USAID Provides Tablets For The Best Performing  P1-P3 Kinyarwanda Teachers 

The Inspirer writer.

Kigali –On October 21st , USAID handed over 90 tablets to the Rwanda Education Board (REB) to be awarded to high-performing P1, P2 and P3 Kinyarwanda teachers in each district of Rwanda as part of the continued celebration of International Teacher’s Day.

The handover demonstrates USAID’s commitment to investing in and recognizing early grade teachers as the pillar of Rwanda’s education system, and enabling them to embrace the new technologies and resources needed for successful remote learning and monitoring activities.

A partnership between USAID and REB targeting every public and government-aided primary school in Rwanda, the USAID Soma Umenye activity has the goal to improve the reading performance of at least one million students.

USAID Soma Umenye has supported REB to develop and distribute over 3.5 million textbooks and supplementary readers to P1 to P3 classrooms, to train over 10,000 teachers, and to implement effective assessment to achieve this essential goal of improved reading.

During the period of school closure due to the COVID-19 pandemic, USAID Soma Umenye has supported REB by producing P1-P3 Kinyarwanda radio lessons and digital literacy materials that can be accessed online, including 54 Andika Rwanda titles being translated in sign language.

USAID Soma Umenye has also provided weekly monitoring reports showcasing the access rate and reception of remote learning opportunities across the country.

The theme of the 2020 International Teachers’ Day, set by UNESCO, was “Teachers: Leading in crisis, reimagining the future.”

When schools closed in mid-March, many teachers ensured their students went home with available textbooks and materials so they could continue their studies.

Teachers then played a key role in all districts, to sensitize students and parents about the radio lessons and the importance of regular participation.

Once movement was permitted, some teachers and schools facilitated book lending for students who had been without and other teachers arranged learning communities for students without access to radios.

In Gisagara District, Kinyarwanda teachers held regular communities of practice to follow the radio lessons and then provided targeted support to individual students by phone.

While teachers went above and beyond to support children’s learning during school closures, the crisis also highlighted the pivotal role of parents in establishing a learning environment in the home and helping children develop a daily habit of reading.

Parents helped children follow the weekly radio lessons, sitting with children to answer questions and check their exercise work. Many parents also accessed the digital books shared through WhatsApp groups and on REB’s e-learning portal to help their children practice reading each day.

Nzabakurana Agricole, Kayonza District, said that before school closures, he always relied on teachers to manage his child’s education.

After helping his child follow the P1-P3 radio lessons, he has learned he also has the ability to monitor and support his child’s education.

He says that he hopes the radio lessons continue even after schools reopen, to help more parents become involved in the learning of their children.

Bill Hansen, the USAID Rwanda Deputy Mission Director, appreciated the critical role of lower primary school teachers.

“These teachers are our heroes, because they set children up for success in school by teaching them how to read.” He also emphasized the role of parents who have been supporting their children’s learning during COVID-19:

“We know that parents are their children’s first and greatest teachers. Parents always have a critical role to make time for their children to read at least 15 minutes a day, and to follow up with the school about their children’s progress. Parents’ role as educators has become even more pronounced during the period of school closure and this will have to continue when schools are reopened.”

The Director General of REB, Dr. Ndayambaje Irénée, received the prizes and said, “REB is grateful for USAID’s support and collaboration to strengthen the capacity of the education system in Rwanda to provide high-quality, evidence-based reading instruction throughout the country. We recognize the efforts USAID has put to support our remote learning approach and resources that have been availed and added to our existing online portals. The tablets add more value by supporting teachers to engage in continuous professional development, as well as support remote learning for the moment and for when schools are reopened. We appreciate USAID’s contribution in this regard.”

USAID Soma Umenye has actively engaged with REB and partners on the matter of school reopening, with the goal of ensuring an informed and smooth transition back to school for both students and teachers.

Innovative solutions are being pursued to meet the challenges that come with school reopening, including the introduction of technology in training of teachers and school leaders, and adaptation of materials to support blended learning.

In all discussions, USAID Soma Umenye continues to emphasize the importance of early grade reading, and advocates for support for P1-P3 students and teachers.
USAID believes that when teachers are well prepared, resourced, and motivated, all students, regardless of gender, disability or social-economic circumstance are better able to learn.

It is within this spirit that USAID Soma Umenye supports teachers to acquire the skills they need to help their students succeed.