Rwanda and Germany recently signed a €16 million (about Rwf27 billion) agreement for a project aimed at increasing girls’ participation in Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET). The Skills4Girls TVET Project will expand support to additional TVET schools and strengthen the existing scholarship programme, with a particular focus on young women. However, how are girls currently perfoming in TVET, and what is being done to encourage more of them to pursue technical careers, particularly in fields traditionally dominated by men? Paul Umukunzi, Director General of the Rwanda TVET Board (RTB), said the government and its partners are implementing a number of initiatives to increase girls’ participation in TVET. ALSO READ: Inside Rwanda’s plan to increase women enrollment in TVET One of the key interventions is the provision of scholarships to high-performing students from financially disadvantaged backgrounds, with girls receiving particular attention. “A good example is the recently signed €16 million Skills4Girls TVET Project, which aims to support an increase in the enrolment of female students into male-dominated TVET programmes,” Umukunzi told The New Times. He said the government is also improving accommodation facilities in TVET schools to create a more conducive learning environment, particularly for female students. In addition, girls are being encouraged to take up programmes traditionally considered male-dominated through career guidance and awareness initiatives. ALSO READ: Rwf 26bn project to boost girls’ participation in TVET How are girls performing compared with boys? Girls currently account for 43 percent of learners enrolled in TVET, compared with 57 percent boys. Although female participation remains lower than that of males, Umukunzi said girls perform at a similar level to their male counterparts. “The share of girls in TVET is currently at 43 percent, which is slightly low compared to the share of male learners, which is at 57 percent,” he said. “In terms of performance, female learners perform as well as their brothers, and their absorption into the labour market shows no difference compared to their brothers.” This means that the lower participation of girls is not linked to poorer academic or practical performance once they join TVET, he said. What is keeping more girls from joining TVET? Umukunzi identified stereotypes surrounding technical education as one of the main barriers to greater participation by girls. He said technical education has traditionally been viewed as a career pathway for men, a perception the government is seeking to change. “The main barrier is the existing stereotype which has portrayed technical education as a career pathway dedicated to male students,” he said. He added that the government is working to challenge such perceptions across different sectors of the economy, emphasising that technical careers should not be restricted based on gender. “There’s no career meant for men and not women. We are all equal, and that’s the image we are also putting forward in TVET,” Umukunzi said. He said female learners are encouraged to enrol in programmes traditionally dominated by men and that their performance shows they are capable of succeeding in those fields. How will the €16 million support be used? The €16 million support from Germany will be directed towards several interventions intended to increase the enrolment, retention and completion of girls in TVET. According to Umukunzi, part of the funding will go towards establishing infrastructure that is more conducive to female learners, including accommodation facilities and modern workshops in schools offering programmes where female enrolment remains low. The project will also provide scholarships to female students enrolled in male-dominated TVET programmes. Another component will support female learners transitioning from Basic TVET to higher education, including polytechnic programmes. RTB also plans to use the support for awareness campaigns aimed at encouraging more girls to enrol in programmes traditionally considered male-dominated. What does RTB expect to achieve? Umukunzi highlighted that the main expected outcome is an increase in the number of female learners enrolled in TVET programmes that are currently dominated by men. RTB also expects the initiative to contribute to more employment opportunities for female TVET graduates as well as greater participation in entrepreneurship. Beyond increasing enrolment figures, Umukunzi said the project is also expected to contribute to a change in attitudes among young Rwandan girls about their ability to pursue technology-related careers and create businesses across different sectors of the economy. The broader goal, he said, is to help girls see technical and vocational education as an opportunity open to them, rather than as a field reserved for men.
