Prime Minister Edouard Ngirente on Friday, August 30, met with Andreas Schleicher, Director for Education and Skills at the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), to discuss the future of Rwanda's education system.
Their discussions focused on strengthening educational standards and fostering innovation through collaboration between Rwanda and the OECD, a partnership that has been developing since the country’s formal admission to the OECD Centre in 2019.
This meeting followed the official launch of Rwanda’s participation in the OECD&039;s Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA), which was officiated by Minister of Education Gaspard Twagirayezu.
PISA, a globally recognized assessment conducted by the OECD, evaluates the proficiency of 15-year-old students in reading literacy, mathematics, and scientific literacy.
Rwanda’s participation in the assessment is a strategic move aimed at benchmarking the country's education system against global standards, identifying areas for improvement, and fostering innovation within its schools, according to officials.
ALSO READ: Kagame pledges continued collaboration with OECD
Schleicher expressed his gratitude to Rwanda for joining nearly 100 countries around the world to compare educational performance and learning outcomes through the PISA with other education systems.
The assessment "looks at students&039; capacity to solve real-world problems, not just traditional school tests," he told reporters after the meeting with the Prime Minister.
"It looks at how well-prepared students are for tasks they will face in the workplace and the digital economy. It focuses on the foundational skills that education provides, and we have been very impressed that the Ministry of Education has put together all the preparations and done a first trial of this. We know it's going to work well when it comes into the field," Schleicher noted.
ALSO READ: Why Rwanda’s admission to OECD Development Centre is big deal
Minister Twagirayezu stated that Rwanda has been in partnership with the OECD on the PISA assessment since 2023.
"We began with capacity building to ensure there are individuals capable of administering this type of assessment, followed by a field trial involving over 1,000 students. The Ministry is now preparing for the main survey, which will take place from April to June 2025," Twagirayezu said.
"This assessment will help us assess our education system and see how our students fare compared to the rest of the world," he said.
The minister said that the assessment would help Rwanda modernise its education system, improve on policies.