RwandaEQUIP Media Mentions (Autumn 2022 edition)

@rwandaequip www.rwandaequip.org.rw

Recognition of Rwanda Government's Leadership in Education, 2022

2022

NewGlobe methods transforming African and Indian education as world leaders gather to address learning crisis at global summit.

14th September 2022 An innovative teaching methodology delivering “learning gains among the largest ever measured” is being taken-up by more and more African and Indian governments – ahead of the global education summit to tackle what’s being called the greatest learning crisis for 100 years.

Rwanda’s Government is the latest to launch a national education transformation program – RwandaEQUIP – with the aim of making the country’s entire basic education system globally competitive.

Global leaders are gathering in New York for the UN Transforming Education Summit – convened in response to the crisis in global education. A ‘Solutions Day’ will focus on the few replicable programs – like RwandaEQUIP – already delivering transformation at scale.

Educational transformation is a core priority for the Government of Rwanda and bold investments have been made to this effect,” said Gaspard Twagirayezu, Minister of State in Charge of Primary and Secondary Education.

RwandaEQUIP is supported by NewGlobe’s innovative methodology, confirmed in a landmark study to deliver learning gains easily in the top 1% of those ever rigorously studied at scale in emerging markets.

The study, led by Professor Michael Kremer, 2019 Nobel Prize winner, suggests children

living in underserved communities receive over 53% more learning in NewGlobe supported schools compared to students in other schools.

The results are an affirmation of NewGlobe’s integrated learning system, used by the Government of Rwanda and others across Africa and India to support a million students today and growing year-on-year.

The study is based on a randomized control trial of more than 10,000 students from low socioeconomic backgrounds in Kenya.

After two years, primary students taught using NewGlobe’s methods are nearly a whole additional year of learning ahead of students in other schools.

For pre-primary students, two years’ teaching using NewGlobe’s methods puts them a year-and-ahalf of additional learning ahead of other students.

NewGlobe’s Africa Director Clement Uwajenza said: “Despite enormous global investment, the 2030 SDG4 education targets will be missed, failing another generation of children.

Now, is the time to identify and scale effective local solutions already being

implemented by governments in the Global South. We all know the scale of the crisis, now we need practical action to solve it. The international community must unite and commit to implementing solutions already proven to work if we’re to have any prospect of delivering on the promise of quality education for all. We must all hope that this Summit seizes the chance for change.”

The groundbreaking education study also finds children taught using New Globe’s methods are three times more likely to be able to read at age seven. The World Bank estimates 90% of 10 year olds in Africa can’t read a single sentence.

World Bank Education Director Jaime Saavedra says the level of learning poverty in low and middle income countries is “the most serious education crisis of the last 100 years.”

The latest UNESCO estimates suggest that SDG4 – the target to ensure quality education for all by 2030 – will be missed, with 300 million children still not reaching basic standards in literacy and numeracy.

Teachers welcome new Tech-enabled methodology in public primary schools

13th September 2022

Primary school leaders and teachers, who are undergoing the induction training on technologyenabled teaching and pedagogical techniques for enhanced classroom engagement, testified that the skills gained will improve the quality and relevance of learning in public primary schools.

The training is facilitated by Rwanda Basic Education Board (REB) through the Government of Rwanda initiative Rwanda Education Quality Improvement Programme (RwandaEQUIP).

RwandaEQUIP is a programme designed to improve teaching and learning in primary schools, where each student receives the effective, equitable and engaging education they need to reach their full unique potential. The initiative, which is in its second year, targets improved learning outcomes for students by empowering teachers in more than 750 government and government aided schools by 2024.

Technology enabled transformation of the primary education system is an essential part of realizing Rwanda's Vision 2050 to becoming a knowledge-based economy” said Hon. Gaspard Twagirayezu, the Minister of State in charge of Primary and Secondary education during his visit to the thousands of trainees.

