OLPC Rwanda Awareness Guide

8/4/2019 OLPC Rwanda Awareness Guide

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Awareness Guide

Introduction to High levelObjectives of Education Sector

1.Access to education for all

2.Quality education at all levels

3.Equity in education at all levels

4.Effective and efficient education system

5.Science and technology and ICTeducation

6.Promotion of positive values, criticalthinking, Rwandan culture, peace, unityand reconciliation

Why ICT in Education

ICT is a key driving force for economicdevelopment in Rwanda and there is astrong political will and commitment in thisarea under the leadership of H.E. PresidentPaul Kagame, who champions ICT

initiatives in Rwanda. Currently a nationalcommunication fibre optic network withcross border connection to submarinecable is being laid across the country andis due to bring connectivity to all 30districts. There are also sustained efforts todevelop electricity coverage and to reduceaccess costs through import tax exemptionon ICT devices.

Several guiding documents set outobjectives for ICT development in Rwanda,the most comprehensive being the

National Information and CommunicationInfrastructure (NICI) plan Phase 2(2006-2010) in which education representsone of the core pillars. Within thisframework and in consultation with keypartners, an ICT in Education Policy hasbeen developed and will beaccompanied by a strategicimplementation plan.

In spite of this favorable political context,many challenges still need to be overcome

in order to disseminate the use of ICTthroughout the nation and in educationmore specifically. With limited nationalelectricity coverage and IT infrastructure,access to ICT in the education system isextremely low, with the exception of HLIs.In addition there is a lack of clearunderstanding of linkages between ICTand expected education outcomes. Evenwhen ICT in education initiatives are takenup, the limited availability of digitallearning material, lack of expertise andproject management skills, capacity gapsamong teachers to integrate ICT, lack of technical support and inadequatecoordination of initiatives frequently hindertheir success.

The following document describes the main information that you need tounderstand the One Laptop per Child Rwanda project

Introduction, Why ICT on Education

Main areas of focus of the project speciallyon the ICT area

Strategic Priorities,Promoting Science,

Te c h n o l o g y a n dInnovationMain areas of focus of the project speciallyon the ICT area

Page 2

OLPC status so far Since the project waslaunched in 2008, alot has been done, inSchool infrastructuredevelopment ,laptopsdeployment, andlaptop integration inclassroom.The pilot project hasdistributed 8150laptops in 5 publicschools while 1800laptops bought by

parents from publicschoolsPage 3

Why OLPC: Why didRwanda purchase100 000 laptops? According toRwandan 2020 vision,aiming thetransformation of Rwandan economyinto a knowledgebased economyrequires directimplementation of strategies to reachthat goalPage 5

Morbi vitae ligulaVivamus venenatisvelitsed nulla. Curabitursodales ornare urna.

Vivamus ultrices.Maecenas eget id alibero gravid.Page 6

KIgali, Rwanda

One of the main goals of ICT on

education is to create networks that aloud members of academiccommunities to interact to each other

One Laptop per Child Rwanda



Strategic priorities

With the overarching objective of disseminating ICT throughout all

educational institutions to help attainquality education for all and equip learnerswith 21st century skills, six strategic areaswill be given special focus, namely:

- Promoting an ICT in education culture -through the development of outreachmaterial and the building of a commonplatform designed to raise awareness onthe benefits and limitations of ICT ineducation, share ICT in educationresources and good practices, and positionRwanda with regard to internationalstandards and the EAC in particular

- Fostering and managing ICT in educationinitiatives through development of aframework and guidelines to build andstrengthen partnerships between differentstakeholders and encourage participationof local institutions (private, public and civilsociety) in ICT in education

- Expanding ICT infrastructure to increaseaccess through providing power,connectivity and equipment to educationalinstitutions, particularly at the primary and

secondary levels and outside the maincities and maintaining and upgradingexisting infrastructure - Developing capacity to integrate the useof ICT into education practices throughtraining of teaching staff on integrations of ICT into the teaching practice, developmentof ICT standards and competencies andprovision of technical and pedagogicalsupport in schools

