Long term internship is the extended period of time that has been given to student teachers to mould them into professional teachers. It started as a three months internship but recently, beginning with the academic year of 2013/2014. It was increased to a 10-month training. This internship programme was designed by the Ministry of Education in conjunction with the College of Education (former Kigali Institute of Education) with an aim of equipping student teachers with quality skills and experience that they will use in their teaching career. If we are to achieve Vision 2020, quality and outstanding education is a prerequisite and therefore practicability needs to be upheld. And this is what the new internship period hopes to achieve. Students in secondary schools need close mentors yet many teachers distance themselves from the students. As a result, the students lack the confidence to present their queries to the teachers. But with the lengthy internship, students should be able to overcome this fear since the young interns could be more approachable. Ronald Kayisinga, a student at ESSA Nyarugunga, says it is easy to ask a question or approach a younger teacher than an elderly one. “You don’t have to be so humble to talk to them, it’s like talking to your big brother or sister,” says Kayisinga. The relationship between a student and teacher is among the most important things to fix if we are to transform our education system into a world class one. A good relationship between a student and a teacher creates an environment in which both parties can easily interact and learn from one another. Teachers are also excited about 10 months of internship. John Rwema, a teacher at APAER, says interns help reduce their heavy load, adding that it also gives students an opportunity to hear from different people. “ A student might not understand me but when an internee explains the same thing to him or her, the effect might be more positive,” Rwema said. The internship programme also helps to improve the methods of teaching especially of those who teach without professional training in education. Joshua, Gatete a teacher of biology at ESSA Nyarugunga, says: “I used to use mainly text books while teaching but the student teacher I was given taught me how to use paper to make skeletons and other parts of the body for better illustration. This has made me more effective than before,” Gatete says. The programme has also helped student teachers to gain confidence.Oscar Ndayisaba, a student teacher, says: “My small size was always a problem. I always felt I could not stand in front of a class and had thoughts of doing something else after university but I have gained some confidence and its only two months.” However, not everyone is happy with that programme. Mutoni Dinah, a Senior Five student, said: “Most of the student teachers only come when they are being supervised and that makes us lag behind.” Depite a few doubts about the length of the internship, I have a strong conviction that the internship programme will not only benefit the student teachers, but also boost the performance of Rwandan schools academically. Once empowered with facts, experience and confidence, we will be assured of a brighter future for intellectuals. The writer is a teacher at ESSA Nyarugunga
