By Grace MuGoya

The construction of Rwanda Technical Teacher Institute (RTTI) at the Integrated Polytechnic Regional Center (IPRC) Kigali, an initiative that is expected to boost the quality of TVET is on progress, the Principal of IPRC Kigali, Eng. Diogene Mulindahabi has said.

 IPRC Kigali is one of the Five IPRC’s operating under the Workforce Development Authority (WDA) to promote Technical and Vocational Education Training (TVET) in line with government plan of having 60 percent of the students graduating from nine-year basic education enroll in vocational schools by 2017.

RTTI is expected to create competence boosting for in-service vocational and technical trainers as well as increase the number of professional trainers. In a move to increase access to TVET, the government and the private sector has put in efforts to increase the number of vocational schools; and this Institute will therefore address the challenge of lack of qualified trainers with technical skill, ICT, entrepreneurial and pedagogical skills.

The structure is one of the many initiatives expected to be implemented in line with IPRC Kigali’s Master plan that will boost its capacity to offer and accommodate more students given the growing rate of enrollment. Currently, IPRC Kigali has 3564 students. The number is expected to increase given the various programmes being introduced including environment studies.

The centre will have professional trainers capable of training students on international standards to ensure quality education in TVET.

QUALITY TVET KEY

The government advocates for quality education to meet labour market demands a move that IPRC, Kigali upholds through the development of Quality Assurance for TVET.

This is a set of procedures developed and activities that contribute to the design, assessment and monitoring of standards in these schools as agreed upon by all stake-holders. IPRC Kigali enforces the implementation of quality training among vocational and technical secondary schools on behalf of WDA.

 "In line with our Master Plan, we shall also construct an ICT Innovation Center in collaboration with the Ministry of Youth and ICT, Rwanda Development Board (RDB), the Private Sector Federation and Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) which is also the project funder, for quality Technical Vocational Education Training (TVET) through professional training,. This is another measure aimed at creating opportunities for the youth especially graduates to have access to useful skills that will help them get to the labour market,” says Mulindahabi.