November 23, 2020
Through the Pre-and in-service teacher development for quality results for children programme, United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) is collaborating with Inspire, Educate and Empower Rwanda (IEE) to support pre- and in-service teacher development, complementing Ministry of Education (MINEDUC) and Rwanda Education Board (REB) efforts in teacher development.
The national School-based Mentorship Programme (SBMP) is MINEDUC, REB sole in-service teacher development programme. Since 2012 when the SBMP was established, it has evolved through phases to the current model where a teacher is appointed at each public and government-aided school as a School-based Mentor (SBM) to facilitate school-based in-service teacher development. To support coordination of SBMs, REB has appointed 2 SBMs to serve as Sector-based Mentor Trainers (SBMTs) at each sector in Rwanda for a total of 832 SBMTs. SBMTs are responsible for coordination and facilitation of SBMs within their sectors for coordinated in-service teacher development.
Particularly, with the support of the LEGO Foundation, UNICEF is supporting in-service teacher development through the SBMP, to introduce Learning through Play (LtP) in the primary in-service teacher training system. SBMTs have been trained on pedagogy, with introduction of play as a pedagogical approach, to learning. LtP is premised in the finding that play can be used as a learning strategy to effectively engage learners in the learning process. It is intended that teachers benefit knowledge, attitudes, and skills to apply LtP pedagogy in primary schools, in support of delivery of the competence-based curriculum.
A major part of the Pre-and in-service teacher development for quality results for children programme is to build capacities of SBMTs and working with them as they further support SBM school-based Continuous Professional Development (CPD) using REB CPD manuals. Ongoing capacity development for SBMs and SBMTs is facilitated by UNICEF- supported IEE district-based CPD Advisors who are deployed in the districts to operationalize implementation of REB priorities for the SBMP. During the July – October period, all 832 SBMTs have been trained, and in turn they have trained 3,711 SBMs who are further going to be supported to facilitate school-based in-service teacher development activities, particularly with school reopening after close to 10 months of school closures due to Covid-19.
Uwambaje Veronique is a School-based Mentor at Groupe Scolaire Kimironko in Kigali. Additionaly, she also serves as the SBMT.
‘’We receive regular trainings by CPD Advisors on different ways we shall train and guide fellow teachers in schools on how to deliver lessons to the students. We are equipped on how to use different modes of making lesson delivery exciting yet fulfilling and these are the exact skills we share with the teachers,’’ says Veronique.
Setuza Baudouin, a Biology, Chemistry and Biology teacher at GS Kimironko attributes his improved pedagogy to many factors, School Based Mentorship being one of them. He says that, as one of the teachers who have been helped by Veronique, he has leant a lot when it comes to the methodologies of delivering lessons and how to keep the students more engaged among others.
“The school-based Mentorship Programme has come a long way and we are in a good place now. REB has developed a framework that guides in-service teacher development and we are using this to support development of capacities of SBMs, SBMTs and teachers. We are hopeful that learning outcomes will continue to improve for Rwandan school children”, says Emmanuel Murenzi the IEE Country Director. Reactions to this content may be addressed to: ieerwanda.directorate.org@gmail.com