Teachers’ Colleges to be affiliated to KIE

KIGALI -Primary Teacher Training Colleges (TTCs) are set to be affiliated to the Kigali Institute of Education (KIE).The arrangement is among efforts by the Ministry to overhaul quality of education. According to the Director of the Teacher Service Commission, Emmanuel Muvunyi, KIE has been mandated to take over matters of curriculum development and certification for TTCs. Muvunyi was addressing a group of tutors from Uganda. The tutors came into the country in 2009 to train TTC teachers in English and pedagogical skills. He explained that if all goes according to plan, the TTC students will be examined by KIE instead of the Rwanda National Examination Council. There are currently 10 TTCs in the country.“When KIE takes over, curriculum and the examination techniques will change. Students will be examined like professional teachers,” Muvunyi said. In a phone interview with The New Times, the Rector of KIE, Prof. George Njoroge, said that some procedures are being worked out regarding the issue. “It is true that we are taking up the certification and quality aspects. But there are statutory aspects that are being worked out,” he said. He explained that the law that establishes KIE has to be amended to include the affiliation aspect. “We are now waiting for a ministerial order on the issue,” said Njoroge, adding that the transition could take up to the end of this year. Meanwhile, the tutors were thanked for the work done over the last two years. “The level of English of the TTC teachers has improved tremendously,” said Muvunyi in an interview. “The achievements are satisfactory and we are thinking about expanding the programme,” said Muvunyi, emphasising that the teacher is central in the education of children. “The struggle to improve the quality of teachers in this country has just begun,” he said. A summit was convened last year where it was decided that revamping education quality would need to begin with teachers.Since then, a number of reforms are being implemented. Ends