The Ministry of Education has reaffirmed the government’s commitment to improve the welfare of teachers. The State Minister for Primary and Secondary Education, Olivier Rwamukwaya, in a message ahead of today’s World Teachers’ Day celebrations, said besides training, the government is mindful of teachers’ other broader needs. Rwamukwaya stressed the need for quality education as a cornerstone to sustainable development. The role of the teacher is indispensable in the education of the young generation who are the future leaders of this country, but quality education requires collaboration between all stakeholders, he said. The minister outlined several steps that government would take to continue empowering teachers. These include awarding outstanding teachers through a programme, ‘Girinka Mwalimu’, facilitating teachers to buy computers through teachers’ Savings and Credit Co-operatives (Umwalimu SACCO), and support to SACCOs to ease teachers’ access to credit to attend to their broader needs such as housing, education and investment in personal development projects, among others. “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. Minister Rwamukwaya also pledged to maintain capacity building programmes through different in-service trainings and refresher courses. The ministry, he said, would continuously support teacher training programmes, particularly in English and nursery teaching. Meanwhile, Rwamukwaya called on parents not to leave their role of parenting and other responsibilities to teachers. “It’s crucial for the parent to provide all the scholastic materials for the child, encourage the child to revise their books and do home work. 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,” he said. The United Nations World Teachers’ Day falls on October 5 to celebrate the role of teachers in providing quality education at all levels. “Empowering teachers, building sustainable societies” is the World Teachers’ Day slogan for 2015. It is recognised 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. Minister Rwamukwaya said government remains committed to do its best to make teaching a dignified profession in society. editorial@newtimes.co.rw
