KIGALI - The Ministry of Education (MINEDUC) is set to increase the annual output of teachers’ training colleges to reduce the shortage of professional teachers at lower secondary level.

This was disclosed by the Minister of Education, Dr Charles Murigande, during an interview with The New Times yesterday.

Murigande said the ministry is planning to expedite the merger of Rukara and Kavumu Colleges of education and that it is currently running distance education programmes at Kigali Institute of Education (KIE) for unqualified teachers’  who need an upgrade.
The merger of the two colleges, will form the Rwanda Teachers’ College.

"The intake of the new Rwanda Teachers’ College will stand at 1000 students per year. This, combined with KIE’s distance learning graduates, will rapidly increase the number of qualified teachers at the lower Secondary level” Murigande said.

Currently, the Kavumu College of Education’s annual intake capacity is 250 while that of Rukara stands at 350 per year.

The minister added that there is also need to motivate teachers as a way ensuring retention of qualified teachers, who have in the past quit the profession for greener pastures.

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