Today, Rwanda joins the rest of the world to celebrate the 2021 World Teachers’ Day with a call on teachers to fully contribute to the recovery process under the theme “Teachers at the heart of education recovery”.
This comes after one and a half years into the COVID-19 crisis, where teachers need to strive for excellence through providing quality education amidst challenges brought about by the pandemic.
Francoise Furaha is a Headteacher at Groupe Scolaire Kimironko II and according to her, World Teachers’ Day should help every teacher to reflect on their responsibilities and how valuable they are, in transforming society.
“Teachers are supposed to play a big role in bringing about quality in our education system despite existing challenges because education policies have been put in place and require implementation by all stakeholders, despite challenges “, Furaha says.
As parents and guardians are racing against time to prepare for the school year reopening, looking for school fees, scholastic materials and other requirements, teachers also believe that maintaining discipline among students should be a shared role by both parents and teachers if quality education is to be achieved.
Jose Nkindizanye who lives in Nyagatovu, Kimironko sector is a parent who believes that children should be taught discipline right from home because it also impacts the quality of education, since children who lack discipline do not respect their teachers.
Capacity building for teachers, building more classrooms in overpopulated schools and effective implementation of the competency-Based Curriculum are among the aspects that need to be considered, according to Elias Twagiramungu, another teacher at Groupe Scolaire Kamabuye in Bugesera district. Twagiramungu’s reflections are in alignment with current Government policy trends where the Ministry of Education is expanding school infrastructure by building new classrooms as well as recruiting new teachers to support the phasing out of double shifting in primary schools country wide.
With the new academic year starting soon, teachers are also called upon to adhere to the COVID-19 vaccination process before going back to their respective schools. Veronique Uwambaje is a secondary school teacher at Groupe Scolaire Kimironko II. She urges fellow teachers to get vaccinated and encourage other people to get vaccinated as well.
“Teachers are regarded as opinion leaders, therefore they need to live an exemplary life especially by getting vaccinated voluntarily, to safeguard their lives and those of the children they teach. We teachers are at the heart of education recovery, Let us also use Teacher’s Day to raise our voice and discuss our challenges”, Uwambaje stressed.
According to the Country Director of Inspire Educate and Empower(IEE) Emmanuel Murenzi, IEE’s interventions in collaboration with different stakeholders value teachers as indispensable vessels for education quality delivery.
“An effective education system is as good as its teachers. That is why the Ministry of Education prioritizes effective teacher development among its top priorities. It is these efforts that we seek to complement in our programming, in collaboration with partners”- Says Murenzi.
IEE is partnering with a number of partners to support teacher development at different fronts: UNICEF in collaboration with the LEGO Foundation is supporting training for 2,900 School-based Mentors and over 14,500 primary school teachers on using playful pedagogy to facilitate children’s learning; Mastercard Foundation is supporting nurturing of over 3000 young people to become teachers; Corstone is supporting over 190 teachers to equip learners with resilient strategies to cope with demands of the 21st Century.
“Let us use this moment in solidarity with the World, to celebrate the people who make learning happen. Let us appreciate the selfless, dedicated women and men who commit themselves to inspire young people to position themselves to be meaningful contributors to their societies. With teachers at the heart of education recovery, teaching and learning is guaranteed”- Says Murenzi.
So, Happy World Teachers’ Day!Reactions to this content may be addressed to: ieerwanda.directorate.org@gmail.com