Category: Education

There is need to integrate Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) skills into conventional school curricula from primary to university level so that whatever level of education one reaches, they have some hands-on skills they can rely on to eke a living.

Speaking at the opening of an international TVET symposium in Kigali, yesterday, key actors in TVET from around the world were urged to recommit to the sector and consider market-oriented skills to boost youth employment.

James Mugerwa, the assistant commissioner for vocational studies at the Ugandan Ministry of Education, urged regional governments to allocate a proper budget to TVET development initiatives.

“Vocational education has been marginalised in the entire East African region. The budget allocation has not been considering TVET; funding is required to acquire training equipment and build infrastructure and capacity of educationists,” he said.

Mugerwa said during their visit to different TVET schools in Southern Province, on Monday, he observed the problem of equipment in many workshops yet TVET relies heavily on practical learning.

“Governments should ensure that TVET skills are integrated in curricula from primary to university level so that regardless of the level of education attained, a student will always have some TVET skills to put to good use,” he said.

While opening the symposium, the Minister of State for TVET, Albert Nsengiyumva, said TVET has uplifted employment rate in the country since 2011 and called for concerted efforts toward more achievements.

Under the second Economic Development and Poverty Reduction Strategy, government targets to create 200,000 off-farm jobs annually.

“This is only possible if all actors, including government and partners, recommit to empower graduates with hands-on skills as TVET is mainly about practice,” he said.

The Rwanda Integrated Household Living Conditions Survey 2015, released last month, indicated that at least 146,000 off-farm jobs were created in Rwanda every year over a period of three years since 2011.

Nsengiyumva said while the government is focusing on building capacity of educators, modern training equipment are also paramount for TVET success.

“A competent teacher is required but efficient workshop is paramount. Training materials still pose a challenge but we are gradually empowering teachers and equipping them with efficient materials,” he said.

The international TVET symposium, organised under the theme, “Learn from experience: Best practices from the field,” attracted over 100 participants, including government and private sector officials, development partners, TVET teachers and students.

{{Private sector’s role}}

The symposium seeks to provide participants with a platform to share experiences from the field with a special emphasis on the involvement of private companies in TVET.

Nsengiyumva said although government encourages investment in TVET, it is strict on the quality of education that any school that does not meet the standards is closed down.

Last month, seven TVET schools in Southern Province were served with notice of closure over poor performance.

Nsengimana said the country targets to have 60 per cent of all students in TVET by 2020.

Anne-Pierre Mingelbier, the programme officer of the Belgian common TVET support programme at Belgian Development Agency, commended the government’s commitment to TVET, noting that the involvement of private sector in TVET was crucial to the development of the sector.

“TVET schools are empowering Rwandans with skills needed at the labour market and it is important for Rwanda to continue to develop this sector by linking public and private sectors because private sector is the leading force for the development of the country,” she said.

Mingelbier said the symposium should create the momentum, encourage better coordination among all the actors and encourage each one to eagerly play their part for the development of TVET and the country at large.

“Good plans are required to reinforce TVET at all levels to create linkages between IPRCs and districts, encouraging local authorities to consider TVET in their plans,” she said.

The symposium is a prelude to African Ministerial TVET Conference scheduled for tomorrow to conclude the ‘TVET Week’ that started on October 2.

The NewTimes

The Ministry of Education has reaffirmed the government’s commitment to improve the welfare of teachers.

The State Minister for Primary and Secondary Education, Olivier Rwamukwaya, in a message ahead of today’s World Teachers’ Day celebrations, said besides training, the government is mindful of teachers’ other broader needs.

Rwamukwaya stressed the need for quality education as a cornerstone to sustainable development.

The role of the teacher is indispensable in the education of the young generation who are the future leaders of this country, but quality education requires collaboration between all stakeholders, he said.

The minister outlined several steps that government would take to continue empowering teachers.

