Kigali, October 21, 2020.
Inspire, Educate and Empower Rwanda (IEE) last week concluded a week-long training of the new Pedagogical Advisors recruited to support competence-based curriculum implementation in Teacher Training Colleges (TTCs). This is part of the partnership between UNICEF and IEE in support of Rwanda Education Board efforts in support of pre-service teacher education, particularly TTCs.
The training was aimed at helping the new staff members gain a deeper understanding of IEE programmes, its expectations as well as helping them to gain an overall sense of shared vision to support the achievement of programme objectives in contribution to overall achievement of IEE results.
Attended by sixteen Pedagogical Advisors and a Coordinator, Continuous Professional Development (CPD) Coordinator, Monitoring and Evaluation Manager, Information-Technology Officer, as well the Communications Team, the new members were inducted by the Country Director, Deputy Country Director, Human Resources Officer as well as a number of IEE Continuing Staff Members.
Speaking at the training, the IEE Country Director Mr. Emmanuel Murenzi welcomed the new staff of IEE and elaborated his expectations of them:
‘’You are all here because you excelled at the interviews and we all think that you are the best candidates for the jobs… do not let us down,’’ he stated. He emphasized the importance of team work at IEE as it is the only way the organization’s goals can be attained.
The Pedagogical Advisors were advised on how to properly work with the tutors and student teachers that they will meet at the TTCs.
‘’You do not have to make the student teachers or tutors that you will find at the Teacher Training Colleges feel less significant by using complicated words that they do not understand… It will only serve to limit communication,’’ he added.
Ibrahim Wasswa, one of the new Pedagogical Advisors noted that there is a lot that he has benefitted from the week-long training as it has helped him know how to succeed at his work the moment he sets foot at the Teacher Training College he will be posted to.
‘’We were guided and helped to understand the mission, vision as well as values of the organization and this will help us to blend in as new members of IEE. The training also helped us to share ideas and experiences which helped us know what to do in different situations that we shall encounter,’’ he stated.
Jane Nungari, an Educationist consulting with IEE was also part of the training and also spent most of the time with the Pedagogical Advisors.
She noted that the training was paramount for the Pedagogical Advisors as it will help them co-work with the tutors in the TTCs to see to it that the Competence- based Curriculum (CBC) is effectively and efficiently delivered to the student teachers who will ultimately deliver the CBC to the primary school pupils in the country.
‘’We trained the Pedagogical Advisors about what is expected of them when they go to the TTCs, issues to do with professional values and knowledge and all that is required of them; professional attitudes, the advantages of the Competence-based Curriculum, what it entails and we hope that when they go into the TTCs, they will be able to demonstrate their skills to the tutors and student teachers. We are hoping that the student teachers will be able to carry along the professional values, skills and knowledge which we want to believe will take them a long way in their professional careers,’’ she said in conclusion.
The training ended with the new Pedagogical Advisors receiving tablets that were donated to IEE by UNICEF to be used for data collection and entry to support program research as well as ease communication for the recipients.
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