- Developing and distributing quality digitalcontent and ensuring that this content isadapted to the Rwandan context andaligned with the national curriculum

-Establishing Open Distance and e-Learning (ODeL) through development of an ODeL policy and costed strategy,building on existing initiatives at the highereducation level through development of bridging courses for entry into NUR andusing the Rwanda Education Commonsprogramme as a vehicle for increasingteachers knowledge and pedagogical skillsthrough ODeL. Training institutions in

underserved areas will be particularlytargeted as will learners at the secondarylevel who have dropped out of theeducation system. As ICT in education is aparticularly dynamic field, innovative

Promoting Science, Technologyand Innovation

Science, Technology and Innovation(STI) are widely seen as dominantfactors behind rapid economic andindustrial growth. Globally, newlyindustrialized countries have had tomaster the use of imported andindigenous technology in order toachieve economic development at parwith the developed countries. TheGovernment’s Vision 2020 Statement,its National Policy on Science,Technology and Innovation, and theEDPRS are all based on the premisethat, through embarking on aconcerted effort to build science,technology and innovation capacity,Rwanda will greatly enhance itsprospects of achieving the growth,

poverty reduction, wealth creation,and export diversification objectives.In particular the 2005 National ScienceTechnology and Innovation Policyresponds to the Vision 2020 challengeof transforming Rwanda into amodern nation able to generate anddisseminate technological knowledgeand information’. The policy,recognizes that an effective approachto STI capacity building must includepolicies to promote knowledgeacquisition and deepening,knowledge creation, knowledgetransfer, and a culture of innovation inorder to:

- Promote sustained growth of GDP

- Advance the quality of life andstandards of living for the citizens of Rwanda

- Improve skills and knowledge

among the population- Maintain viability of and enhance

opportunities for growth in ruralareas

- Integrate Technical Education withcommerce, industry and the privatesector.

A Science, Technology and ResearchDirectorate was created withinMINEDUC in 2009, together with theestablishment of a National Council for

Science, Technology and Innovation.These two bodies will oversee thedevelopment and implementation of anational strategy for the developmentof science and technology in line withnational policy in order to support theabove objectives for Science,Technology and Innovation in Rwanda.

solutions in the areas of infrastructure, capacity and digital contentdevelopment will be fostered whenever possible in order to answer needsin those rural areas where alternative ICT in education solutions arerequired.



The One Laptop per ChildProgram is a key project that aims at the enhancement of e d u c a t i o n t h r o u g h t h eintroduction of technology inprimary schools.

It also allows primary schoolstudents early access tocomputer skills and computerscience understanding whileexpanding their knowledge onspecific subjects like science,mathematics, languages andsocial sciences through onlineresearch or content hosted onservers.

This is a fundamental steptoward the building of aknowledge based economy. Inthis regard, Rwanda launchethe One Laptop Per Childproject in June 2008 and the

current proposed target is tohave all students from P4 to P6with access to laptops. The OneLaptop per Child covers severalNICI plan objectives. The

implementation of this projectcovers in part or totally the aimsof the listed NICI project above:

OLPC status so far

Since the project was launchedin 2008, a lot has been done, inSchool infrastructuredevelopment laptopsdeployment and laptopintegration in classroom. At thebeginning two pilot projectshave been prioritized:

1. Government Pilot ProjectsThe pilot project has distributed8150 laptops in 5 publicschools while 1800 laptopsbought by parents from privateschools. For all these laptops tobe useful to schools, acontinuous assistance toteachers and students wasneeded, 250 teachers trainedfor basic use of laptops and the

laptops use in teaching. Thesetrainings have been conductedall schools received in this pilotproject. Activities in the form of clubs and camps for students

have been conducted to keepsupporting students to explorethe use of laptops for deeplearning. Technically mindedteachers have been trained inorder to so lve d i fferenttechnica l problems bothhardware and software toensure the laptops do not leavethe schools. Another 45

professionals technicians fromdifferent inst i tut ions l ikeRITC ,WDA ,have been trainedto fix and maintain the laptops.Government of Rwanda inpartnership with Microsoftcorporation have developedanother pilot project at Inyange(APAKE) primary school inGicumbi District. This pilotproject involved teacher andl o c a l s c h o o l t e c h n i c i a ntrainings, in total, 17 teachersh a s b e e n t r a i n e d , t h eclassroom wired ,internetaccess set up and contentserver installed.

