The Ministry of Education has said some of the 26 innovative projects piloted three years ago to improve the quality of education in Rwanda will be scaled up.

Education minister Dr Papias Musafiri made the remarks at an international education conference in Kigali, yesterday, but emphasised that only projects that presented ‘promising results’ will be accorded more support.

"The promising ideas from these pilots will be scaled up by the ministry and its partners. We do not want good innovations to only end up as case studies, but rather for them to leave a legacy and give innovation a bigger role in Rwanda’s education sector,” he said.

To be considered as promising, a pilot project must have presented results in addressing issues related to the seven education categories, namely; the teaching methodology, learners’ participation in the learning process, school landscape, school leadership and management, inclusive education, parents and community engagement in education process and technical education

In 2012, an Innovation for Education fund was established to promote innovations in the education sector in a bid to boost the country’s quality of education.

Marc Van der Stouwe, the iInnovation for Education Rwanda team leader, said the projects also aim at turning the Ministry of Education into an innovation hub.

"Innovations for Education will lead the ministry to being a leader in innovations and ensure that its strategies, systems, structures and practices reflect what is required for the innovation to make a real impact on the education sector. We want innovation to be at the heart of all engagements by the ministry to ensure it is a hub for innovations,” he said.

Beula Gurukuri, a S5 student pursuing carpentry and wood technology at Rubengera Technical Secondary School in Karongi District, said the projects will also be a source of income for the owners. Gurukiri is part of a group designing a project where wooden letters and shapes could be used to stimulate creativity in pupils.

"Our project is already earning us money. For instance, some of the neighbouring schools have started to buy our wooden teaching aids. One letter is sold at Rwf100, while a pack of shapes is sold at Rwf12,000,” he said.

For Théoneste Niyonzima, whose project dubbed ‘Mubyeyi Tera Intambwe’, supported by the Imbuto Foundation to increase completion rates of basic studies through the support of community education workers, such as innovations, also seeks to ensure the welfare of both learners and the community.

He said, "For instance, we found that some children were dropping out of school due to conflict in their families.

We tried to handle the issue through our community education workers, which saw 9,844 student return to school in one year.”

The two-day conference is being held under the theme "The new way. Innovation for education in Rwanda”.

The best innovative ideas from innovators across the country will be awarded at the close of the event.

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