Category: Education

The Ministry of Education adopted a policy that ensures access to education for all that involves automatic promotion to the next class which teachers have decried as a practice that compromises the quality education as learners do not put in extra efforts in mastering any given subject.

On the other hand, MINEDUC says teachers should carry out continuous assessment to overcome the episodic challenges learners might have encountered as hindrances to their performance.

In discussion held yesterday at Dove Hotel during the International Teachers’ Day, some teachers were of the view that the system of automatic promotion should be revisited in the spirit of assuring quality education.

“MINEDUC and other education stakeholders should revise the pactice of automatic promotion of learners since it encourages them to relax, being assured of promotion. This kills the spirit of competition, ” observed one teacher.

Another teacher observed that some pupils have become so undisciplined to the extent of beating teachers. “They have become naughty. Teachers no longer have control over them. Many put on clothes mismatching and in total defiance of school uniform requirements,” lamented another teacher.

Commenting on teachers’ claims, the Minister of Education Dr Papias Musafiri Malimba told teachers that the program is adopted to allow access to education for children unlike the past during the colonial rule where few selected pupils would be promoted.

Talking on pupils’ laxity, Musafiri said; “Some developments can’t be restricted. We can’t bar children from using technology but you as teachers you should reform teaching methodology. We must be contemporary teachers though we learned through old pedagogical methodologies,” he counseled.

On misbehavior among pupils, Dr. Musafiri said that charity begins at home; noting that some parents and guardians have forfeited their parental responsibilities.

He urged teachers on professionalism and working ethically in the process of imparting knowledge.

The state minister in charge of TVET, Rwamukwaya Olivier told teachers that scored marks should not be the basis for a pupil to be promoted to the next level as a pupil might have other reasons that affected his performance during exams yet his/her past performance was excellent.

Mount Kenya University has been rated the best among Kenyan universities currently operating in Rwanda.

The university emerged position 11 out of 29 among universities that were ranked by Rwanda’s Higher Education Commission (HEC) with 380 marks out of 1,000.

MKU scored 88 on physical and academic infrastructure; 87 on faculty, research, consultancy and other programmes; 75 on admission, curriculum and delivery systems, while in placement, networking and Industry Interface it got 129.

“The purpose of this ranking is to make higher education provisions more transparent for stakeholders and make a good ground for competitiveness among higher education institutions,” states the report.

Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology (JKUAT) campus was placed 29 while Kenyatta University, which has a campus in Rwanda, was not ranked as it is yet to start its operations after the Kenya government disowned their operations in that country and Tanzania early this year.

JKUAT scored 171 marks out of 1,000 in a rating that saw the University of Rwanda, Kigali, emerge top with 592 marks.

MKU, which is currently putting up a fully-fledged university in Rwanda, also emerged third in terms of universities that have good infrastructure that is physical and academic.

The new campus being built at a cost of Sh500 million is set to be ready by November. The institution has about 3,000 undergraduate and post-graduate students.

The study was conducted in close collaboration with HEC and academic experts in the field of higher education in Rwanda.

“The study was conducted in order to understand the data provided by the HEIs and gain clarity with respect to relevance of parameters and sub parameters to be used as per the education scenario in Rwanda,” it explains.

The report notes that the ranking would help identify, assess and evaluate overall situation existing in the education sector in Rwanda and plan for the future keeping these insights in mind.

Methodology used for data collection included questionnaires and interviews by education experts.

The three Kenyan universities have invested heavily in Rwanda.

A report submitted mid this year to the National Assembly’s Public Investment Committee (PIC) shows that JKUAT had spent Sh450 million to set up campuses in Rwanda and Tanzania.

JKUAT vice chancellor, Mabel Imbuga, said the institution used Sh10 million as seed capital for Arusha centre and Sh21 million for Kigali campus.

Kenyatta University said it spent Sh370 million on setting up a campus in Rwanda and Sh53 million on establishing another one in Arusha.

The committee has since ordered an audit of the two universities’ operations in Rwanda and Tanzania.

Seven employees of Rwanda Natural Ressources Authority (RNRA) have been arrested over forging land documents.

The spokesperson of National Prosecution, Faustin Nkusi has told IGIHE that they have started examining files of the seven RNRA employees.

“We are still questioning them.They are suspected of forging land documents and illegally changing names of land owners,” he said.

According to sources, the seven employees were arrested by police on 2nd September, 2016.

It is said that they are alleged to have illegally changed land title transfer into names of a person who used it to ask bank loan.

Rwanda has today joined the rest of the world to mark International Literacy Day with a call for collaboration among parents, teachers, government and private organizations to help Rwanda achieve the target of having 100% literacy.