How it works According to Marie Merci Twiringiyimana, a RwandaEQUIP trainer, headteachers are equipped with the skills, resources and the technology required to approve 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 smart phone with applications that provide digital insights on what is happening in every classroom; attendance, lesson delivery & 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 that they used to encounter while designing their lesson plans. Teachers are able to focus more on teaching rather than planning and also deliver lessons in a coherent and easy-to-understand format.

“However, the teachers can only access the detailed teacher guides while they are at school.

They are required to sync their teacher guides to the head teacher’s smart device where they mark arrival and departure on a daily basis. After signing arrival at school, the head teacher enables hotspot and shares internet with teachers so they can access and download the lesson guides,” she said.

Josephine Mukashyaka, the Head teacher of G.S Uwinkomo in Nyamagabe district, who is among the trainees said: “previously, the teachers had to sign in books to mark attendance-arrival and departure- but some would skip and others could be absent in classrooms. I can also see when pupils start and finish their lessons, which helps me track their progress,” she said.

Teachers’ reactions to the new teaching methodology Emmanuel Ngiruwonsanga, a teacher at Ecole Primaire Uwinkingi in Nyamagabe district, is among teachers who were trained and given tablets to improve instruction and class management.

“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 was affecting our performance.

“However, this is going to change after getting 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,” he said.

Chantal Mukanoheri, a teacher at Kiziguro Catholique Primary school in Ngororero district, hailed the training programme explaining that the technology will ease teachers’ work and improve both teachers and learners’ 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 would not get them.

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,” she said.

She added that the technologyenabled teaching will also improve English speaking skills for both teachers and learners.

“The teaching technique emphasises instruction using English. We have also learned English songs, cheers, energisers that we shall use to motivate pupils and encourage positive behaviour in classrooms,” she noted.

Vestine Uwimana, a teacher at Ecole Primaire de Rushaki in Gicumbi district, said the main challenge she was facing before t

he training was lack of enough time to prepare notes, assessments, quizzes and teach at the same time.

The tablet will reduce the time we used to spend on filing a lot of teaching documents while marking teacher and pupil presence in class, and spend it on improving learners’ performance."

In addition, we have learnt how to encourage positive behaviour and correct pupils’ behaviours.

Alex Nsengimana, a teacher from Nyamagabe district, said that the tech-enabled teaching methodology will also improve pupil’s confidence and speaking skills.

“A pupil would reach primary six without the ability to speak and read effectively. The tech-enabled teaching methodology we were trained on has come as a solution, and if possible, should be scaled up to more schools” he said.

According to Gerard Murasira, the director of teacher training at Rwanda Basic Education Board (REB), 4,500 head teachers and teachers from 150 public primary schools are undergoing training on technologyenabled teaching and effective class management from August 23 to September 23, 2022. The previous training was conducted in January 2022 for 3000 teachers in 100 schools.

Global call for Transformative Education The teacher training is happening at a time when Governments are currently seeking for evidence-based solutions that will boost learning to recover from unprecedented Covid-19 pandemic-related learning losses due to school closures. At the recently concluded Common wealth

Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in Rwanda, heads of states reaffirmed the role of governments in further strengthening education systems to ensure accessible, affordable, high quality and inclusive education for all.

Next week, Government leaders across the world will be meeting at the United Nations Transforming Education Summit in New York, to stock of efforts to recover pandemic-related learning losses.

The holistic and highly structured education methodology that the teachers are being trained on through RwandaEQUIP has been endorsed by a Nobel prize winning economist, Prof. Michael Kremer.

The study conducted in East African schools by the Nobel Prize winner, confirmed the learning gains in the study are among the largest in the international education literature.

The study suggests that children receive 53 percent more learning over the course of their Early Childhood and primary school career compared to their peers taught using traditional methods.

