A total of 3,911 educators have today August 29, started doing oral interviews for various school leadership positions. The interviews are to be held virtually from August 29 to September 2. 54 panels will be available in Kigali to interview candidates countrywide. According to Rwanda Education Board (REB), 1,596 people are interviewing for headteachers of primary schools positions, 1,360 for Deputy Principals in charge of academics in high schools as well as 955 for supervision offices. Leon Mugenzi, head of the department of teacher management and development at REB, said that the interviews are the first of their kind; when conducting them, there will be a centre of exams in each district. This makes them 30 centres with one staff from REB who will provide technical support where needed. Embracing technology in conducting interviews is in line with minimising physical contact between the interviewees and interviewers, as well as increasing transparency among other benefits, Mugenzi said. He however pointed out that technology is not new in the recruiting examination process saying that the written exams were also conducted online. Speaking to The New Times, Anatolie Uzayisenga, a primary teacher based in the Northern Province, welcomed this development arguing that it will be cost-saving as well as help them to be familiar with technology in the education segment. He reiterated transparency through the use of an online system saying it will reduce personal-based judgments, among other benefits. Anastase Baboneye, another high school teacher based in Nyabihu district, also appreciated the move saying that it will benefit a lot of the candidates in various ways. “With the help of technology during the written exams, every candidate was able to know their marks right after sitting for exams. And this was very helpful as it brought about transparency than the former system we used to have,” he said. The development comes as schools are still waiting for the 2022-2023 academic year calendar, which is expected to kick off in September.
