Primary schools get solar panels

Rwanda Education Board (REB) and the USAID-funded Literacy, Language, and Learning (L3) Initiative have been distributing solar panels to 65 primary schools over the past two weeks in five districts across the country.The solar panels will support the schools in using technology in the classroom to enhance teaching and learning.The 65 schools receiving solar panels are among the 90 schools piloting the L3 print and audio instructional materials. By 2016, all public schools across the country will be using these materials to support P1 to P4 English, Kinyarwanda and Maths learning. The L3’s Chief of Party Said Yasin said that, “in the quest to improve education quality, REB is constantly looking for innovative platforms to deliver effective and proven content to both teachers and students.”He said that the programme will be convenient to teachers mainly in recording the audio materials which are a research-proven mechanism for supporting REB in achieving that goal.“The schools will be using the solar panels to charge cell phones, net books, and projectors, which REB and L3 distributed earlier this year. The cell phones are used to play L3’s Interactive Audio Instruction (IAI) programs, which are one component of a comprehensive English, Kinyarwanda, and Maths program.” Yasin said.The solar panels will also charge net books and projectors, which are used as part of REB’s School-based Mentoring Program (SBM Program). The mentors, now deployed across the country, work with teachers at two schools each. Using the net books and projectors, mentors show interactive video modules to support teachers in using appropriate English and in adopting new, effective teaching methodologies. The IAI programs support teachers in delivering fun, learner-centred, and effective lessons, guiding them in using new instructional methods and modelling fluent English. An “audio teacher” and “audio students” guide the teacher and children in the classroom and demonstrate learning activities. The Education and Quality Standards department head at REB, Janvier Gasana, said that, “the audio materials will help especially the teachers who haven’t mastered the English language, because they are in English and also the familiar language.”The remarks were made during the launching ceremony which was held at Kindama Primary School in Ruhuha, Bugesera.Kindama Primary School head teacher Rwingina Moses appreciated the method of using audio materials and additional solar panels as something that will simplify training of students.