The study finds that after two years, primary school pupils, through Grade 6, are nearly a whole additional year ahead of pupils taught using traditional methods. For Early Childhood Development (ECD) - typically 3-5year-old- pupils gain nearly an additional year and half of learning; learning in two years what pupils in other schools learn in three and a half years.

Rwanda is using the methodology in this study to improve teaching and learning through RwandaEQUIP and hopes to see the same results across the country.

Over 4,000 teachers to get tech-enabled teaching skills

24th August 2022 As part of efforts to improve the quality of education, 4,500 head teachers and teachers from 150 public primary schools will be trained on technology-enabled teaching and effective class management.

The one-month teacher training from August 23 to September 23, 2022 will focus on new teaching techniques, methodology and classroom management to help improve learning outcomes.

The training enables Rwanda’s teachers to use teacher guides, ensuring that all Rwanda Education Quality Improvement Programme (RwandaEQUIP) pupils are receiving world class lessons built around the Rwandan curriculum.

RwandaEQUIP is a nationwide programme in government-aided primary schools designed to improve teaching and learning with the aim to make the country's basic education system globally competitive.

The initiative which is in its second year, targets to empower teachers in at least 761 government and government aided schools by 2024.

The technology will improve performance and school monitoring by empowering teachers with the needed skills and resources to achieve a goal for quality education for all.

Through the programme, the Government is optimizing technology and real-time data to track and support teachers’ performance in the classroom to improve learning.

Using technology, the Government can access digital insights on exactly what is happening in every single classroom including lesson delivery, attendance and learning outcomes in near real time.

According to Jules Ntabwoba, the Director of Policy and Partnerships at RwandaEQUIP, school leaders and teachers will be trained on how to use technology such as teacher tablets along with interactive classroom management techniques that are pupilcentered.

This, he said, will maximize pupil engagement and allow them to learn, grow and discover their full potential.

“The teachers will learn how to effectively use teacher tablets that contain thoroughly researched and carefully designed daily lesson guides,” said explaining that the tablets help teachers overcome challenges that they encounter while designing their lesson plans and deliver lessons in a coherent and easy-to-understand format.

The teachers will also learn teaching techniques like setting learning goals for the lesson or unit; checking on each and every child’s learning; responding with feedback that accelerates student learning outcomes; and motivating students towards good behavior and academic effort.

Uwimana Vestine, from Rushaki Primary school in Gicumbi district, has been a teacher for the past 26years.

She highlighted that the profession is demanding and her major challenge is lack of enough time to prepare lesson plans, notes, assessments, quizzes and teach at the same time.

“This affects one’s ability to engage with pupils and provide quality instruction. We therefore expect that this new methodology will address these challenges,” she said.

According to Gerard Murasira, the director of teacher training at Rwanda Basic Education Board (REB), quality education can be achieved if school leaders and teachers are trained and supported.

We are scaling up quality instruction using a new methodology that uses technology and increases learner engagement.”

The previous training was conducted in January 2022 for 3000 teachers in 100 schools.

“In the first 100 schools where this methodology is being implemented since February 2022, with continuous support, he said teachers have increased their productivity and efficiency as instructors.

We are now scaling up to 150 new schools, where they will use this methodology in the next academic year,” he said.

Education summit in New York The teacher training is happening at a time when Governments are currently seeking evidence-based solutions that will boost learning to recover from unprecedented Covid-19 pandemicrelated learning losses due to school closures.

At the recently concluded CHOGM hosted by Rwanda, heads of states reaffirmed the role of governments in further strengthening education systems to ensure accessible, affordable, high quality and inclusive education for all.

In mid-September, government leaders across the world will also be meeting at the United Nations Transforming Education Summit in New York, to stock up on efforts to recover pandemic-related learning losses, focus on solutions that work at scale and present a national statement of commitment to transform education.

The holistic and highly structured education methodology that the teachers are being trained on through RwandaEQUIP has been endorsed by a Nobel prize winning economist Prof.

Michael Kremer, as an effective education intervention that dramatically transforms learning outcomes at speed and at scale in Africa and Asia.

