Education in Rwanda A BRISTOL UNIVERSITY LED CONSORTIUM SUPPORTING RWANDA’S MINISTRY OF EDUCATION TO BECOME A HUB FOR INNOVATION

Rwanda A 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 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 BY Recognising 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/hfimineduc.gov.rw/hfi  See this report in the Guardianthis report  Read more about the current 26 Innovation for Education (IfE) projects in Rwanda26 Innovation for Education (IfE) projects