Inside Rwanda’s plan to increase women enrollment in TVET

The government, in collaboration with its partners, is implementing a scholarship programme aimed at increasing the number of female students in technical and vocational education and training (TVET), with a focus on underrepresented sectors, according to the Minister of Education, Joseph Nsengimana. He said that this programme, which is already in motion, aims to enrol at least 4,000 more women in TVET courses. Nsengimana provided the information on Tuesday, February 18, during a session in which senators – members of the Committee on Social Affairs and Human Rights – wanted to get information on government initiatives for promoting TVET establishments. ALSO READ: Rwanda reviews education policy to align with market trends Regarding progress on the principle of gender equality and opportunities for all, Nsengimana said that, on average, girls/women account for 43 per cent of students in technical secondary schools (TSS), adding that the rate varies significantly across different trades. In some areas, female enrollment is less than 10 per cent, he indicated. He cited a school offering car mechanics, where there are eight female students, compared to more than 600 male students. “In this regard, we want to encourage girls so that they do not risk missing opportunities of engaging in such vocations,” he said, adding that, currently, there is equipment that helps people to lift very heavy objects. In polytechnics (which offer higher TVET education), Nsengimana said that overall, 30.7 per cent of students are female, while others [69.3 per cent] are male. The low enrollment of female students in TVET, he said, led to the institution of the scholarship programme meant for scaling up their numbers in TVET establishments. The programme is in line with Rwanda’s mission to close the gender gap in technical and vocational education and training. “Under these scholarships, we want to increase the number of girls [female students] by at least 4,000,” he said. ALSO READ: How vocational skills built hope for young women in Nyaruguru The intent of the particular programme, Nsengimana said, is to increase women enrollment in some specific areas where they are not enough. “And so it's a combination. One is to raise awareness, but also a scholarship so that they see the benefit of those areas,” he said. Programme timeframe and targeted areas Information The New Times received from the Ministry of Education shows that the TVET scholarship programme was launched last year [in 2024] and will run for five years. It is funded by the Government of Germany through its investment and development bank KfW, with a budget of €4 million. The scholarship supports students enrolled in Technical Secondary School (TSS) programmes from Level 3 (L3) to Level 5 (L5) in areas including agriculture, animal health, food, processing forestry, water and irrigation, wood technology, leather technology, manufacturing, technology, electrical technology, electronics and telecommunication, renewable energy, plumbing technology, automobile technology, and heavy machinery. This initiative aims to strengthen technical education and equip students with the skills needed for Rwanda’s growing industries, as per the Ministry of Education. ALSO READ: Target of 60% TVET enrolment by 2024 achievable - RTB boss Overall, Rwanda targets to increase the percentage of students enrolled in TVET – as a proportion of total students enrolled in upper secondary – from 43 per cent to 60 per cent, according to the 2024-2029 education sector strategic plan by the Ministry of Education. Key interventions to improve access to TVET include constructing Technical Secondary Schools of Excellence in all 30 districts and establishing Vocational Training Centres in every cell, the plan indicated, stating that additional measures include building 930 new classrooms, and 75 dormitories will also be constructed to ensure access to TVET. TVET trainees in level 1 to 5 (for both public and private schools) totalled 103,555 in the country in 2023, of whom 58,611 (or 56.6 per cent) were male, and 44,944 (or 43.4 per cent) were females, according to Rwanda Statistical Yearbook 2024 by National Institute of Statistics of Rwanda. Total students in polytechnics (both public and private) numbered 13,587, with 9,763 (or 71.9 per cent) being male, and 3,824 female, as per the same publication. Talking about challenges facing TVET sector in general, Nsengimana mentioned the fact that TVET education is expensive compared to general education, citing equipment that is required to enable students to acquire practical skills. This situation limits the acquisition of hands-on skills. “The government is putting in efforts so that such equipment and workshops increase,” he said.

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Inside Rwanda’s plan to increase women enrollment in TVET