These include awarding outstanding teachers through a programme, ‘Girinka Mwalimu’, facilitating teachers to buy computers through teachers’ Savings and Credit Co-operatives (Umwalimu SACCO), and support to SACCOs to ease teachers’ access to credit to attend to their broader needs such as housing, education and investment in personal development projects, among others.

“To continuously improve the social welfare of teachers, government will continue to strengthen the existing policies while thinking of others that would help uplift teachers,” the minister said in a statement.

Minister Rwamukwaya also pledged to maintain capacity building programmes through different in-service trainings and refresher courses.

The ministry, he said, would continuously support teacher training programmes, particularly in English and nursery teaching.

Meanwhile, Rwamukwaya called on parents not to leave their role of parenting and other responsibilities to teachers.

“It’s crucial for the parent to provide all the scholastic materials for the child, encourage the child to revise their books and do home work. Also remember to sit down with the teacher so as to understand the daily life and behaviors of the student at school; this would lead to good academic performance and quality education,” he said.

The United Nations World Teachers’ Day falls on October 5 to celebrate the role of teachers in providing quality education at all levels.

“Empowering teachers, building sustainable societies” is the World Teachers’ Day slogan for 2015.

It is recognised that teachers are not only a means to implementing education goals; they are the key to sustainability and national capacity in achieving learning and creating societies based on knowledge, values and ethics.

Minister Rwamukwaya said government remains committed to do its best to make teaching a dignified profession in society.

The NewTimes

Kigali, Rwanda (September 2015) — The University of Rwanda College of Medicine and Health Sciences (UR/CMHS), in collaboration with the Ministry of Health and the Systems Improvement at District Hospitals and Regional Training of Emergency Care (sidHARTe) program at Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, are pleased to announce the completion of the Post-Graduate Diploma (PGD) Course in Emergency and Critical Care Medicine.

An innovative program for Rwanda, the PGD in Emergency and Critical Care Medicine was launched in September of 2013 and set the PGD trainees on a revolutionary path. These pioneers boldly entered a new field of medicine for Rwanda as there was no Emergency Medicine training program in Rwanda before now. On Thursday, 30 July 2015, 8 PGD trainees celebrated the completion of the PGD requirements at a dinner event hosted at the Manor Hotel in Kigali, Rwanda.

The Ministry of Health, represented by the Medical Personnel Planning, Research and Capacity Building Specialist, Dr. Vincent Rusanganwa, thanked the University of Rwanda, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, in collaboration with sidHARTe, for their support and implementation of the Post-Graduate Diploma in Emergency and Critical Care Medicine. In addition, Dr. Rusanganwa recognised the District Hospital Medical Directors who supported the trainees to attend the two year part-time training while still fullfilling their duties as general physicians at their base hosptial.

“I expect that this first cohort of trainees has gained the knowledge to improve the organisation of the emergency system at the health facilities. The Ministry of Health has done much in controling the infectious desease burden, however, it is still in need of skilled physicians to respond to the emergency care need. The Ministry of Health needs skilled people at the National level, Provincial Hospitals, District Hospitals, Health Centers and even at the comminity level”, said Dr. Rusanganwa.

Dr. Rusanganwa concluded by emphasizing that Emergency Medicine is a priority of the Ministry of Health and that they will continue to support the Emergency Medicine program within Rwanda’s health sector.
The PGD program trained General Practitioners (GPs) from 5 district and 2 tertiary hospitals in the fundamentals of Emergency and Critical Care Medicine. In addition to participating in weekly lectures and simulations, students worked in the Emergency Department at Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Kigali (CHUK) as a part of their training and rotated through other specialty services to increase the breadth of their education.

The one-year course was delivered on a part-time schedule over two years allowing the PGD trainees to work at their base hospital when the course was not in session. While at their hospitals, the PGD trainees worked to revise their hospital acute care systems , improve their Emergency Wards, train nursing staff and other GPs in the areas of triage, resusictation and other acute care specific skills and strengthened hospital administrator’s focus on the acute care delivery.

