Category: Education

{WDA has embarked on a drive of addressing the matter of teachers with inadequate skills which would affect students graduating with limited knowledge in areas of their specialization.}

The government introduced TVET Qualification Framework aimed at helping students to get jobs or extend their studies to the university.

The deputy director of WDA in charge of trainings,Irene Nsengiyumva said that teachers are undergoing trainings under the auspices of GIZ to equip teachers with better skills.

“Such trainings are meant to increase the capacity of teachers since some we have in TVET schools studied in archaic education systems while others attended university but hadn’t upgraded to align with new technologies. We have realized the need to train them for effective teaching,” he said.

GIZ has provided experts to train TVET teachers in masonry, domestic and industrial plumbing, electricity and carpentry.

Beate Dippmar, Promotion of Economy and Employment Component Manager in Eco Emploi said that offering such trainings is the foundation of development.

“Economic development must go with skilled employees. It becomes better if they are natives of the country satisfying local market and reserve for foreign countries other than spending money on foreign teachers,” she said.

She said that Training of Trainers will continue till 2019.

Ezekiel Ngoboka, Promotion of Economy and Employment Expert for Private Sector Skills Development in EcoEmploi said that strengthening such trainings will increase the value of Made in Rwanda and enable international competence since Rwanda will have school leavers producing items of high quality attracting Rwandans who would place orders of equipments abroad.

A total of 90 teachers and employees from industries have completed capacity building trainings under this program which started from September 2015.

The ceremony of handing certificates to trainees will be held on June 21st 2016.

{Students at Mururu Teachers Training Center (TTC) of Mururu in Rusizi district have expressed worries for having taken four years without receiving new text books since they were relocated to the branch of University of Rwanda in Rusizi district.
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Students of the college which would receive books from Rwanda Education Board (REB) before getting transferred to the management of University of Rwanda, College of Education, told IGIHE that getting well updated information has become a challenge since the library is stocked with old literature.

“We have inadequate old books at the college that have been used for many years. We want new books with updated information,” said Valentine Uwizeyimana, one of the Mururu TTC students.

“I can’t see any dictionary at our school; indeed other books to read are not available,” said another student Tuyizere Siméon.

The Mururu TTC director, brother Rusanganwa Protais said lack of adequate literature has existed for four years since the school was handed to the management of University of Rwanda, College of Education.

“The matter started when TTCs were handed to the management of University of Rwanda, College of Education. Since then it has been four years without receiving any book yet there was a budget of availing books to all schools in Rwanda. It means all schools in Rwanda receive books except TTC’s while they should be supported with much emphasis as TTC’s are foundations of education for training teachers,” he said.

{A total of 150 English Language teachers in primary, secondary of university from various parts of the country met in Kigali yesterday to attend a two-day training on polishing their professional skills in the delivery of their services. }

The annual meeting which was held for the 3rd time was organized by Association of Teachers of English in Rwanda (ATER) under the auspices of the British Council and IPRC-Kigali.

Stakeholders told IGIHE that they gained knowledge to improve teaching skills in teaching the English language.

“We hope everyone that attended the training shall improve in service delivery,” said Niyibizi Richard, the Chairman of ATER.

The Principal of IPRC Kigali, Eng. Diogene Mulindahabi requested all teachers to maximize opportunities of trainings, share knowledge and professionally transfer acquired knowledge. The trainers, 50, were drawn from Uganda, Sudan, Cameroon, Namibia, and Senegal.

The trainings were funded by British council and IPRC Kigali among others.

A total of 17 teachers transferred to Groupe Kageyo in Gicumbi district from schools in Gihembe refugee camp have left the school citing failure of concerned parties to pay their salaries.

The teachers of senior one and two had been transferred to Groupe Scolaire Kageyo with 552 student refugees in March 2016, promised a pay-rise which has not been forthcoming.

“They promised us to receive same payments as teachers we met at Groupe Scolaire Kageyo but the promise was never honored. We claimed and were told that the matter is in process of being solved. We decided to leave since there were no changes occurred,” said Roger Kaberuka one of teachers who left the school.

Kaberuka says that after getting informed that there is no enough budget to fill the gap, they sent a resignation letter to Gicumbi district officials.

The Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA) which is in charge of paying salaries of these teachers say they know the salaries are meager but had agreed with them to first conduct advocacy and increase the salary when support is found.

“Before teachers were transferred we agreed that we were going to conduct advocacy .We asked them to be patient with their meager salary till we get enough funding,” said Betty Batamuriza, the representative of ADRA in Gihembe refugee camp.

