Over 8,000 English and Mathematics teachers of P1 to P3 from 10 districts have been given learning resources that will improve their teaching practice. The move comes a few months after the launch of the Building Learning Foundations, a programme of the Ministry of Education that aims to improve learning outcomes in English and Mathematics of over 2.6 million children in Rwanda. Anders Lonnqvist, BLF’s team leader, addressing English teachers and head teachers in Gasabo District, noted that their priority is to provide all children of P1 to P3 with the basics of English and Mathematics. The three-and-half year programme is aligned with the competence based curriculum and will work with all district education officials to evaluate progress of teachers. “We are still struggling with English, many of us studied in French language and we are required to teach in English. As a remedy, we need learning resources like these to improve our English proficiency,” says Nakure Georgette, the director of Studies at GS Kinyinya. One of the resolutions of this year’s National Leadership Retreat was the improvement of the quality of education in Rwanda at all levels. During the education campaign week that started this week, officials from Rwanda Education Board (REB) urged teachers to put in extra effort to improve their proficiency in English — the country’s language of instruction. They say this will have a trickle-down effect on their students. “BLF has given us self-study learning resources that include a book, an SD card with audio and video materials and each school has been given two smart phones that will support Mathematics and English teachers to improve teaching practice. I am happy that our teachers will be able to prepare lessons without difficulty,” Nakure added. At least 25,000 English and Mathematics teachers will be reached while 2500 school leaders will also benefit from the programme.