OLPC Background and objectivesThe One Laptop per Child Program is a key project that aims at the enhancement of education throughthe introduction of technology in primary schools...

This is a fundamental step toward the building

of a knowledge based economy.



Schools saturationprocess

Laptops Deployment :After these fruitful pilotproject, the successful andimpressive outcomesmotivated the governmentof Rwanda to procure 65000 laptops now deployedto public and subsidy

schools countrywide, afterdistribution policyorientation has beenadopted, at least twoschools in each districthave been saturated fortheir P4 to P6 students bythe end of 2010. Nowanother 35 000 laptops

are on the way to thecountry.

Infrastructure : An inventoryand tracking systemapplication for serialnumbers and anti theftsystem is being procured

Electricity : The process of wiring 150 schools, 5 perdistrict identified by thesurvey done on 460schools around the countryis almost completed. Theseschool wiring activities

have been completed byETO’s. In particular ETOKicukiro has assigned1000 designated chargingstations.

Internet Access : The Projectproposes to adopt acommunity accessapproach where internetaccess routers will reach a

radius between 1km to 5kmaround the school, this willenable schools to share theinternet cost with variouspublic and private entitiesthat can then help fund thecost of operations, repairand maintenance of theaccess,this is also a quick

way of increasing the ICTpenetration rate in thecountry, in this processTORs for procurement arebeing developed foradvertisement. Meanwhilethree schools from the pilotprojects have benefitedfrom free internet access.

Capacity Building :Capacity Building of headof schools teachers andlocal technicians have beenthe crucial priority for OLPCRwanda Program. A

training plan has beendeveloped and divided inseveral phases. On theprevious phase 300 head

of schools and teachersfrom the selected 150schools have been trainedto be the champions of thedeployment in each school2 champions per schools(head of school and one

teacher).In phase 1, 450 additionalteachers to be trainednationwide from the 150selected schools on thebasic of use of the XOlaptop. On Phase 2, 450teachers will haveadditional training on the

use of the XO laptop inteaching. This action will beheld nationwide. Theseteacher trainings will beboth supported by localtechnician training, tocontinuously assist schoolin the fixing or themaintenance of laptops.

School Assistance :

Repair and Maintenance :OLPC Rwanda Program ishiring 30 technicians ( 1 per

district to permanentlyassist schools ),additionally,1 first leveltechnician per school (150

first level technicians) willbe trained as well as ateam in selected ETOs tocreate or support center formaintenance and repair of XO laptops. A list of spareparts have been designed

in order to provide eachETO with tools and parts forrepair and maintenance.

Content development :One of the key steps is thecreation of local contentfocused on the adaption of math and sciencecurriculum to digital format,acquisition of content inenglish, mathematics andsciences to enhanceeducation, creation of games to teach studentscivic programs and more( in partnership otherNGOs, for example: Searchfor Common Grounds,Open Learning Exchange).

Also, the adaptation of Microsoft based contentinto Linux based content isa way to explore. Many

applications have beentested like OLPCGeospatial LearningModule completed at

Kagugu Primary School.

Development of a fundingmodel : OLPC Rwandaprogram is lookingforward to work with otherpartners in these

initiatives, in order toreduce the governmentresponsibility. To achievethis we will:- Survey the different levelsof income in the countryand create a proposal forrepayment of laptops sothe OLPC Rwanda

program can buy more.- Define a model to absorbthe additional cost of operations with theintroduction of technologyin schools through thecommunity (idea of sharing internet accessand cost with thecommunity (but this stillneeds to be developedinto a business model)- Create links withdevelopment partners forthe various components of the project.



Laptop security : The security of the XOlaptop is the joint responsibility of allpeople and institutions regarded by thispolicy.

National Level security measures :

- No XO laptop is allowed to cross anyRwandan borders without a writtenpermission from the Country Coordinatorfor the OLPC program in Ministry of Education.

