5 October, 2015, Kigali – Teachers are the key to sustainability and national capacity in achieving learning and creating societies based on knowledge, values and ethics.

Great strides have been made in terms of improving access to education in Rwanda, at 96% primary school enrollment rate and the growth in the transition of children in poor households from primary to secondary schools, from just 15% in 2000 to 58% in 2010. In more recent years, Rwanda has revised its primary and secondary curriculum from a knowledge based to a competence based curriculum. The successful implementation and delivery of the new curriculum largely depends on the capacity of the teachers to deliver quality education to students.

The World Teachers’ Day celebrations in Rwanda were conducted in all the 416 administrative sectors in the country. While quality teachers have always remained at the heart of quality education, there have been gaps in the provision of quality education due to less empowered teachers. In this regard, the Ministry of Education has reaffirmed the government’s commitment to improve the delivery of quality education to create a more enabling environment for teaching and learning.

Speaking at the World Teachers’ Day celebrations at Kimisagara One-Stop Employment Centre in Kigali, the Minister of state for Primary and Secondary Education, Olivier Rwamukwaya, in his opening remarks noted that “teachers are a source of knowledge“ and recognized the indispensable role that teachers play in nation building and shaping the country’s future. He also touched upon policies that are “geared at improving teachers’ welfare and the government remains committed to that.”

The Rwanda Education Board has taken various initiatives to encourage and promote teaching professionalism that contribute to quality education and the welfare of teachers. Among them include the implementation of performance evaluation and appraisals for teachers, and access to loans through Savings and Credit Cooperatives (SACCOs). In addition, other income generating initiatives like rototational donation of cows to best performing teachers have contributed to empowering and retaining teachers in the teaching profession. More than 4,000 teachers has benefitted from such initiatives.

Minister Rwamukwaya also pledged to maintain capacity building programmes through different in-service trainings and refresher courses, particularly in English and nursery teaching. He noted, “To continuously improve the social welfare of teachers, government will continue to strengthen the existing policies while thinking of others that would help uplift teachers,” the minister said in a statement.

In addition, the Minister Rwamukwaya also noted of the role that the parents have in education. He called for closer collaboration among parents and teachers in enhancing the learning process that can bring tangible results. He explained, “It’s crucial for the parent to provide all the scholastic materials for the child, encourage the child to revise their books and do homework. Also remember to sit down with the teacher so as to understand the daily life and behaviors of the student at school; this would lead to good academic performance and quality education”.

The World Teacher’s Day was celebrated to highlight the role of teachers in providing quality education at all levels under the theme “Empowering teachers, building sustainable societies”. This year’s celebration came just after the adoption of the new Sustainable Development Goals (SGDs) in September in New York. It is recognized that teachers are not only a means to implementing education goals; they are the key to sustainability and national capacity in achieving learning and creating societies based on knowledge, values and ethics.

UNESCO promotes the awareness, understanding and appreciation displayed for the vital contribution that teachers make to education and development. Challenge for education systems around the world still remains and adequate attention is needed to examine the factors affecting teacher effectiveness, such as policies on training, recruitment, deployment, management, assessment and professional development. Together with our partners, we work to mobilize support for teachers and to ensure that the needs of future generations will continue to be met by teachers.