Education in RwandaA BRISTOL UNIVERSITY LED CONSORTIUM

SUPPORTING RWANDA’S MINISTRY OF EDUCATION TO BECOME A HUB FOR INNOVATION

RwandaA small land locked country in Central Africa

Population 11million

Main trade coffee and tea

Became independent from Belgium in 1962

Language: Kinyarwanda

Recent History: Genocide 1994

800,000 people massacred along ethnic divides.

Hutu tribe killing Tutsis

Radio was used to encourage genocidal acts

Churches and schools targeted. Many victims were children and teachers.

Children and teachers as well as religious leaders were among the perpetrators

Outside countries were slow to try and stop the genocide

A moving story on the realities of what happened in Rwanda in 1994

Education in Rwanda 20 years since the 1994 genocide

Rwanda 20 years on has highest primary school enrolment rates in Africa.

On track to reach the Millennium Development Goal for universal primary school access by 2015

Achieved gender parity - more girls than boys in school

It was believed that the education system had failed Rwanda and had encouraged the divisions leading up to the 1994 genocide

A concerted effort was made to re-open schools and encourage children back into school just 2 months after the genocide

The current Project: Hub for Innovation mineduc.gov.rw/hfi

WHY?To improve the quality of education provision in Rwanda

‘We need innovations because times are changing,

that’s why as teachers we need to

get new ideas’

Rwandan Teacher

BYRecognising and rewarding those activities which already attempt new ideas and new ways of teaching and learning

But what is ‘Innovation’?

‘I believe innovations can really make a difference and

bring positive change in Rwandan classrooms’

Sharon Haba, Permanent Secretary Ministry of Education, Rwanda

What is ‘A Hub for Innovation’?

Creating a culture where innovative ideas in education are recognised and rewarded

Where creativity in teaching and learning improves the quality of educational experience

A consortium led by Bristol University working with the

Rwandan Ministry of Education to create a ‘Hub for Innovation’

Innovation is about making changes by introducing new processes which bring about the change.

These changes can be radical or incremental but the key element is a new idea, product or way of doing

How do you create a Hub for Innovation? 1. Masterclass and training

events for senior Ministry of Education officials

2. 5x Innovation Fairs across Rwanda. To showcase innovative activities by ordinary teachers and learners

3. A national Award scheme to reward the most innovative education activities in the country

4. International Innovation Conference to create hype and media interest around innovation in education in Rwanda and the African region

Several ways combined are needed to embed a culture of innovation:

Project Outcomes

An education system which values innovative techniques in education

Project Outcomes

To produce publications to help practitioners and policy makers in maintaining a culture of innovation - created through the Ministry’s Hub

for Innovation to improve education quality

Project Outcomes

To demonstrate how innovation in education can lead to better education quality in a country like Rwanda

To find out more…

Visit mineduc.gov.rw/hfi

See this report in the Guardian

Read more about the current 26 Innovation for Education (IfE) projects in Rwanda