- Each laptop owner should have a writtenproof of ownership, a family commitmentletter to be signed at school detailing thelaptop’s serial number, receipt/ proof of payment other recommendations for the

private ownership).

- The security of the laptop will fall underthe guise of local security institutions, likeall other government property.

- Cases of theft, loss or missing laptopsshould be reported immediately to theHead of School to process the deactivationof the laptop, local community policing, orlocal governance for its tracking.

- The XO laptop has been developed foreducational programs only, and are notavailable on the regular market for sale.The laptop nor its parts have any monetaryvalue. Any attempted or completed sale isautomatically observed as an abuse andtheft of the government’s property and willbe judged as such for both the buyer andseller.

School level security measures :

- Laptop security key : Each laptop has asecurity key installed which will stop thelaptop from turning on if the laptop has not

connected to the school server at theschool within a certain period. This featurewill render the laptop useless to anyonewho may try to steal the laptop.

- The school principal : Is in charge of processing the deactivation of stolen ormissing laptops, as well as coordinate

activities in order to find the missing/stolenlaptop. All cases regarding the loss,robbery or damage of laptop must beimmediately reported. He/she is in chargeof securing laptops in storage or otherrelated infrastructures.

- The teachers : are in charge of countingand keeping records of laptops in thepossession of the pupils she/he is incharge of, both in the classroom and any

other time at school. She/he should reportright away the case of missing or stolenlaptops to the Headmaster or othersecurity entities around the school.

Parents and Families :

- Each family should sign the familycommitment form before receiving thelaptop, and obey all regulations andcommitments as described in it.

- In any case, if the parent/family memberis at fault for the damage or loss of thelaptop, the family should be responsiblefor payment or reparation for the total costof laptop.

Why OLPC: Why did Rwanda purchase100 000 laptops? According to Rwandan 2020 vision, aimingto transform of Rwandan economy into a

knowledge based economy requiresdirect implementation of strategies toreach that goal. Given the fact that thefundamental idea of knowledge based

economy is education, Rwanda needs tostart create graduates who are creative,innovators and discovers not people whichcopying only what the last generation hasdone. Learning is the basis for full human,social , economic and democraticdevelopment. As the pace of change in theworld increases dramatically, the urgencyto prepare all children to be full citizens of the emerging world also increasesdramatically. No one can predict the worldour children will inherit. The bestpreparation for children is to develop thepassion for learning and the ability to learnhow to learn. Yet, educational systemsremain rooted in the past, the gaps inequity in education and subsequentopportunity are increasing. Simply doing

more of the same is no longer enough, theroot cause of the rapid change (digitaltechnology) also provides the key for thesolution.Rwanda is now at a critical stage. Theworld is fast-evolving as many countriescompete to capitalize on the newadvances of technology in education. Theonly way to create real change is byallowing this change to happen and notdoing more of the same. Rwanda is

already a shining example of economicand social development for many countriesin the world, so Rwanda, again, needs todecide if it will join its partner countries inthe United States, South America and Asiain the idea of fully capitalize on its mostimportant resources— its children .

Why a laptop especially XOs? Is a veryflexible learning tool. It allows you to becreative and productive and fit into today’sdigital world while being yourself. Childrencan take ownership and craft the laptop totheir various needs such as write stories,take pictures, make movies, explore



scientific phenomena, inventlearning games, or solvemathematical problems. With 1:1access to connected laptops,chil dren acti vely enga ge inknowledge constructions and arenot limited to passive reception of information. Each child can pursuelearning in areas of strongpers ona l in t e res t and theclassroom is no longer limited to apre-determined, one-size-fits-allapproach. In this way, children canlearn by teaching, actively assistingoth er lear ners and ther ebyliberating the teacher to focus theirexperience and expertise where

most needed. Moreover withmobile, connected laptops, thewalls of the classroom open andthe entire community becomes theclassroom and virtually the wholeworld enters on demand.There are several factors that makethe XO different from otherportable computers in the market.First, the XO consumes only afraction of the energy of any otherregular portable computer and

