2,500 teachers and school leaders are graduating from Continuous Development Programmes

The graduates are part of the second, third and fourth cohort out of four planned in the CPD certification and diploma courses offered by the University of Rwanda – College of Education (UR-CE) with VVOB’s support. VVOB and UR-CE together have delivered these certificate and diploma courses for system and school-based leaders and have provided opportunities for school leaders to encourage one another in supportive Professional Learning Communities (PLCs).

“We congratulate the 2500+ graduates that completed the CPD Diploma and certificate courses. This graduation represents a milestone in the professional careers of our district, sector and school leaders, who are now equipped to fulfil their key roles in improving the quality of teaching and learning in schools,” said Marianne Kiggundu, Country Programmes Manager for VVOB in Rwanda.

The graduates include Head Teachers, Deputy Head Teachers, District Directors and Officers of Education, Sector Education Inspectors, Teacher Training College (TTC) Tutors, School-Based Mentors, and School Subject Leaders for Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM).

A diploma course in Effective School Leadership has equipped Head Teachers and Deputy Head Teachers with the competencies to fulfil their roles as school leaders.

A certificate course in Educational Mentorship and Coaching has provided School-Based Mentors and School Subject Leaders in STEM with effective tools and skills to facilitate professional development activities in schools. 

At the same time, a certificate course in Educational Mentorship and Coaching is also offered to District Directors and Officers of Education, as well as the Sector Education Inspectors to equip them with the competencies to coach school leaders effectively, and to initiate and sustain professional learning communities of school leaders.

The training programs have boosted the confidence and skills of education actors and nurtured more positive attitudes.

School leaders feel more capable of effectively leading their schools, and School-Based Mentors, STEM Subject Leaders, and Sector Education Inspectors have more confidence in their coaching and mentoring skills.

"My participation in the CPD Programme equipped me with skills to collaborate more with teachers to ensure that students learn better," Françoise Mukagatete, deputy head teacher at G.S Kabere Kamonyi district.

“The course I attended has changed how I support STEM teachers. Before, I lacked the skills. Before, mentoring and coaching wasn’t done properly, and we did not know how it should be done. Now, due to the training, we know what it is, how to do it and, as a result, we see improved quality of teaching.” STEM School Subject Leader at G.S Nyinawimana, Gicumbi district.

Ultimately, the goal of the Leading, Teaching and Learning Together (LTLT) program and the Leaders in Teaching initiative was to improve learning outcomes in basic education through enhanced school leadership and teaching so young people have opportunities to find work or create their own businesses.

“Teachers are at the heart of the education system and ensuring their professional development is how we make sure that our students are educated with up-to-date methods,” says Rica Rwigamba, Rwanda Country Head of the Mastercard Foundation.

The LTLT program ran from January 2017 until December 2021, covering all primary schools in six districts and all secondary schools in 14 districts.

By the end of 2021:

• 809 Headteachers, 545 of Deputy Headteachers and 20 district officials have been trained in Effective School Leadership.
• 228 Sector Education Inspectors, 1,253 School-Based Mentors, and 1,522 STEM School Subject Leaders and Math School Subject Leaders have been trained in Educational Mentorship and Coaching.
• In primary education, the program also trained 48 of Teacher Training College tutors in Educational Mentorship and Coaching with a specific focus on induction programs for new teachers.
• The majority of the sectors have now formed Professional Learning Communities and every targeted school now organizes at least two Communities of Practice (CoP) sessions per year.

“I am proud and privileged to say that the UR-CE/VVOB programme left behind a lasting impression. The academic staff who were involved in this programme are now more knowledgeable and better equipped in their respective responsibilities.  Before this programme was introduced, there was no continuous professional development programmes in our college. It is VVOB which initiated it and we are very grateful for that,” says Dr. Alphonse Uworwabayeho, senior lecturer at UR-CE and LTLT programme coordinator.

Through these improved CPD support systems, thousands of other teachers and students have been reached indirectly. To learn more about the impact of the LTLT program in Rwanda, download our endline evaluation report.