Murekatete’s son, who is of school age, hasn't been able to attend school, mostly due to his in-born Locomotor (related to bones, joints, and muscles) disability, in addition to the financial constraints of his struggling parents.
However, since enrolling in the Remedial Education Programme that was introduced in Nyabihu District, where he stays with his family, he has started communicating through speech among other things. He was also supported with a wheelchair and has been attending school ever since.
Murekatete stated that she was only able to witness apparent development since his son was involved in this programme.
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The Remedial Education Programme, established in 2017, was meant to offer extra assistance and tailored support to students facing academic challenges, with the aim of improving their school performance.
The ending initiative was an effort of Imbuto Foundation, in partnership with UNICEF, to improve learning outcomes for struggling learners in primary school.
So far, Imbuto Foundation had established remedial learning clubs in 251 schools across 13 districts in the country, including 50 schools phased out in a pilot phase. Overall, the programme aimed to provide additional support and personalised attention to struggling students to enhance their academic performance.
As it reaches its end phase, Imbuto Foundation hosted a knowledge-sharing meeting, which took place at Kigali Convention Centre on September 27, with different stakeholders, to reflect on the journey of the remedial education programme, celebrate its successes, and critically analyse its outcomes.
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"The aim of the initiative was to help in shaping the future of educational and policy decisions, ensuring that the lessons learned are incorporated into mainstream education practices,” said Jackson Vugayabagabo, Director General of Imbuto Foundation.
He made a call to stakeholders for a collective effort to ensure a more inclusive, supportive, and effective education system that nurtures the potential of every student.
Among other accomplishments, Imbuto Foundation, with UNICEF’s support, provided radios to families with children in the remedial education programme to assist them in following class sessions using platforms, such as Radio Rwanda and National TV, which were created by REB in partnership with RBA. In turn, teacher mentors were mobilised to help the children by monitoring whether they were enrolled, retained, and progressing.
The two partners also initiated a summer camp in August 2022, for children who missed out on attending ECDs/nursery school and were about to begin primary one. During this activity, the children were encouraged and empowered to begin primary school prepared.
There are currently 281 remedial clubs in upper and 201 in lower primary, each with two teacher mentors.
Damascene Kagemura, a Director of Education in Nyagatare District, recommended expanding the programme countrywide so that more struggling students can benefit.
The Ministry of Education, Rwanda Basic Education Board, UNICEF, teacher mentors, parents and students, and the National Examination and School Inspection Authority, among others, were also present at the event, with the main call to action being to strengthen collaboration among partners and stakeholders to ensure continued support for struggling students in the country.