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.
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