KIGALI, November 20, 2021 – The Ministry of Education convened and held a two-day high-level event (November 18-19) at Kigali Convention Centre to bring together key stakeholders comprising senior officials working across the Ministry of Education, Rwanda Education Board, primary school teachers, international experts, and strategic development partners to foster a focused dialogue on foundational learning.

The event, Stepping Back to Accelerate Forward, offered a unique opportunity to discuss progress on the promotion of foundational skills, factors of success and challenges on these efforts, and agree on an approach to monitor and accelerate the progress on promoting basic literacy and numeracy skills. The vision of the Ministry of Education is to provide the citizens of Rwanda with equal opportunities to high quality education.

Hon. Gaspard Twagirayezu during the workshop

Achieving this vision entails a constant balancing act between expanding access to schooling while also ensuring learning happens in schools. “We know there is a challenge that needs to be solved, and we have everyone who can solve it in this room. I hope that the recommendations and proposals that raised from this event will help us inform how to move the strategy forward. We know what works; we know what could work. So, let’s look at the issues as they are, see what it takes, and present solutions to guide our efforts”, said Gaspard Twagirayezu, Minister of State, in charge of Primary and Secondary Education.

The event, which was supported by the World Bank, gave way to numerous recommendations that can help inform the development of a National Strategy for Accelerated Foundational Learning. Among key takeaways was the need to build momentum to promote foundational skills and to engage all sectors of society in these efforts--students, teachers, headteachers, officers, and development partners--with effective and strategic communication. “It takes a village”, was frequently said among attendees. During the discussions, Rwanda Basic Education Board and the National Examination and School Inspection Authority (NESA) presented and reflected on the progress towards the promotion of foundational learning skills.

Several development partners, including the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the United Kingdom’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), presented the impact and the lessons learned on their multi-year programs targeting the promotion of foundational skills. The takeaways from these reflections were later corroborated by panels and presentations by primary school teachers and international experts. Together, the discussions highlighted several aspects to prioritize as part of the National Strategy to Accelerate Foundational Learning, such as a comprehensive support system for teachers and the scale up of effective remedial education programs.