Pupils in primary one to three find it interesting to listen and follow instructions during a prerecorded lesson.

‘‘The prerecorded method has made teaching easier and enables learners to be more involved during lessons,’’ teachers said.

"By listening attentively and following instructions from the prerecorded teacher, children learn word pronunciation and spelling in a faster way,” said Alphonsine Uwanyirigira, a teacher at Groupe Scolaire Busanza in Kicukiro District.

She was speaking Tuesday during a media tour with the Literacy, Language and Learning initiative (L3) implementation team.

The lessons are prepared and distributed by L3 , an initiative funded by the USAID and jointly implemented by Education Development Center and the Rwanda Education Board (REB).

Prerecorded lessons are used for English, Mathematics and Kinyarwanda in primary one, two and three where recording of the whole year is given on an SD card accompanied with both teacher’s guide and students’ book containing the same content. For primary four, both prerecorded lessons and books will be distributed by next year.

Protogene Ndahayo, the L3 Programme Implementation Coordinator said the initiative supplements the existing curriculum and supports effective teaching and learner-centered learning.

"Several surveys have revealed that many children complete their primary three with no ability to read properly both in Kinyarwanda and English,” he noted.

According to a draft for national standards developed by REB, primary three pupils should be able to read between 33 and 47 words correctly per minute in Kinyarwanda.

However, a national assessment, conducted by L3 in 2014, revealed that about 75 per cent of the pupils surveyed did not meet standards while 21 per cent were unable to read even one word correctly.

Currently, more than 2,400 schools countrywide use L3 material from P1 to P3, while distribution of materials for P4 is expected next year.

editorial@newtimes.co.rw