c o n s e q u e n t l y m i n i m i z e simplementation costs. The XOworks with alternative sources of energy (solar, eolic, etc.) and thus

allows us to give access to childrenwho would otherwise not be ableto use the technology. The XO hasa unique physical design (resistantto water, dust, and extremeclimates) and a screen that can beused to read in daylight. They alsoare able to connect t to each otherwithout direct presence of theinternet. These qualities makelearning possible, not only in theclassroom, but also at home andin com mu nal ar eas whe remeaningful learning experiencesalso take place. And finally, the XOcomes with free and open sourcesoftware and digital content, whichgiv es chil dren , par ent s andte ac he rs , as we ll as ot he rmembers of the community, thefreedom to change, create, andshare their own solutions withothers.Why primary school aged kids ? The XO laptop was developed forchildren ages 6 to 12. Rwandagovernment strongly believe thatby giving young kids access tod i g i t a l t e c h n o l o g i e s a n d

information, and by introducingthem to powerful ways to usethem, they will be in a betterposition to make a difference intheir futures and thus change the

world. Additionally, the XO laptopwas built for children in the mostremote areas of the world. It wasnot meant to replace other laptopsin the mainstream market.Children are more creative andgadget friendly than adults, whichmakes them the target of thisprogram.

How can students benefit from this laptop? When every child hasa connected laptop, they have inth ei r ha nd s th e ke y to fu lldevelopment and participation.Limits are erased as they can learnand work with passionate expertsaround the world; they can accesshigh-quality, modern materials;they can engage their passionsand develop their expertise. Whatchildren lack is not capability, it isopportunity and resources. Onetool to unlock their enormouspotential is the XO laptop. Put thisultra-low-cost, powerful, rugged,low-power, ecological laptop intheir hands and contribute tomaking a better world. Hundreds

of thou sand s of prev ious lymarginalized children can nowlearn, achieve and begin totransform their communities.

Lap top in teg ra t ion in theclassroom, does it come with acurriculum ? People meandifferent things when they usethe word curriculum. They maybe referring to instructionalsoftware about a specific topicor instructional plans allowingteachers to facilitate a learninge x p e r i e n c e . R w a n d a i sencouraging the culture of creativity and innovation in allareas of knowledge, the mainreason to not define completelywhat children should learn withthe XO, to not limit learners to

go beyond the curriculum andknowledge expectations. Thereare other programs focusing ondev elo pme nt of spec i f i ccontents implicating directlyRwandan curr iculum forprimary studies, this contentwill be loaded on servers to beposted on schools, from whichthe content will be accessed bykids. Laptop provides tools (inthe form of activities) as well asconcrete ideas of how tobecome familiar with thosetools and how to use them to



MinEduc OLPC Rwanda

Message from the OLPC CoordinatorDear community: This guide is a government effort headed by the Ministry of Education. Here we want to explain the motivations, guidances and envisionthat we have for this project. We hope that the information on this guide puts

you on the same frequency with us. This project is owned by the community,that means that is owned by each of you as parents, teachers, headmastersor students.

Welcome to another step to accomplish the Vision 2020.

facilitate a meaningful learning experience. The tools canbe single purpose activities such as Record, Write, Chat,Calculate, Paint, etc.; games such as Maze, Memorizeand Implode; content specific activities such as Moon andTamTam; or more sophisticated and open ended activitiessuch as Turtle Art, Etoys, Scratch, and Pippy that allowsusers to design and create projects about a variety of topics.Laptop integration in the family household andcommunity. It has been noticed that a laptop in the familynot only benefits children, it also helps parents and family

members in large scale. Some results of families usinglaptops in South America for their own use have showedthis type of outcomes. In Rwanda so far parents areacquiring new knowledge by trying to assist and helptheir child to use these laptops. As this program alsoinvolves free Internet connectivity to school, this is going tobenefit the surrounding community. Since wirelessconnections like MTN hotspot and Optic fiber are acrossthe country, the use of Internet connections will beintensively involve these laptops deployed country wide.

OLPC Rwanda Awareness Guide

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