The United States Ambassador to Rwanda, Erica J. Barks-Ruggles, and the Directorate General for Science, Technology, and Research at the Ministry of Education, Dr. Marie-Christine Gasingirwa, jointly kicked off the nationwide distribution of 2.5 million P1 and P2 teaching and learning materials yesterday at Ecole Primaire d’Application de Kimihurura.
The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) invested Rwf 3.1 billion to develop and print the texts to support the implementation of the Government of Rwanda’s new competence-based curriculum. Throughout April, the texts will be delivered to every P1 and P2 classroom in all 2,460 schools, reaching an estimated 1.1 million students.
This year, primary and secondary teachers nationwide are implementing a new competence-based curriculum which focuses on the development of practical and analytical skills that are needed in the modern workplace. In addition to training teachers on the new curriculum, the availability of high-quality teaching and learning materials is considered a key component to its success.
USAID developed the materials for P1 and P2 classrooms in alignment with the new curriculum through its Literacy, Language, and Learning Initiative, which is implemented by the Education Development Center.
The teaching and learning materials, which include illustrated story books and teacher guides, have been produced in both English and Kinyarwanda. The content was approved by the Rwanda Education Board (REB), which officially adopted the materials as the core texts for Rwanda’s competence-based curriculum and maintains the copyright for them.
The strong collaboration between USAID and the Government of Rwanda made the publication of the books possible.
In her remarks, Ambassador Barks-Ruggles explained, “Through partnership with the Ministry of Education and the Rwanda Education Board, our combined efforts to improve education outcomes can make a difference in early grade reading and in the future of this country.”
REB leaders acknowledged how foundational reading is for students’ success in school. “The materials developed through the collaboration of USAID and REB emphasize reading–the primary competence for learning,” said Dr. Joyce Musabe, Deputy Director of the Curriculum and Production of Materials Department at REB.
Over the last three years, USAID has committed over Rwf 48 billion in basic education in Rwanda, primarily focusing on literacy initiatives because reading is widely considered the first and most important skill for students to succeed in school.
To date, USAID has delivered 7 million teacher guides, story collections, and reading books, as well as 14,000 mobile phones loaded with audio lessons for Primary 1 to 3 to schools nationwide.
The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) is the foreign assistance agency of the United States Government. USAID supports $150 million of development assistance annually to Rwanda, with programs in health, economic development, education, and democracy and governance.
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