“Before the PGD training, many procedures were unclear to me and I feared how to manage cases at the District Hospital where over 70% of the deaths occur. Now, I have good training in emergency care and can perform many life saving procedures. I have even worked with my hospital administration to create an emergency room with fixed staff that I’ve helped to train and that do not rotate out” Dr. Chantal Uwamahoro, Emergency and Critical Care Resident, Gitwe District Hospital

Emergency Physician Dr. Rachel T. Moresky, Founding Director of the sidHARTe Program at Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health added that “Emergency Physicians, like a multivitamin, are a collection of all medical specialties in one physician. Emergency Physicians know how to manage the top emergencies of every medical specialization from Internal Medicine, Surgery, Anesthesia, Pediatrics, Orthopedics, Cardiology, Neurology, Ophthalmology and Toxicology… to name a few. Over the last two years there are impressive examples of the PGD students working at their home hospitals and taking lifesaving leadership roles in managing road traffic mass casualty incidents, setting up successful triage, and accurately diagnosing and successfully treating or referring severe trauma patients.”

One such example comes from Dr. Ezechiel Nteziryayo, a PGD trainee from Nemba District Hospital:
“I was at home when my colleague called me to come help him manage many severe cases after a bus crashed with an entire wedding party on it. The initial process was to set up mass casualty triage for the patients and determine the level of severity of their injuries. Three cases were identified as having the highest level of critical injuries, with one having severe head trauma. We worked as a team with the nurses to assess and stabilize the patients by providing necessary hydration and medicines, inserting breathing tubes and giving blood transfusions to those for which it was imperative.

Once the team stabilized the patients, they were transferred to CHUK for further treatment. During the PGD program, I learned how to perform proper triage whereas before I would only follow the order in which the patients arrived. I am thankful for the opportunity to study Emergency Medicine, “ Dr. Nteziryayo, Emergency and Critical Care Resident.

During his time in the PGD program, trainee Dr. Gabin Mbanjumucyo, in collaboration with his collegues, established the Rwanda Emergency Care Association (RECA). RECA is an association made up of Emergency Medicine Physicians, Emergency Medicine Residents, Nurses and Pre-hospital Care Providers both local and international with active involvement in emergency care in the country.

“RECA especially thanks the Ministry of Health, University of Rwanda and sidHARTe for introducing Emergency Medicine as a specialty in to Rwanda. With Emergency Medicine being in its infancy in Rwanda, there is a great need to consolidate every possible effort to provide better care for patients with acute illnesses or injuries that require immediate medical attention and to develop quality emergency care in the country.

This will only be achieved by working together. This is in line with RECA’s objectives that aim to promote and improve emergency care through teaching, research and education, to promote the specialty of emergency medicine and to advocate for emergency care in Rwanda,” Dr. Mbanjumucyo, RECA president and Emergency and Critical Care Resident.

{{Welcoming the Start of the First Masters of Medicine in Emergency and Critical Care Medicine}}

The University of Rwanda College of Medicine and Health Sciences (UR/CMHS), in collaboration with the Ministry of Health, the sidHARTe program at Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, and Brown University Department of Emergency Medicine are also pleased to announce the start of the Masters in Medicine (MMed) in Emergency and Critical Care Medicine set to start 7 September 2015.

As the PGD served as year one of the four year Master of Medicine (MMed) in Emergency and Critical Care Medicine the PGD trainees had the opportunity to continue on to the MMed enabling them to serve as future faculty of Emergency and Critical Care Medicine for UR/CMHS should they choose. All 8 PGD trainees have applied and been accepted into the second year of the MMed and are excited to continue their training, as well as expand their leadership and advocacy efforts in the field of Emergency Medicine in Rwanda.

