Methuselah Ndapateze, a former teacher at ESECOR in Western Province, says life was hard during the eight years he spent in the profession.

"When I started teaching, we used to get a salary of Rwf24,000; there was no motivation, I had a family to look after and with that kind of income life was really tough for me. To survive, I used the little I had on my account to start a side business which has kept me going to date,” narrates Ndapateze.

For Pierre-Célestin Niwemwungeri, a teacher at GS Sihinga in Gasibo District, his salary of Rwf40,000 is too insufficient.

"The money is not enough to cater for our daily needs. Although there have been initiatives like Umwalimu Sacco, it would be better if the government found other ways of motivating teachers as they are the pillar of the country,” he says.

Sadly, the accounts of these two teachers resonate with experiences of many others who still struggle to survive on their meager incomes. But there seems to be some ray of hope as government considers introducing new initiatives to boost their well-being.

Relief coming soon?

The Minister of State for Primary and Secondary, Olivier Rwamukwaya, during an interview with The Education Times, said there are new incentives being implemented in the new teacher’s special statutes.

"This year, the Ministry of Education will start a new strategy to raise teachers’ standards of living. Teachers will be given bonus annually as it is for other public servants based on their performance contracts. This is a way of making them love their profession more,” says Rwamukwaya.

He said that the Labour and Education Ministries have already developed a new project in which particular guidelines will give particular incentives to teachers.

Some of the incentives will include horizontal and vertical promotions. As they are promoted, their salary will be also increased depending on their experience.

In another interview with Janvier Gasana, the Rwanda Education Board director-general, said the incentives are aimed at motivating teachers, as well as changing the image of the profession.

"All along, it has been perceived that people join the teaching profession after they have failed to get something else to do. We want to reshape the image of this profession and put it at another level. We are going to do that through the incentives that are yet to be approved,” said Gasana.

Gasana explained that horizontal promotions will be based on one’s experience, and they will be promoted after every three years.

"The promotion will come with a salary increase. The vertical promotion will be moving them from one level to the next. For instance, promoting an ordinary teacher to become a deputy headteacher,” he said.

Gasana added that to achieve the country’s development and Vision 2020, they had to prioritise the education sector.