The study, conducted in East African schools suggests that children receive 53 percent more learning over the course of their primary school career compared to their peers taught using traditional methods.

For early childhood development (ECD) - typically 3 and 5 year olds pupils gain nearly an additional year and half of learning; learning in two years what pupils in other schools learn in three and a half years.

The target is that all Rwandan students are equipped with the right skills to compete globally by 2035.

4,500 teachers in public schools undergo modern teaching technique trainings 22nd August 2022 Rwanda EQUIP is the Ministry of Education's newly created agency designed to advance policy investment and ensure learning outcomes are improved as well as ensure that Rwandan students can have their full potential to excel in academics.

Rwanda EQUIP is the Ministry of Education's newly created agency designed to advance policy investment and ensure learning outcomes are improved as well as ensure that Rwandan students can have their full potential to excel in academics.

According to RwandaEQUIP, the new initiatives will build upon the previous investments and policy decisions to ensure improved learning outcomes so that all Rwandan students have the opportunity to reach their full potential.

A total of 4,500 teachers from 150 public schools are undergoing 10day training to help them to effectively engage with their students during classroom sessions and empower teachers’ capacity building among other professional skills that align with a transformative education.

Clement Uwineza, the Managing Director, Rwanda EQUIP, says training is running under the government’s initiative to deliver improvement in learning outcomes for the students in public schools across the country.

“Rwanda EQUIP will create a legacy of excellence in education for the country and improve learning outcomes through datadriven technology; high-quality learning materials, ongoing training and coaching for government teachers and school leaders,” the statement detailing the mission and vision of the RwandaEQUIP reads.

The training will be held in Musanze district from 23rd August to 8th September 2022 according to organizers.

We provide the teachers with initial induction training that equip them with not only understanding of how to deliver lessons using technology but also with skills that engage the students

The two week and a half training sponsored by the Ministry of Education and RwandaEQUIP will focus on empowering teachers with tech-enabled teaching, and engaging and adaptive practices that allow pupils to learn, grow and discover their full potential.

Benoit Ntakirutinka also a teacher says that the Rwanda EQUIP project will help them adapt to technological skills as well as on improving their teaching skills.

A study by Cambridge University released in 2020 confirms that quality teaching with modern teach tools in usage in classrooms like camera’s is important for improving student outcomes in both primary and secondary education.

“In low and lower middle income country contexts, understanding what happens in the classroom has been a blind spot to date making it difficult to assess teaching quality.” the study writes in part.

12th July 2022

Opinion: Beating learning poverty by transforming education

If you were a 10-year-old from a low- or middle-income country, chances are you would not be able to read this sentence.

Dr. Benjamin Piper, director of global education at the Gates Foundation, sums up the current education emergency:

the 99th percentile of treatment effects of large-scale education interventions reviewed by Evans and Yuan (2020),” it states.

That’s because 7 out of 10 children in such countries cannot read and comprehend a simple text. They are in what is defined as “learning poverty.”

“I want readers of this report to have at least two responses. The first is profound sadness at the magnitude of this crisis. The second is that we have solutions that can work at scale and in government systems.”

It’s worth stressing what that means: A learning program, working at scale in Africa, has been confirmed through a rigorous independent study to deliver learning gains that are much bigger than virtually any studied before.

This shocking failure of education outcomes was announced in a new joint study by some of the biggest actors in global education: the World Bank, UNICEF, the U.K. Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, the U.S. Agency for International Development, and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

NewGlobe is a leader in learning and an education expert, working with national and state governments by creating powerful technology-enabled education systems. It supports a million children in classrooms across Africa and South Asia, 95% of them in state schools.

The Global Education Evidence Advisory Panel has published a list of cost-effective approaches to improve global learning. It lists structured lesson plans with ongoing teacher monitoring and training as a “good buy.”

