November 5, 2020
Inspire, Educate and Empower Rwanda (IEE) in partnership with Imbuto Foundation, Ministry of Education, UNICEF and Urunana Development Communications are working on ways to support remedial learning for struggling learners in primary schools to guarantee achievement of learning outcomes.
This is through a program dubbed Learning Together Programme translated as Twige Neza Dutsinde initiative in Kinyarwanda. This initiative is informed by the philosophy for supporting equity in education in the context of the competence-based curriculum. The programme provides struggling learners with remedial support and gives them the opportunity to learn at their own pace and seek individual support in the areas where they need it.
The programme was launched in 2017, starting with 50 schools in 10 districts. Struggling learners, mainly in Primary Four and Five were identified through partnerships with District and Sector Education Officials and schools.
In each of the 50 schools, 40 students were selected per school, 20 of whom were girls and the others, boys. The main objectives were to improve their Numeracy and English skills by giving them the opportunity to practice their listening, speaking, reading and writing skills. Additional to giving learners opportunities to review and practice basic competencies where they struggle, the programme is also aimed at building their confidence and sense of empowerment by encouraging them to think, talk, read and write about important gender issues affecting girls’ and boys’ education and to develop their metacognitive abilities to help them perform better. Learning clubs meet for 4-6 hours per week at times agreed on with the Head Teacher and parents.
Sezibera Innocent, one of the implementing teacher trainers on the Learning Together Programme noted that “…during normal class sessions, teachers normally teach at their own pace whereby many struggling students do not get the chance to clearly understand what is being taught as teachers rarely pay attention to them during normal class hours and this is where the club comes in to pay attention to the needs of these struggling students”.
Sezibera further notes that there is noted improvement in academic performance of students who are members of the learning clubs, thanks to IEE’s efforts in partnership with Imbuto Foundation, UNICEF, Urunana DC and Ministry of Education.
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