The call was made by Dr. Joyce Musabe, the Head of Department of Curricula at Rwanda Education Board (REB) as she launched activities of literacy activities at Umubano Hotel which will involve a two-day book exhibition at Amahoro Petit Stade.

The ceremony was organized in collaboration with Rwanda Reads, an organization which provides teaching and learning materials in Kinyarwanda books as a way of helping students to grow the culture of reading.

“ Rwanda Reads has tremendously helped Rwandans in improving the literacy levels. Reading culture has a great role in the development of a country. The International Literacy Day was initiated to mobilize citizens of the world into supporting literacy rights for all,” she said.

This year’s theme is “Beyond School Walls, Promoting Reading in Homes & Communities”.

Rwanda Reads helps in various programs of promoting reading culture among the youth including support to book writers and public libraries.

Rwanda Reads is comprised of all organization supporting education in Rwanda including Save the Children, Unicef and Unesco among others.

Rwanda Education Board (REB) has announced that 7,469 have been granted bursary to attend the 2016/2017 academic year at the University of Rwanda. Over 10,000 did not get sponsorships for various reasons.

Offering the students’ loans was based on three main criteria; scored marks take 40%, course to be studied at the university at 40% and Ubudehe category take the remaining 20% out the total 100%.

Students in science courses are supposed to get 60% while students from other courses have to get 46% out of the three criteria.

Desire Gacinya, head of scholarships department at REB has said that Ubudehe categories created arguments which pushed them to apply the new criteria.

“Some students would think Ubudehe categorization was the major yardstick for offering the bursaries. As we made reforms, we realized that Ubudehe category has to get a certain percentage among other criteria considered to offer the bursary. This is where a clever student from the first category with high marks going to study options needed by the government gets priority,” he said.

“For instance a student in the first category with 20 out of 20 and 40 out of 40 in the percentage of scored marks in senior six exam is bound to obtaining the bursary,” he added.

The Director of Rwanda education Board (REB), Janvier Gasana has said that the new policy of loan delivery will help to put much emphasis on students’ performance in class other than Ubudehe category.

“It means brightness will be prioritized and be matched with Ubudehe category,” he said.

“The first valued thing is student’s capacity of learning and scoring better marks. Others are considered later to increase chances of gaining the bursary.That is why we made such classification so that no poor student is left out over poverty while he/she is clever,” he added.

REB says that only 150 didn’t get bursary as they are in the Ubudehe category of rich people while others didn’t get the bursary over marks related reasons or having not fulfilled requirements.

REB says that determining the number of students to be sponsored is based on available budget . The number of sponsored students this year dropped to 7,469 from 12,000 last year.

Today is the first day for Vérène Yankurwe at the Nyamiaga pre-primary school. She is in charge of Class Three for the children of age six. “As today is our first day, I explained to my students about basic habits like hand washing with soap after using the toilet,” she said. “Now we are going to play and sing together.”

Vérène is one of over 900 pre-primary teachers who have received training on play-based learning as part of a program to upgrade and strengthen the skills of pre-primary school teachers throughout the country, particularly on early childhood education.

Find out more about our education work

Since 2014, the Ministry of Education, Rwandan Education Board (REB), Unicef and International Education Exchange (IEE) have organized more than 40 workshops for pre-primary teachers throughout the country. These teachers are responsible for the early childhood education of approximately 30,000 children between the ages of four to six.

These photos show the how young students and teachers at Nyamiaga pre-primary school are taking a play-based aproach to learning:

Jehovanice, six, is in Class Three. Her mother, Francoise, brought her to school today for the first time and tells Vérène, “I like the school because I know my child can learn many things in a fun way. They sing, they draw and they play. The school has good facilities too.”

Laurence invites all her class to the covered play space. She is teaching children counting and naming body parts with the help of a baby doll. “Where are the ears, and how many of them do we have?” asks Laurence. Then all the students raise hands to get a chance to answer before five-year-old Florence stands up to answer.

Play builds motivation and engagement in learning. It allows children to be active participants in their education. Learning through play is important in creating high-quality learning environments that prepare children to succeed in school, lead productive lives and contribute to the peace and prosperity of their families and communities. Unicef supported the development of the play-based pre-primary curriculum, which was launched in April 2015 in alignment with the new competency-based pre-primary curriculum.

“Pre-primary education is a priority for Rwanda, said Graham Lang, Interim Chief of Education, Unicef Rwanda. “The results of the teacher trainings in play-based learning is bearing fruit and we are encouraged to continue supporting these initiatives.”