Now, a major new study by a group of U.S. academics, led by Nobel Prizewinning economist Professor Michael Kremer, provides more evidence of methods that transform learning outcomes.

Its findings are startlingly clear.

“The test score effects in this study are among the largest observed in the international education literature, particularly for a program that was already operating at scale, exceeding

The new study by Kremer and his co-authors — Guthrie Gray-Lobe, Anthony Keats, Isaac Mbiti and Owen Ozier — is an examination of the benefits of a structured and standardized approach to teaching and learning.

Optimized learning The study of schools in NewGlobe’s Bridge Kenya program was conducted over two school years and included more than 10,000 students from lower socioeconomic backgrounds, using indicators such as access to electricity and whether homes had dirt or mud floors.

Students in the study were awarded a scholarship through a randomized lottery draw.

It finds primary school students through Grade 8 gain almost an additional year of learning under the NewGlobe integrated methodology, learning in two years what their peers learn in nearly three.

For early childhood development, or ECD, students, the gains are even bigger. Those students supported by NewGlobe gain almost an additional 1 1/2 years, learning in two years what students in other schools learn in 3 1/2 years.

Equitable learning gains Equity has long been the target of education programming, but rarely achieved. Yet, Kremer and his coauthors show that while all students outperform their peers at every point of the test score distribution, these differences are greatest for students with the lowest learning levels at the start of the study.

This contradicts decades of educational research, from Coleman’s landmark study of academic outcomes to the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development’s global study of excellence and equity in education, which both assert that family background matters much more than the differences between the schools students attend.

Alongside equity, the study looked at the impact of outcomes in relation to gender. It found that the learning gains were equally large for girls and boys in NewGlobesupported schools.

Again, the findings contrast with established research that shows girls in sub-Saharan Africa are consistently disadvantaged in learning, with lower literacy rates than boys even when both have the same educational attainment.

These equitable learning gains go hand in hand with a roughly 0.90 standard deviation improvement in higher order thinking skills, such as critical thinking and problem solving at both the ECD and primary levels.

The added value of data In March 2022, a joint statement from UNICEF, UNESCO, and the World Bank pointed out that many countries are lacking data to measure whether children had even returned to school after the COVID-19 pandemic.

In contrast, the Kremer-led study analyzed a methodology that is datarich, characterized by an integrated end-to-end system including a digital learning platform, adaptive instructional content, professional development, and 360-degree support.

A focus on school management is combined with the use of cellular networks to ensure each school leader has purpose-built applications for school management and instructional leadership, as well as to digitally publish teachers’ lesson guides and additional supporting materials.

By digitizing materials and information systems, NewGlobe makes core activities within each supported school and classroom visible, and uses that data to support decisions made on everything from the deployment of field support staff to lesson design.

Kremer and his co-authors are clear on the implications:

This study shows that attending schools delivering highly standardized education has the potential to produce dramatic learning gains at scale, suggesting that policymakers may wish to explore incorporation of standardization, including standardized lesson plans and teacher feedback and monitoring, in their own systems.”

Pioneered in Kenya, this integrated approach to teaching and learning has been embraced by governments in countries including Nigeria, Rwanda, India, and Liberia. The World Bank is noticing the results and supplying additional support, as in the case of the EdoBEST program in Nigeria’s Edo State.

One million students — 95% in public schools — are being taught using the methodology in this groundbreaking study and the figure is increasing year on year.

With global education facing what World Bank Education Director Jaime Saavedra calls the “most serious education crisis in the last 100 years” and UNESCO clear that the SDG 4 target of quality universal education by 2030 will be missed, leaving 300 million children without minimum learning proficiency, change is needed urgently.

Methods proven to deliver transformational learning at scale must be at the heart of our drive to transform education.

You can find more information about the study led by professor Michael Kremer and about NewGlobe here.

