When Elissa Niyonkuru, a Senior Six student at the Teacher Training College (TTC) Muhanga, confidently rose from among a crowd of students gathered in the school hall and walked onto the stage to share his transformative learning journey, the room erupted in applause. “With Ms. Kuwano Izumi- a former JICA volunteer at Muhanga TTC-, every experiment was fascinating because she never simply gave us the answers; instead, she guided us to discover them ourselves. She taught us that science is not just about chemicals, formulas, and experiments, but also about hard work, collaboration, and perseverance. Even when our experiments did not go as planned, she showed us that failure is a part of life - but giving up is a mistake we must avoid. he said. Niyonkuru’s schooling changed when volunteers from the Japan Overseas Cooperation Volunteer (JOCV) of the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) joined the school community. “When I was in Ordinary Level, I had never experienced practical experiments in subjects such as chemistry. I kept wondering how chemistry could help me in real life, but I could not fully understand it because we rarely practiced what we were learning,” he said. Today, students preparing to become professional teachers regularly conduct hands-on experiments to complement classroom theory, with the support of JICA volunteers. “We conduct research and practical experiments. We learn by seeing and doing. JICA volunteers guided us in producing liquid soap samples. As we are about to complete secondary school, we hope to use these practical skills to produce soap on a larger scale,” he added. At TTC Muhanga, JICA volunteers work alongside teachers and students to strengthen science and mathematics education. Powering the Next Generation of Teachers Rwanda has placed human capital development at the heart of its long-term vision of building a knowledge-based society. JICA volunteer programmes are among the initiatives contributing to this vision. Furthermore, JICA provides broader support through technical cooperation programmes with Japanese experts, to enhance in-service teacher training, strengthen pre-service teacher education, and integrate digital tools into everyday learning. “The Project to Strengthen Primary School Mathematics and Science with the use of ICT (PRISM)” aims to improve the quality of education across all TTCs nationwide, in collaboration with the Rwanda Education Board (REB), by utilizing an e-learning platform. This project has improved the teaching of mathematics and science, as well as teaching methods, and is helping to prepare competent future primary school teachers through the use of ICT. For students like Nadine Ikirezi, a Senior Five student at TTC Muhanga, digital tools have transformed learning. “With online books and digital materials, learning does not stop when printed books are unavailable,” she said. “We can easily conduct research and access online books because printed copies are not sufficient for the number of students. Through the digital system, I can read books online, follow the syllabus provided by teachers and take quizzes prepared by them.” The platform has also helped connect students with schools in Japan, building a bridge of friendship through technology and curiosity. “We exchanged culture, language, music and even dances. We learned from them, and they learned from us. It created friendships we never expected,” she added. Teachers, too, have benefited. Jean Bosco Hategekimana, a science teacher, said he used to spend about five days marking 50 students’ test papers after each examination. “Today, students receive their results immediately after assessment because tests are prepared digitally and marking is automatic,” he said. Additionally, teachers can analyze test-result data to gain detailed insights into student comprehension levels and use this information to improve their lessons. A milestone gathering in Muhanga On February 21, the JICA Rwanda Office hosted a community-level celebration marking the 20th anniversary of its presence in Rwanda and the 60th anniversary of the global JOCV programme. The event, held at TTC Muhanga, brought together over 800 students, teachers, government partners, and volunteers. Participants reflected on two decades of JICA contributions to Rwanda and the long history of the volunteer programme. To date, nearly 400 JICA volunteers have been deployed to Rwanda, including 31 currently serving two-year assignments. Worldwide, more than 57,000 volunteers have participated in the programme. Attendees included representatives from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, the Embassy of Japan in Rwanda, the Bishop of Shyogwe Anglican Church Diocese, and senior leaders from Muhanga District and partner schools. JICA Chief Representative Minako Shiotsuka reaffirmed the agency’s mission to promote human security and quality growth. “The celebration was held in a school setting to reflect our value on person-to-person relationships as well as strong engagement in the education sector. We started with science and mathematics education and have recently expanded to promoting ICT to improve learning quality,” she said. Since reopening its office in 2005, JICA has supported Rwanda’s national development priorities across infrastructure, agriculture, water, ICT, and human resource development. Marie Elise Umulisa, Director responsible for South and East Asia Affairs at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, highlighted the transformative impact of the volunteer programme. “The volunteers’ activities have transformed the lives of Rwandan communities. Japan continues to play an important role in national development towards Vision 2050, and our cooperation has grown tremendously,” she said. Ms. Umulisa also encouraged students in the audience to work hard and acquire the specialized knowledge shared by JICA volunteers in their schools, emphasizing that these collaborative efforts are directly contributing to the well-being of Rwandans. As part of the celebration, Kitamura Kengo, a JICA volunteer physical education teacher, led sports activities. The celebration also featured cultural performances and interactive exchanges between Japanese volunteers and Rwandan students. JICA was established in 1974 as the development cooperation agency of the Government of Japan. It opened its Rwanda Office in 1987. After a period of closure, it reopened in 2005, marking a renewed commitment to development cooperation between the two countries. Twenty years since the reopening of the JICA Rwanda Office in 2005 — highlighting two decades of sustained partnership and cooperation.
