The Senate Committee on Social Affairs and Human Rights has recommended a review of Rwanda’s curriculum for technical and vocational education and training (TVET) to align it with current needs and the realities of communities in which TVET schools are located. This suggestion was made on Wednesday, February 19, during an assessment of TVET education in the country in a session that was attended by heads of Rwanda TVET Board (RTB), the National Examination and School Inspection Authority (NESA), Rwanda Basic Education Board (REB). ALSO READ: More Rwandans embracing technical, vocational education Senator Jean Pierre Dusingizemungu underscored the need to reassess teaching approaches in Rwanda’s TVET schools, emphasizing quality training to enhance outcomes. “TVET schools should meet local needs and spend as little money as possible. For example, we can produce didactic materials locally instead of importing them,” Dusingizemungu said. “We should also revisit our school mapping. If a place grows coffee, we need to establish a TVET school that teaches coffee roasting, with facilities for processing raw coffee into the final product. “Similarly, if an area grows groundnuts, we need a school there that teaches how to extract and add value to the produce,” he added. The Senator also called for a dialogue involving all stakeholders and partners to discuss ways to enhance the quality of TVET schools, ensuring they produce highly skilled professionals. ALSO READ: Key achievements in Rwanda’s TVET sector highlighted at 2024 conference “There is a way we can use a cohort system so that if an airport is going to be constructed in an area, we train a cohort of students and prepare them for the upcoming project. If a road is to be built, we teach and train people who will be directly involved in that particular activity,” Dusingizemungu said. The deputy chairperson of the Senate committee Cyprien Niyomugabo emphasized the potential of TVET schools drive economic development when they are properly studied and well supported. “TVET schools are among the key factors that will greatly contribute to a country's development. Countries like Germany and others in Asia achieved rapid growth through TVET development,” Niyomugabo said. “TVET schools should be strategically distributed based on the student population and district size, rather than being built only near district offices. This approach will also drive infrastructure development, as the construction of a school brings along additional infrastructure.” ALSO READ: Rwanda secures over $100m to set up TVET centres of excellence Senator Epiphanie Kanziza emphasized the importance of building TVET schools that offer practical training and ensuring and meet the needs of local citizens. “There should be a strong relationship between TVET schools and local citizens. We need to evaluate what a school brings to the community and what the community contributes in return,” Kanziza said. “Local citizens should be the first beneficiaries of these schools, and TVET institutions should maintain a direct link with their clients.” According to Paul Umukunzi, the Director General of Rwanda TVET Board, the government has signed 500 memoranda of understanding (MoUs) with private companies to strengthen industrial attachment for TVET students. “We are working closely with industries, which offer our students nine months of internship. We also ensure that we assess the needs of locals before selecting students for industrial attachments. Our target is to have at least one TVET school at the sector level,” Umukunzi told the Senate. Among other plans, he said, the TVET board envisions the duo training programme to be a game changer, with 50 per cent of learning gotten from theory and the other 50 per cent dedicate to practical experience in industries. ALSO READ: Private sector advocates for practical education He emphasized that the country focuses on TVET centers of excellence to train qualified individuals certified on at the international level. “Of course, TVET school curriculum needs to be revised in terms of our teaching approach. We are preparing an international conference in May that will bring together ministerial forums, the private sector actors, and ICT chambers to provide a new direction for TVET and ensure that all these major projects in our country have certified employees,” Umukunzi said. “We also need a law on procurement procedures, where if a company wins a bid, it should be obligated to hire some TVET graduates.”