Featured: Nobel Prize Winner Confirms Gains In Education Metholodody In Use In Rwanda 28th June 2022 While Rwanda is looking forward to putting quality of education to greater heights, an independent study by Nobel Prize Winner economist Professor Michael Kremer implies that the country is on the right track.

The ground-breaking study suggests that children living in underserved African communities could receive 53% more learning, over their early childhood and primary school career, in schools supported by NewGlobe; the technical partner to the Rwandan Government’s RwandaEQUIP initiative.

RwandaEQUIP refers to Rwanda Education Quality Improvement Program designed to transform learning outcomes across the public school system.

This methodology recommends to teachers a range of techniques in the classroom to engage, communicate and connect with their class.

During the 2022 Education World forum in London, Nobel Prize Winner economist Professor

Michael Kremer shared the outcomes of a study on a similar methodology in Kenya supported by NewGlobe.

The study finds that after two years, primary school pupils in the NewGlobe’s program in the study, are nearly a whole additional year ahead of pupils taught using standard methods.

For early childhood development (ECD) – typically 3 and 5 year olds – pupils gain nearly an additional year and half of learning; learning in two years what pupils in other schools learn in three and a half years.

“The learning gains in the study are among the largest in the international education literature,” part of the study findings read.

The effects in this study are among the largest in the international education literature, particularly for a program that was already operating at scale,” said Professor Michael Kremer.

“This study shows that attending schools delivering highly standardized education has the potential to produce dramatic learning gains at scale, suggesting that policymakers may wish to explore incorporation of standardization, including standardized lesson plans and teacher feedback and monitoring, in their own systems.”

The study also finds pupils in NewGlobe-supported schools, 82% of Primary 1 pupils- typically seven-yearolds – can read a sentence, compared with 27% of their peers in other schools.

The World Bank estimates that 90% of 10 year-olds in Sub-Saharan Africa do not reach this benchmark.

“Educational transformation is a core priority for the Government of Rwanda and bold investments have been made to this effect,” said Gaspard Twagirayezu, Minister of State in Charge of Primary and Secondary Education who was at the 2022 Education World forum.

Featured: Nobel Prize Winner Confirms Gains In Education Metholodody In Use In Rwanda - CONT Twagirayezu further said: “The findings of this study provide a wealth of insights that will inform our policies as we accelerate learning to provide quality education for all.”

The study reveals that methodology underpinning RwandaEQUIP increased equity. Pupils starting with the lowest learning levels gained the most, with girls making the same leap in learning as boys.

It contrasts with research which shows girls in Sub-Saharan Africa are consistently disadvantaged in learning.

Speaking about RwandaEQUIP, Managing Director Clement Uwajeneza, said: “We are proud that an independent study of this size, led by a Nobel-prize winning economist, has found such unequivocal evidence of large learning gains delivered by a methodology that we are currently using in schools across Rwanda. We are proud to support the Government of Rwanda’s policy choice to improve learning.”

According to Uwajeneza, RwandaEQUIP’s holistic approach improves learning outcomes through data-driven technology, increased access to high-quality learning materials and training and coaching for teachers and school leaders.

Teachers have also owned this program and they have found it effective.

“Through RwandaEQUIP, we have not only learned how to use technology to improve the way we deliver our lessons but also our English proficiency has increased. In the end, we hope to achieve academic excellence,” Benoit Ntakirutimana, a Teacher at G.S Nyamirama.

RwandaEQUIP started in 2021. It is currently being implemented in 100 public and government-aided primary schools. At the end of 2024, RwandaEQUIP will be operational in 761 schools.

Prof. Kremer will present the findings to the education leaders and policy makers at the UNESCO Transforming Education Pre‐Summit in Paris from 28th-30th June 2022.

EdTech Monday To Discuss How To Create Resilient Education System 26th June 2022 EdTech Monday will return this Monday with the ministry of education experts and internet providers explaining how the country can move towards build a resilient education system.