In addition, a new class of 8 students will their first year of training alongside their second-year peers in September. Many students in this new class were inspired to apply for the MMed in Emergency and Critical Care Medicine after witnessing their colleagues who had completed the PGD program successfully utilize their newly acquired skills in Emergency Medicine to save patient lives at their District Hospitals.

“The completion of the PGD course and integration of the PGD as year one of the four year MMed, represents an important milestone for the leadership of UR/CMHS and the Ministry of Health in supporting education and health systems processes for Emergency Care in Rwanda. We have been grateful for this opportunity to work with our colleagues in Rwanda, and look forward to what the future holds for this exciting endeavor,” says Dr. Moresky.

A team from Yale University, including staff and students, is traveling to Rwanda to deliver a 6-day residential enrichment program for high school students.

The program, sponsored by Yale, aims to empower high performing high school students with the tools for accessing global educational opportunities, especially opportunities in the US.

YYAS is specially designed to help students recognize and understand global issues, strategize responses, and innovate solutions while learning from Yale faculty and African undergraduate and graduate students who currently attend Yale.

YYAS will be hosted at Riviera School from August 11-16 and includes 50 high school students from across the continent.

There is no cost to students to participate in the program.

Rwanda won a prestigious Commonwealth Education Good Practice Award for her innovative education project ‘Supporting Teachers’ English through Mentoring (STEM)’. The award, known as the Steve Sinnott Award for Commonwealth Teachers, is a special award recognising the practice which contributes most to the professional development of teachers.

In 2012, in Mauritius, Rwanda was the winner of the Commonwealth Good Practice Award for its Fast-tracking Access to Nine Years Basic Education Programme.

In January 2045, the Commonwealth Secretariat received 89 submissions from 20 countries across the Commonwealth for the 2015 Good Practice Awards. Two projects from Rwanda were among the ten finalists – ‘Supporting Teachers’ English through Mentoring’ and the ‘Parents. Step In!’ initiative designed to prevent, reduce and limit school dropouts.

The award given to Rwanda was presented by Dame Marguerite Pindling, Governor-General of the Bahamas at the opening ceremony of the 19th Conference of Commonwealth Education Ministers (19CCEM), held in The Bahamas on Tuesday 23 June 2015. Emmanuel Muvunyi, Deputy Director General of Rwanda Education Board, received the award on behalf of the Government of Rwanda.

The Commonwealth Good Practice Awards are held every three years to celebrate and promote new and innovative education projects. They address at least one of eight action areas which range from achieving universal primary education, eliminating gender disparities in education to mitigating the impact of HIV on education systems. The action areas align with the Commonwealth’s education priorities, the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and the Education for All (EFA) goals. Submissions are evaluated by independent expert adjudicators on their relevance to the local context, measurable impact, sustainability, efficiency and effectiveness, community involvement, and ability to be replicated.

The STEM project is one of the 26 pilot innovations which make up the Innovation for Education programme, a partnership between the Governments of Rwanda and the UK, funded by UKAid. The project is managed by British Council Rwanda working in conjunction with The International Education Exchange and The Association of Teachers of English in Rwanda and in close collaboration with Rwanda Education Board. The pilot project has been working in 36 schools in Nyamasheke district, Western Province. Primary school teachers in Nyamesheke are using self-study books and audio resources on mobile phones, and solar-powered audio devices, all of which are designed to develop their classroom English and teaching skills. These materials are being used by teachers individually, as well as in teacher peer support groups facilitated and supported by school-based personnel. The project involves not only teachers, but the whole school, parents and wider community.

In 2008 Rwanda switched to English medium education from primary four. Since then, the Ministry of Education through Rwanda Education Board, has made several interventions to help teachers improve their proficiency levels including face-to-face short training courses and the School Based English Language Mentors Programme. The STEM project was implemented as a pilot between May 2013 and April 2015 and has benefitted 533 school leaders and teachers.

