The expansion of Rwanda’s education system has created a higher demand for teachers, especially as student enrollment increases across various levels, official data shows.

Since 2021, multiple recruitment phases have taken place, resulting in the hiring of over 60,000 new teachers to fill the gap created by the construction of 22,505 new classrooms across the country.

ALSO READ: Rwanda set to increase pre-primary enrolment to 65%

According to Léon Mugenzi, Head of Teacher Development at the Rwanda Basic Education Board (REB), population growth has led to higher enrollment rates which in turn has driven schools to hire more teachers to maintain optimal student-teacher ratio.

Population growth

Rwanda's growing population, which increased from 10.5 million in 2012 to 13.2 million in 2022 at an annual growth rate of 2.3 per cent, has heightened the demand for educational institutions and teachers.

The school-age population is expected to rise, while the teacher turnover rate was about 1,000 per month as of 2022.

The Eastern Province is the most populous (26.9 per cent), and the Southern Province has the highest rate of recent out-migration, according to the results from the fifth Population and Housing Census (PHC).

ALSO READ: Seven things to know about 5th Rwanda population census

National education policies

According to the Rwanda TVET Board (RTB), government initiatives including the promotion of technical and vocational education and training (TVET) schools and the Nine-Year and Twelve-Year Basic Education programs, have significantly expanded access to education, boosting student enrollment and the demand for teachers.

Since 2008, Rwanda has prioritised TVET to provide practical skills and prepare a workforce that meets job market needs. TVET enrollment has risen from 31.1 per cent in 2017 to 43 per cent in 2022.

Currently the government aims for TVET to absorb 60 per cent of graduates from the Nine-Year Basic Education programme to address labor market mismatches.

Rural education expansion

Information The New Times obtained from MINEDUC shows that efforts to improve education access in rural areas have led to the establishment of new schools, increasing the demand for teachers in underserved regions.

Measures to ensure equitable teacher distribution include transfer policies requiring a minimum service period, and prioritising transfers for teachers from hard-to-reach areas wishing to return to their home districts.

The government also plans to construct 410 free housing units for teachers in rural schools, and is proposing an incentive scheme to attract and retain teachers in those areas.

Beatha Musengamana, a teacher in Gisagara district suggested that while there are incentive schemes to attract and retain teachers in rural areas, the government should also revise the transfer application requirement reducing it from four years to three.

She pointed out that the first year of service is not currently taken into account.

ALSO READ: Nearly 3,000 teachers undertake training to enhance history teaching

To enhance teacher knowledge nationwide, the Ministry of Education established a Teacher Training Unit in REB to identify training needs, conduct and monitor training, and coordinate partner support.

"Teachers receive regular subject-based, English proficiency, and digital literacy training, organized by teaching levels. Each school has a School-Based Mentor for training and mentoring, and a School Subject Leader (SSL) to organise Communities of Practice (CoPs),” Mugenzi said.

He added that three weekly hours are reserved for continuous professional development (CPD), including mentoring and coaching, with 300 scholarships offered to in-service teachers for skill upgrading.

Curriculum reforms

MINEDUC also clarified that the shift to a skills-based curriculum aligned with job market needs necessitates retraining teachers and hiring qualified ones.

The government is promoting science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education by prioritising STEM students in university admissions, and offering scholarships for STEM teachers.

The government also prioritises for 300 in-service teacher scholarships at UR-CE and conducting regular teacher recruitment to maintain a strong waiting list for placement.

Alice Ingabire, a teacher at Groupe Scolaire Runyombyi in Nyaruguru district in the Southern Province praised the efforts to promote STEM education. However, she says there is a need to expand teacher services.

"I think there is a need for expansion of in-service teacher scholarships,” she said, emphasising the importance of supporting all subjects equally.

ALSO READ: How STEMpower is enhancing skills in Rwanda

The government plans to enhance STEM education by establishing STEM schools of excellence in every district, utilising local resources in teaching, strengthening science laboratories, and providing regular CPD training for STEM teachers with international partners.

It also plans to integrate ICT into STEM subjects like robotics, and organising national and international robotics competitions.

Teacher-student ratio targets

A statement from REB shows that policies aimed at improving education quality by reducing teacher-to-student ratios have increased the demand for more teaching staff.

To improve education quality, 26,303 new teachers without formal training have been hired.

A special Uncertified Teacher Training Programme was introduced, with 12,726 teachers in cohort 1 completing training in April 2024, and cohort 2 set to begin in January 2025.

ALSO READ: NST2: How Rwanda’s education sector will be transformed in next five years

REB also indicated that to enhance teacher quantity and quality, Rwanda has 16 teacher training colleges (TTCs) for pre-primary and primary teachers and the University of Rwanda-College of Education (UR-CE) for secondary teachers, producing enough graduates with some awaiting placement.

Quality improvements include admitting top-performing students with 50 per cent fee support, equipping TTCs with modern labs and libraries, and constructing new facilities.

Strengthening TTC model schools and establishing the Rukara Model School for UR-CE students staffed by expert educators like a Zimbabwean PhD holder as head teacher, is another priority.