Edtech is a education program sponsored by Mastercard Foundation Centre for Innovative Teaching and Learning in ICT and Rwanda ICT chambers and aired on every last Monday of the month.

The Episode of June 27, 2022 that will be moderated by radio presenter Natasha Kamanzi will be broadcast live on KTRadio and Kigali Today YouTube channel from 6-7PM will focus on the implementation of a directive by the Ministry of Education referring to the message of the Minister Dr. Valentine Uwamariya delivered during the Mastercard Foundation’s Ministerial Forum organised by the Centre for Innovative Teaching and Learning held in May in Kigali, Rwanda.

This episode will discuss “Harnessing the Power of Technology to Create Resilient

Education Systems” highlighting main points from the minister’s message including connectivity in schools, trainings for teachers, parents’involvementand private sector engagement to ensure the accessibility of educational technology in Rwanda.

Minister Uwamariya, who was scheduled to appear on the show to highlight this resilience plan will not be available, however the same question will go to other invited panelists including Clement Uwajeneza, Managing Director RwandaEquip- a Government of Rwanda’s transformative programme to make the country’s basic education system globally competitive and Christian Muhirwa, CEO Broadband Systems Corporation (BSC)- a technology company and broadband internet provider advancing Rwanda’s mission of becoming Africa’s ICT hub.

RwandaEquip will explain what they are doing to ensure that teachers are able to deliver lessons using technology and BSC will detail what they are doing to fill the connectivity gap in Rwandan schools as well as make it affordable and accessible for every student and teacher.

Referring to the effects of COVID-19 and the experience on Rwandan education sector, both panelists will take listeners through measures that should be set to create resilient education systems in Rwanda using technology especially in events of a potential global catastrophe or pandemic.

In the audience engaging show, the host Kamanzi will also give an opportunity to listeners to tell the situation on ground- at their school.

They will indicate whether teachers have enough digital skills to deliver lessons using technology and give recommendations on the way forward.

Nobel Prize-winner endorses RwandaEQUIP model of learning 20th June 2022 Africa-Press – Rwanda. Nobel Prize-winning economist, Professor Michael Kremer has revealed learning gains in a major study in Africa are among the largest in the international education literature.

The holistic methodology studied predominantly underpins the Government of Rwanda’s transformative education program – Rwanda Education Quality Improvement Program (RwandaEQUIP); designed to transform learning outcomes across the public school system.

The findings show that attending schools delivering highly standardised education has the potential to produce dramatic learning gains at scale. The study, conducted on NewGlobe supported schools in Kenya further suggests that children living in underserved African communities could benefit from 53 percent more learning over the course of their early childhood and primary school career.

The findings were presented at the 2022 Education World Forum in London.

It finds that after two years, primary school pupils, in NewGlobe supported schools, are nearly a whole year ahead of children taught using standard methods. It also finds that 82% of Primary 1 pupils, (seven-year-olds) can read a sentence, compared with 27% of their peers in other schools. The World Bank estimates that 90% of 10-year-olds in Sub-Saharan Africa do not reach this benchmark.

We are proud that an independent study of this size, led by a Nobelprize winning economist, has found such unequivocal evidence of large learning gains delivered by a methodology that we are currently using in schools across Rwanda, said Clement Uwajeneza, RwandaEQUIP Managing Director.

The study revealed that this methodology underpinning RwandaEQUIP increases equity.

Pupils starting with the lowest learning levels gained the most, with girls making the same leap in learning as boys, compared to the traditional situation where girls in Sub-Saharan Africa are consistently disadvantaged in learning.

The study finds that if the benefits were duplicated at scale across public education systems, African pupils from underprivileged communities would be on track to catch up to their peers in countries with three- or fourtimes higher incomes.

How it works Through RwandaEQUIP approach, teachers in public schools are leveraging the structured competence-based curriculum content to deliver technology-enabled learning.