Batamuriza says that they have received on June 1st a claim letter signed by the 17 teachers that they will not return to the job in case their salary is not increased.

The executive secretary of Kageyo sector in Gicumbi district, Irankijije Nduwayo says that they received the first letter from the 17 teachers on May 19th, 2016 saying they would stop teaching the next day which prompted Gicumbi district to call a meeting with all stakeholders on May 25th, 2016 where teachers consented to wait the outcomes of the advocacy promised at the time.

Irankikije says that it is sad to see teachers leaving 700 students at school which he considers as lacking parental spirit.

“We were surprised to receive on June 1st, 2016 a resignation letter from 17 teachers brought by one of students at Groupe Scolaire Kageyo. We have a serious matter of 700 children lacking education after these teachers left,” he said.

{Rwanda’s Workforce Development Authority has officially inaugurated five – Technical and Vocational Education and Training schools worth over Rwf 7 billion located in the districts of Karongi, Nyamasheke, Rusizi, Ngororero and Rutsiro in Western Province.}

The schools were built with the support of Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) to enable youth to acquire skills with which they create own jobs.
The official ceremony of launching the schools was held yesterday at Vocational Training Center of Rubengera in Karongi district.

The Minister of Education, Dr. Papias Musafiri who presided over the inauguration said that technical and vocational knowledge some of the major ways that can help adults and young generation to create off-farm jobs.

“The government of Rwanda is doing everything possible to ensure the realization of its targets of creating 200,000 off-farm jobs every year as per the EDPRSII,” he said.
Today, the newly constructed schools have 963 students and 66 instructors and facilitators taking courses in; construction, cooking, hospitality and electricity maintenance among others.

Giancarlo de Picciotto, the SDC Representative in Rwanda said that the first batch of the school graduates have demonstrated a good commitment and translating what they learnt into practice.

He explained that his country will continue supporting TVET education in the country.
The governor of Western Province, Caritas Mukandasira has requested parents to send their children to vocational training centers for skills that will drive them into job creation.

Francine Uwamahoro, one of students at VTC Rubengera said that she has started reaping benefits from acquired knowledge.

“I have a canteen; I can make bread, buns and pastries. I hope to progress well because I acquired enough knowledge from the VTC,” she said.

The director of WDA, Gasana Jérȏme said that increasing quality education in VTC will be attained through the ‘Trainings of Trainers program’.

{Rwanda has entered into a partnership with a global information technology giant, Microsoft, which will see the country’s learning systems transforming.}

Warren Lafleur, Head of Education West, East & Central Africa at Microsoft , told CNBC Africa, that the choice of country was dependent on a couple of things such as leadership and strategic direction a country was taking.

“Rwanda’s ambitions are aligned very strongly with things we are looking at developing in Africa like developing human capital that has strong ties to economic growth,” he said.

“We believe in the notion in the mobile-first, cloud-first world.”

He added that when it comes to digital devices, the type people used was necessarily the issue, for Microsoft, saying it was the experience the group was trying to promote in improving learning experience.

“Learning in Africa needs to be transformed, if you think about the kinds of jobs that coming out in the 21st century, many of them don’t exist as yet,” he said.

“If you focus on creating access to the school system and rich immersive learning through technology and building capacity between teacher-community experiences that allows self-discovery, you can create a fantastic ecosystem that empowers and transforms.”

Nkubito Bakuramutsa, adviser to the Minister of Education weighed in saying Rwanda was building a knowledge based economy.

“Most of Rwandans being in rural areas, we are pushing in terms of ICT and education, and by 2017 we would have covered the entire country,” he said.

“We want schools to be the central part of the community where students are able to learn based on skills, interests and competencies. We are happy to work with a global ICT giant such as Microsoft.”

Bakuramutsa said the IT education sector was a billion dollar business and encouraged small business enterprise to start deploying content and providing support.

“The ministry of education is looking at outsourcing some of the support at district level through partnerships between big corporations and small companies.” 

{African Leadership University (ALU), a private learning institution will launch in Rwanda September 2016, bringing the number of universities in the country to 33. Students in ALU will have similar courses with those in Cambridge of Massachusetts in United States.It will start with the school of business.}

The administrators of the university, during the World Economic Forum (WEF) on Africa last week, said that they will bring experts from universities across the world, reducing the need to travel outside the country for academic purposes.

