Rwanda rates among the best in reducing out-of-school at 85 percent

According the UNESCO’s report released yesterday, Rwanda is among the top three performers in the world in reducing the out-of-school population.

Rwanda comes in the same category with Vietnam and Laos (in south-east Asia) as the best three performers.

The Unesco lauds Rwanda for its efforts in reducing the out-of-school rate at 85 percent within five past years.

This year’s theme for the report was on quality of teaching and learning, where Rwanda has tremendously excelled by increasing access to education.

The country has one of the highest primary school enrollment rate in Africa, with 96.5 per cent children in schools.

Dr Vincent Biruta, the Education minister, yesterday attributed the rating to the country’s vision as well as partnership between development partners and citizenry who contributed immensely toward the construction of Nine- and 12-Year Basic Education classrooms through community work and funds.

The Ministry of Education launched the 12-Year Basic Education (12YBE) in 2012 after successful implementation of the Nine-Year Basic Education, initiated in 2009.

The initiatives gave Rwandan children the right to study the first 12 grades, which is primary and secondary education, free of charge, significantly increasing the number of students completing primary school and O-Level education.

“We are happy with the achievement but there is still a lot to be done. In our next five year strategic plans we intend to focus on early childhood education and special needs education,” the minister said.

Up to 2000 classrooms are to be built under the 12 Years Basic Education during the 2013/14 financial year.

The government, Dr Biruta added, will also embark on various other initiatives, including continuous training of secondary school teachers.

Currently, only 67 per cent of secondary school teachers in the country are qualified compared to 96 per cent in primary.

“There is still a shortage of qualified teachers in secondary schools but we are aware of it and we have catered for it in our plan,” the minister said.

However, there are still a remarkable need for more intellectually smart  workers at the work market in Rwanda. This undermines the quality of production and hinders to nation from being competitive at regional markets.

Good news is that the government of Rwanda strives to handle the situation for a better future.

The New Times

UM– USEKE.RW