Other countries recognised at the 19CCEM for education good practices are India for its ‘Design for Change’ project, South Africa for its project ‘Taking Quality Education to where it Matters through Webcasting’ and Singapore for its ‘Primary Education Review and Implementation Assessment Project’.

The 19CCEM brings together 53 Ministers of Education, senior officials, stakeholders, teachers and youth from across the Commonwealth.

PITTSBURGH—{Join Carnegie Mellon in Rwanda (CMU-R) as it celebrates its second graduation of technology innovators in Kigali, Rwanda. The 21 men and women of the Class of 2015 will receive master’s degrees in Information Technology (IT) on 22 June 2015. The ceremony will take place at the Serena Hotel in Kigali, Rwanda at 3p.m sharp.}

Carnegie Mellon University in Africa is fostering the commercialization of information and communication technology the world’s fastest growing economic region. More than 70% of the Class of 2015 has secured employment while other students may join fellow alum in creating startup ventures.

Distinguished guests at the graduation will include the Honorable Professor Lwakabamba, Rwandan Minister of Education; Dr. Bruce Krogh, Director of Carnegie Mellon in Rwanda; Dean James Garrett, Dean of Carnegie Mellon College of Engineering; Dr. Jared L Cohon, President Emeritus of Carnegie Mellon University.

The graduation underscores Carnegie Mellon University and the Government of Rwanda’s commitment to educating engineers and entrepreneurs who are striving to make an economic impact in Africa. All of our alumni from the Class of 2014 now have technical careers in East Africa and continue to play a part in ushering the region’s economic and social growth into the future.

Motivated to elevate global intellectual and economic vitality, Carnegie Mellon University became the first U.S. university to offer a master’s degree program taught by full-time faculty resident in Africa.

“Being present in Africa is the only way to understand technology needs on the continent,” says Bruce Krogh, the director of CMU in Rwanda. “Creating a long-term education programme is critical, because it gives students time to analyze problems and develop solutions in the context in which they occur.”

Carnegie Mellon students in Rwanda receive a world-class education enriched by the institution’s history and tradition of excellence that began in the United States in 1900. Rigorous coursework, practicums and internships provide students with the critical skills valued by industry throughout Africa. In addition, our curriculum includes courses on a wide range of business topics and soft skills giving our graduates the confidence to launch their own ventures.

To ensure that Carnegie Mellon University’s research and curriculum in Rwanda remain relevant to Africa, the faculty and students engage with local companies and multinational corporations on a continual basis. Companies that have recruited Carnegie Mellon University students for internships in East Africa include General Electric, IBM, Microsoft and VISA.

At CMU, African students remain steeped in the region’s rapidly evolving technical and business networks. Beyond the advantage of staying local in terms of professional development, studies in Rwanda enhance our students learning experience. Our top students are funded to study for a semester in Pittsburgh and our alumni highlight the communal study experience in Kigali as a major advantage for their learning, as compared with studies in the USA.

In Africa, Carnegie Mellon University offers two graduate degree programmes: the M.S. in Information Technology, and the M.S. in Electrical and Computer Engineering. Faculty research areas include energy systems and IT for healthcare and business.

{This Thursday June 18,2015,Tumba College of Technology held a Technical Advisory Group (TAG) Workshop for strengthening and updating the curriculum of the college, TCT has been offering courses leading to a national advanced diploma in three departments namely Alternative Energy (AE), Electronics and Telecommunication (ET), and Information Technology (IT), TCT curriculum which is labor market and industry needs based, was developed in collaboration with the Technical Advisory Group (TAG) composed of experts from local and International industries, academics, JICA experts and other countries who also contributed a lot to its development.

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{{Eng. Pascal GATABAZI Speaking to the participants during the Technical Advisory Group (TAG) Workshop held at TCT Campus, Rulindo District, Northern Province.}}

The principal started by narrating the objective of this workshop as sharing of information and experience with industry experts and stakeholders about the current technology trends, labor market and industry need which will enrich the TCT academic programs. Tumba College of Technology is confident that its programs whose coverage lasts for two years, support the country’s vision 2020 objectives achievement process and is committed to keep the pace high not only contribution to the achievement of vision 2020 objectives but also EDPRS 2 as well as National Employment Program (NEP) objectives. It is also proud of the fact that its program are internationally benchmarked and meet national and International demands.

