Last month, the Rwanda Education Board (REB) launched the new school curriculum, which has widely been welcomed by stakeholders because of its largely competence-based.

The curriculum will be rolled out next academic year, once all schools have obtained the teaching aids that support it and after teachers have trained in how it will be implemented.

Amidst this, however, private schools say it will be heard for them if the status quo on how they access school materials is maintained.

"I am worried much of the teaching materials will be replaced to accommodate the new curriculum. We usually buy textbooks and other teaching materials ourselves but some of them cannot be easily obtained in bookshops,” said Charles Muhayimana, the Principal of College Ami des Enfants in Kinyinya, Gasabo District.

The new curriculum covers pre-primary, primary and secondary schools, and will be effective next year, beginning with the kindergarten, primary one and four, as well as senior one and four.

Normally, government only buys books and other teaching materials for public schools, and such books have a ‘not for sale’ label. Currently, REB says they have called for bids from publishers to ensure that everything is in place before January next year.

"We may be private but our students are not private, they are Rwandans, so all necessary measures should be put in place to ensure our students get access to these facilities by the beginning of the next academic year,” said Muhayimana, an experienced head teacher of 20 years.

The private schools propose that REB, the implementing agency, collect money from them and place an order to the publishers at the same time, which, they say, will ensure they get them at subsdised prices.

Alex Mushumba, the head teacher of Martyrs Secondary School in Remera, Kicukiro District, shared Muhayimana’s concerns. He said that they are ready to contribute and that all REB needs to do is to compel all private schools to pay up.

"We request the ministry to include us in the order they are going to place; this will certainly bring the price down. It becomes hard if individual schools are going to deal with the publishers as is the practice normally,” said Mushumba, citing examples of books which cost him over Rwf30,000 each.

Speaking to The New Times, Janvier Gasana, the Director General of REB, said they plan to meet with heads of private schools to chart a way forward but was quick to rule out the suggestion of subsidising the books.

"Private schools have to buy the teaching materials they need and that is what it means to be private,” said Gasana.

He added; "It is not that we have ever abandoned the private schools, we tell them to order for their materials whenever the government issues tenders for public schools and we will have a meeting with them soon to discuss the new curriculum,” he said.

Gasana noted that REB is on the right track with its timeline to have all the materials distributed before January, next year.

He also ruled out the idea of collecting money from private schools so as to collectively order for the materials with those for public schools, saying that they may instead consider linking them with the publishers who will supply the public schools.

"There shouldn’t be any problem; we shall ask the publishers to supply the books at a uniform price; we are as concerned about students in private schools as we are for those in public schools,” he said.

Call for supervision

Meanwhile, students have called for closer supervision of private schools, as most opt to buy just one book for the teachers, who then put everything on the blackboard, a practice that strains the learners.

"We do not get dictionaries when we need to look for a new word. The computer and science labs are extremely poor that I can say that we do not have them,” said a student at Martyrs, who preferred to remain anonymous.

Students called for prior supervision by REB before the new curriculum is rolled out to ensure that all private schools have the requisite materials. Gasana said during the interview that mechanisms will be put in place to ensure all schools conform to the new curriculum.

editorial@newtimes.co.rw