There is need for school-going children to be fully prepared for post academic life, with the right skills set that can enable them cope with the labour market trends not only in the country but across the globe.

The call was made on Wednesday by Isaac Munyakazi, the state minister for primary and secondary education, during a meeting with officials from British Council and other stakeholders in the education sector Kigali.

The meeting, organised by the British Council, sought to discuss impact of the programme dubbed "Connecting Classrooms,” to the Rwandan education sector.

Two years ago, British Council launched "Connecting Classrooms” with an aim of equipping educators with basic skills to implement the new knowledge-based school curriculum.

Speaking at the event, Munyakazi said such skills were crucial towards the success of the new curriculum, which is being implemented in nursery, primary and secondary schools.

He lauded the programme noting that it encourages teachers to incorporate the international dimension into teaching and learning activities by sharing experience with their UK counterparts and indeed worldwide.

"For today’s young people to be fully prepared for life and work, it is essential for them to have the right skills. Connecting Classrooms programme is offering a new range of professional development to support teachers to effectively integrate the teaching of core skills in the classrooms,” he said

"The programme targets 1,500 teachers and 500 head teachers within three years, and these are enough to champion the new competency-based curriculum through continuous professional development,” he added.

The programme currently runs in 10 districts only but officials said there are plans to discuss ways it can be rolled out in other districts.

According to Sheilagh Neilson, the British Council country director, Connecting Classrooms is a global education programme funded by UKAid through the Department of Foreign and International Development (DfID).

"Connecting Classrooms programme aims at bridging the gap in global skills by continuing to build the capacity of school leaders, teachers and policy makers to support them in integrating a range of core skills into the curriculum, thereby improving learning outcomes for young people in these six main core skills” said Neilson.

Emmanuel Tuyishimire, a teacher from Groupe Scolaire de Musasa in Burera District, said the programme helps them to impart critical thinking skills to students, which is crucial for problem-solving.

"Learners are involved in story writing and think critically whenever they are debating, they also make better use of computers through conducting research. The new teaching system is more interactive,” he said.

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