{{The Participants listening to one of the TCT instructor in the department of Alternative Energy (AE) the department that directly deals with the green environment issues through nurturing young technicians skilled in alternative and renewable energy. }}

{{Here are some of the participants at the stand of Electronics and Telecommunication department that addresses the issues concerning the demand of high-level technicians who can handle Telecommunication related issues, repair and maintenance of electronic devices. }}

{{Participants at the Stand of Information Technology department that trains skilled technicians who can handle issues to do with network administration, software development, programming and maintenance of computers amongst others.}}

During his closing remarks the Principal Tumba College of Technology, Eng. Pascal GATABAZI appreciated the inputs from the participants of Technical Advisory Group (TAG) Workshop, he said that the captured information from the participants is very crucial for the college to renew its curriculum and promised the participants that all the gathered inputs will be made of a good use, and he finally promised good cooperation with the Industry experts and Stakeholders.

{{Kigali – June 9, 2015}} {The U.S. Embassy announced the kickoff of its fourth annual campaign to encourage a love of reading, at an event attended by U.S. Ambassador Erica J. Barks-Ruggles on June 8. The “Everybody Reads Rwanda” campaign, to be held from June 8-19, encourages as many people as possible to read and discuss the same the same book. }

This year, the Embassy selected the young adult classic A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle as the campaign’s featured book. A Wrinkle in Time was recognized as 2nd on the top 100 list of children’s novels by the School Library Journal and won the 1963 Newbery Medal, the highest honor in children’s literature.

After distributing nearly 500 copies of the book to local secondary schools and teachers, Rwandan and American staff from the U.S. Embassy will lead discussions about the story throughout the month of June.

“The themes of this novel – love, courage, and the bonds of family – speak to people of every age and nationality. We are excited to introduce A Wrinkle in Time to a new generation of Rwandan readers, and to share ideas about these themes that unite us,” said Ambassador Barks-Ruggles.

Members of Mashirika Performing Arts & Media Company performed a short play inspired by the novel as part of the kick-off event festivities.

The Everybody Reads initiative began as a project to support the government of Rwanda’s efforts to build a culture of reading. The United States partners with the Rwanda on numerous education initiatives to improve literacy, integrate technology into classrooms, and give every child the chance to succeed. Over the last year, USAID has committed over $22 million to support basic education in Rwanda.

({{Korea Bizwire}}) —{ South Korea Thursday committed millions of dollars to equip classrooms in three African countries with information technology.}

Education Minister Hwang Woo-yea signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Irina Bokova, secretary-general of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), stating that South Korea would contribute US$6 million to UNESCO.

The donation will go toward training teachers in Rwanda, Mozambique and Zimbabwe on how to use information and communication technology in classrooms and running a pilot program of computer-based education.

“Many African ministers have requested help from South Korea,” Hwang said at the World Education Forum in Incheon. “South Korea will share its education knowledge with African countries and help them nurture education talent.”

About a quarter of primary school-aged children in sub-Saharan nations are not in school, according to UNESCO, with only 38 percent of adults being able to read and write.

But the percentage of Internet users has steadily risen to 11 percent in 2011.

Hwang also suggested that U.N. nations help rebuild schools that have been destroyed from the Nepal earthquake in April.

South Korea also signed an MOU with Vietnam, agreeing to hold an exchange program for teachers; invite Vietnamese science and technology students to South Korea; and support Korean language education at Vietnamese middle and high schools.

An MOU has also been sighed with the United Arab Emirates, in which South Korea pledged to send education experts to the Middle Eastern country and train its teachers.