNETH BARHAM when he saw the need of genocide survivors and wanted to create them employment through vocational training. That’s when he thought of secretarial studies as the best option for girls who wanted to take up government collar jobs as accounts secretaries.
The name JILL BARHAM was named after the wife of Bishop Kenneth Barham, “Jill”.
The school was formerly a girl’s school, but currently it also trains male students for the factor of gender.
The school has undergone many academic changes, had at once had ordinary level which was phased out in 2008 and adopted to take only the advanced level. This above was later affected by the phase out program where the school opted for the TVET options.
The school is a technical secondary school that offers courses awarding professional certificates level A2 in partnership with the Work Force Development Authority (WDA).The school offers the sections following options: Accountancy, Computer science and management, Hotel operations and Tourism management.
SCHOOL VISIONS: To be a leading professional training school and a choice provider of quality tertiary and executive training services
MOTTO: Aim for higher horizons
MISSION: To train and equip Godly leaders in a centre of excellence
Currently the school is being led by MAGEZI Stephen. It has enrollment of about 560 students. The school is both boarding and day. The school has well qualified teachers and equipment for trainees and is strategically positioned on the shores of Lake Kivu.
Existing cooperations
Some of the students are sponsored are genocide Survivors and are Sponsored by the Government organ called FARG.
The school has short course programes in Hotel operations and Tourism and also ICT. It got a grant from the skills development fund (SDF) under WDA to promote skills development in Rwanda.