Fred Swaniker, a Ghanaian who founded ALU in 2013, said that they want to create a university that offers knowledge needed by Africans in addressing challenges of the 21st century.

“We have collaboration with School of Business, Harvard, Mackenzie and Wotton. Students will undertake courses from such schools via internet once per four months. Thereafter teachers from these schools will come to Rwanda and teach students face to face,” he said.

Swaniker said that a cheap university of America requires the payment of USD 240,000 in four years and have enough time for break.He explained that students in ALU have eight months of study within a year while remaining four months are spent at work to the extent that a student completes four years period of study with one year of working experience.

Its first branch was launched in Mauritius with 180 students while the second branch will be opened in Kigali in September.

Dr Donald Kaberuka heading the international advising council appreciated such efforts to collaborate with others for Africa’s transformation.

“Education in African universities has lagged behind. When I was the president of African Bank of Development, I faced complicated work and wondered on what to do. Rich people send their children for education abroad while the remaining majority study in weak universities with inadequate capacity,” he said.

Dr Kaberuka said that the January WEF held in Davos on Transformation on technology related activities demonstrated that needed reforms are rooted on knowledge and talents other than money.

“ALU is trying to offer such knowledge within short possible time so that Africa will be self sufficient in economy while the majority of citizens have jobs,” he said.

Graça Machel, the wife of late Nelson Mandela and leader of ALU said that they target to acquaint the youth with needed knowledge in building ‘Africa we all need’.

“ALU connects youth from all corners of Africa in every higher learning institute. Working with ALU presents chances of gaining more international knowledge no matter whether one is rich or poor”, she said.

Swaniker says that his university will emerge among first universities of the world in the next 15 years. Fred Swaniker was in 2006 recognized as the first world growing entrepreneur with activities transforming people’s livelihoods. In 2011, Forbes ranked him among ten young opinion leaders in Africa.

{Students of Groupe Scolaire Cyumba in Gicumbi district have expressed their dissatisfaction over a Rwf 1500 charged as report cards fees paid every school term .
Students explain that making them pay such fees is inconsiderate but have done so for a long time yet their counterparts in other schools pay only Rwf 500 once a year.}

“I am now studying in senior five but we have been paying Rwf 1500 per term which they claim to be used for processing our reports/performance cards. Other schools pay Rwf 500 for the same per year. I wonder whether this school has particular policies different from nationally accepted principles,” wondered one student who preferred anonymity but observed that students are not chased for delaying school fees payments, but can be sent home on failure to pay report cards fees.

The headmaster of Groupe Scolaire Cyumba, Nyabyenda Narcisse told IGIHE that they charge students the Rwf 1500 per term and use it for various school activities.

“We call the fund ‘bulletin fee’ but part of it is used for other needs such as supplementing discipline masters’ payments and teachers’ motivation,” he said.

Nyabyenda said that the prefect in charge of discipline is paid Rwf 40,000.
The executive secretary of Cyumba sector, Abahe Fred says he’s not aware of such collections but will follow up to establish the truth and address it accordingly.

{Rwanda Education Board (REB) has announced a plan of following up cases of first year students at the University of Rwanda who have started selling Laptops they were given as loan for which they have to pay in installments.}

Students at College of Business and Economics (CBE) using the laptops provided on loan guarantee told IGIHE that their mates started selling the laptops since they already had other laptops or want to buy different quality of laptops.

“I know one colleague who immediately sold the laptop provided on a REB loan as he had another one. I also plan to sell the donated laptop since I couldn’t deny it while I am obliged to pay for it,” said one student.

“Most of these laptops provided by REB are for sale even though it is not easy to find clients, “disclosed another student. Students said that they will lack clients when REB distributes many laptops among students.

They told IGIHE journalist that the price of these laptops on black markets ranges between Rwf 70,000 and 100,000 yet they are valued at Rwf240,000.

The Ministry of Education explains that donating these laptops is meant to facilitate university students during their studies.

The director of Rwanda Education Board, Janvier Gasana told IGIHE that they didn’t know the matter of students involved in selling the laptops adding that they are going to make a follow up.

“It would be sad if anyone sold a laptop provide on loan. We are going to follow up the matter and punish the culprits,” he said.

Materials of these laptops are matched in Rwanda by Positivo BGH plant and are being distributed among students by Africa Smart Investment Distributor in collaboration with the Ministry of Education.

Students in need of such laptop have to first make agreements with the bank facilitating him/her to get it and pay Rwf 17,000 per month for 18 months.