This is coupled with proven classroom engagement practices to improve learning and deliver more engaging, personalised and feedback driven instruction. This ensures that all pupils have the opportunity to grow, thrive and achieve their fullest potential to become globally competitive and build a better future for themselves, their families and all Rwandans.

ECD and primary teachers are trained and thereafter provided with electronic Tablets containing meticulously designed lessons and assessments that help all teachers deliver content in a coherent manner. To access these teaching guides, every morning, the tablets are connected to the head teacher’s smartphone with a designed system to mark their attendance and departure. I can also see when pupils start and finish their lessons, which helps me track their progress,” said Kezia Kangwera, head teacher at Groupe Scolaire (GS) Muyumbu in Gicumbi district.

Teachers are also steadily adapting to using English as a language of instruction. Through RwandaEQUIP, we have been trained on positive behavioural management strategies that build pupil confidence and motivate them to participate in class. “This allows pupils to achieve their full potential, stay attentive and participate actively during lessons, by engaging them in different fun activities during their breaks or when they would usually get bored,” said Benoit Niyonsenga, a teacher at the same school.

Nobel Prize-winner endorses RwandaEQUIP model of learning - CONT “Previously, teaching was just about spending a lot of time while reading different textbooks and developing examples to use while explaining to pupils. But we have been given tablets which help us save time so that we can focus more on engaging with our pupils,” said Foibe Iracyampa, teacher at GS Rubago.

“We have been trained on how to care for and engage with the pupils and discipline them without violating their rights,” she added.

Pupils have equal access to resources they need for success. They are given text books and activity books with various tasks and activities to encourage self-preparation outside of the classroom.

“According to Benoit Niyonsenga, a teacher at Groupe Scolaire (GS) Muyumbu, each pupil receives books for each subject in which they can directly respond to quizzes, this saves parents money spent on textbooks.

Gov’t Proposes BIA Software To Improve Quality Of Education 24th June 2022 One of the most important goals for Rwanda’s vision 2020 is the pupil’s access to high-quality education for the community to move towards a knowledge-based economy.

There are several methods expected to achieve the target, but amongst the most important ones is ‘Bridge International Academies (BIA)’ systems for nursery and primary schools.

The BIA system uses smartphone applications that require teachers to seamlessly sync their performance, attendance, pupil attendance, and performance for instructional monitoring.

These smartphones also have built software that tracks lesson pacing and pupil comprehension.

The BIA system was proposed to an extraordinary cabinet meeting chaired by President Paul Kagame on Tuesday 16, as a new tool that would achieve the quality of education in Rwanda.

BIA, wireless technology is used by teachers to deliver advanced lessons to pupils. This system (BIA) also believes that every child has a right to high-quality education.

It (BIA) was founded by Shannon May, Jay Kimmelman, and Phil Frei, educationists based in the United Kingdom to solve challenges including underprepared teachers, teachers absenteeism, ill-shaped classrooms, and teachers’ administrative errors.

The system partners with governments and communities, to train teachers, establish schools and technology tools (academies) and register pupils to start learning.

In 2009 BIA launched its first academy in Mukuru Kwanjenga in Kenya. After eight years of supposed successes. This education system expanded in Uganda, Nigeria, Andhra Pradesh, India, among others.

The twenty-two education global award winner (BIA) trains teachers on delivering life-changing lessons to children based on practical education at an early age following the education curriculum.

BIA system won global education awards including education investor in 2017, Africa game-changer of the year (education) in 2018, and girl effect award, among others.

BIA comes at the time, the Ministry of Education is working around the clock to improve the quality of education in public and government-aided schools.

According to REB, 37.5% of pupils aged 15-17 are still in primary schools, the issue caused pupils who fail promotional exams and repeat classes or those that start school at a late age.

Quality of education was among the items to discuss on the agenda of 17th National Dialogue Umushyikirano Council, December 19, 2019.

A look at education transformation milestones in Rwanda

A Rwanda Government Initiative @rwandaequip www.rwandaequip.org.rw