Primary school educators undergoing the Rwanda Education Quality Improvement Programme (RwandaEQUIP) have described the digitised training as improving the quality of pupils’ learning in public primary schools.
The training on “technology-enabled teaching and effective class management” spans from August 23 to September 23, 2022, with thousands of primary school administrators and teachers as participants.
One of the trainees, Emmanuel Ngiruwonsanga, a teacher at Ecole Primaire Uwinkingi in Nyamagabe district, said the training and optimized tablets they received will improve learning experiences in primary schools.
He said, “I have been teaching for 32 years.” We used to spend a lot of time preparing lesson plans and writing notes in many exercise books. Sometimes it was difficult to access some teaching materials, and this affected our performance.
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However, this is going to change after we get the teacher tablets. These tablets contain well-developed lesson plans and teaching materials, and we will have more time to support pupils and give time to those who are struggling. “
On her part, Chantal Mukanoheri, a Kiziguro Catholique Primary school teacher in the Ngororero district, commended RwandaEQUIP for the training initiative, highlighting the technology’s effect will have on the teachers’ performance.
“Preparing lesson plans and teaching was taking us a lot of time. We would spend a long time looking for teaching materials and sometimes not get them.
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As a result, we did not have enough time to engage pupils and finish the teaching schedule. Now, the tablets with lesson plans and teaching aids will guide us on what to teach on time. This will improve the quality of education.
“The teaching technique emphasises instruction using English.” We have also learned English songs, cheers, and energisers that we shall use to motivate pupils and encourage positive behaviour in classrooms,” she noted.
According to the Director of teacher training at Rwanda Basic Education Board (REB), Gerard Murasira, the previous training was conducted in January 2022, covering 3000 teachers in 100 schools, while 4,500 head teachers and teachers from 150 public primary schools are currently attending the training.
During his visit to the trainees, the Minister of State in charge of primary and secondary education, Honourable Gaspard Twagirayezu, explained that the “technology-enabled transformation of the primary education system is an essential part of realizing Rwanda’s Vision 2050 to become a knowledge-based economy.”
He commended the collective efforts of the school leaders and teachers in improving the quality of education for all learners while requesting them to become advocates of tech-enabled learning, which will accelerate learning and speed up Rwanda’s goal of being well equipped to compete globally by 2050.
About RwandaEQUIP
RwandaEQUIP, facilitated by Rwanda Basic Education Board (REB), is an initiative designed to enhance teaching and learning in primary schools, where each pupil enjoys the effective, equitable, and engaging education needed to attain their full potential.
The programme, which is in its second year, focuses on improving learning outcomes for students by empowering teachers with digital tools. The programme is expected to reach more than 750 government-aided schools by 2024.
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According to Marie Merci Twiringiyimana, a RwandaEQUIP trainer, headteachers are equipped with the skills, resources, and technology required to ensure efficiency, productivity, and decision-making at their schools.
“We showed them how they can use technology to support teachers to deliver lesson guides efficiently as they transform instruction in their classroom.”
Head teachers are given a smartphone with applications that provide digital insights on what is happening in every classroom; attendance, lesson delivery, and learning outcomes in real-time.
The teachers are also equipped with teacher guides and classroom management techniques that boost pupil engagement and creativity. These teacher tablets contain well-researched and carefully designed daily lesson guides built around the Rwandan curriculum.
The teacher guides help teachers overcome challenges while designing their lesson plans. Teachers can focus more on teaching than planning and delivering lessons in a coherent and easy-to-understand format.
However, the teachers can only access the detailed teacher guides at school. They must sync their teacher guides to the head teacher’s smart device where they mark their arrival and departure daily. “After signing in at school, the head teacher enables the hotspot and shares internet access with the teachers so they can access and download the lesson guides,” she said.
The teacher training is happening when governments seek evidence-based solutions to improve learning to recover from the unexpected Covid-19 pandemic-related learning losses due to school closures.