KIGALI - 88 teachers’ trainers specializing in Mathematics and Science subjects are currently undertaking a ten-day training organized by the Japanese International Cooperation Agency (JICA) in Kigali. The programme that commenced on Monday under the theme; “Strengthening Mathematics and Science in Secondary schools (SMASSE)”, is run in collaboration with the Ministry of Education. The Executive Secretary of Teacher Service Commission, Emma Rubagumya, who represented the Minister of Education, requested participants to take the opportunity and use it to train other teachers. “Make sure that you present all teachers of Mathematics and Science in this training knowing that you will play the role model to educators and teachers at national, districts and school levels,” she urged participants. According to Rubagumya, the overall objective of the training was to improve on effective use of available teaching aids and improvisation. This group of trainers was selected to a undergo three phase training annually. The first was held in 2008. The coordinator of SMASSE Rwanda, Keiko Takahashi, said the project also operates in neighbouring countries and this has favoured the exchange of skills between teachers, noting an example of Kenyan experts who are among the training facilitators. Officially launching the second phase of In Service Education Training (INSET) on behalf of Minister of Education, Executive Secretary of Teacher Service Commission in Ministry of Education. “We all need to change that negative attitude which insists on complaining about the lack of teaching aids yet we do not even use the available ones and we do not improvise from the existing materials,” noted Rubagumya. Ends
