Academics urged to be innovative

Educators have been urged to come up with innovations that would enhance the education sector. The call was made yesterday by Prof Eugene Ndabaga, a lecturer at the University of Rwanda’s College of Education, during the Fifth Innovation Fair in Kigali. “You need to be innovative to boost our education sector, especially by using locally available teaching material instead of relying on those manufactured abroad which are mostly expensive,” he advised. “Local teaching tools will inspire learners to repeat what was demonstrated, which is not possible with the use of those manufactured from factories”, Ndabaga said. “For instance, our friends in the banking business improve their business by introducing new and innovative services. For us in the education sector, we also need innovations to improve our education , especially its quality”, he mentioned. Aloysie Girabawe, a teacher of SOPEM Rukomo in Nyagatare District, showcases the electrolysis of how sweet potatoes can power calculators, watches and other electronic tools that use less than two volts yesterday at Kigali Innovation fair for education. Hope Tumukunde, the Vice Mayor in charge of Social Affairs in the City of Kigali, said innovations should help bring solutions to the current challenges facing the education sector “We need to come up with new ideas that make learning easier and friendly for learners,” she noted. Joseph Habiyaremye, a lecturer at Integrated Polytechnic Regional Centre (IPRC) Kigali, who also invented the ‘Day School Student Tracking System’ (DSSTS) and the ‘High School Monitoring System’ (HSSMS), said he wanted to address the problem of students who skip school or those who go elsewhere rather than to their homes after the school. Dr Paul Atherton DFID Education Advisor gives remarks at the Kigali Innovation fair for education yesterday at the College of Science and Technology. “I was really convinced that some students skip school or go elsewhere rather than to their home. This often landed them into unlawful activities,” he said. “With the DSSTS and HSSMS, the contact number of the student is linked with the full identification of the student. When a student enters or gets out of school, the card containing the full identification is put onto a card reader at the main gate. The parents are automatically informed when their child enters or goes out the school which enables them to monitor the child’s movements”, he explained. Aloysie Girabawe, a teacher from SOPEM Rukomo in Nyagatare District, who made an electrolysis out of sweet potatoes that can power calculators, watches and other electronic tools that use less than two volts, said she wanted to solve the problem of laboratory equipment, especially for schools in rural areas. “Many of our schools do not have science laboratories, but this does not mean that they do not have to teach sciences. They have to think big to deliver properly what they are supposed to deliver,” she pointed out. “As a teacher of Chemistry, I wanted to solve the problem myself, and then I tried to make something that helps me demonstrate electrolysis to my students using two sweat potatoes, a nail (made in Zinc) and two copper wires, a process that powers an electronic apparatus using between one and two volts”. A student showcases how fit they are while at the Kigali Innovation fair for education yesterday at the College of Science and Technology. (All photos by Doreen Umutesi) The Kigali Innovation fair for education is part of a series of exhibitions held across the country where teachers, parents, and others involved with education sector showcase their innovations aiming to boost the sector. The Fifth Innovation Fair held in Kigali follows previous ones held in the four provinces. They are expected to contribute to the 2013-2018 Education Sector Strategic Plan aimed at expanding access to education at all levels, improving the quality of education and training, and strengthening the relevance of education and training to meet labour market demands. editorial@newtimes.co.rw

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Academics urged to be innovative