Transforming education in Rwanda

Rwanda’s commitment to providing quality education for all children includes the introduction of free basic education and a competence-based curriculum. The uptake of primary education is high with net enrollment near 99%. However, upon completing primary education, many children are not equipped with foundational skills.

The education system has high rates of repetition, dropout and over-age children. To unlock large-scale change, Rwanda is working with GPE and other partners to improve inclusive quality teaching and learning.

The government and partners agree on the need to boost foundational literacy and numeracy and will harmonize interventions to improve the quality of instruction at pre-primary and lower primary levels. Teachers will be trained in learner-centered and inclusive pedagogies and equipped with new teaching and learning materials that are better aligned with the curriculum.

Additionally, Rwanda aims to ensure timely enrolment in and progression throughout education. This requires mobilizing parents and communities to support education, constructing more pre-primary classrooms to increase enrollment, establishing early identification of children with disabilities, and implementing remedial learning programs.

Measures to enhance education sector management, such as improving the collection and use of gender and disability data, will help Rwanda to better serve all students, including the most vulnerable.

Result story

Rwanda: Education goes digital

  • Rwanda is producing almost 200 edutainment episodes for children in pre-primary education up to grade 3 to help strengthen foundational learning.
  • The episodes are accessible online as well as on radio and TV broadcasts, and offline via flash drives, so that learning can take place anywhere at any time.
  • GPE and the World Bank are supporting Rwanda's efforts to use technology to transform teaching and learning and help improve education quality and equity.

Key data

12%

out-of-school rate for children of lower-secondary school age

67%

of children start learning one year before entering primary school

76%

of primary teachers have the minimum required qualifications

15%

of government expenditure on education

Grants

(data as of November 13, 2024)

 
  • Type: System transformation

    Years: 2024 - 2028

    Allocation: US$31,290,000

    Utilization: 0

    Grant agent: UNICEF

  • Type: System capacity

    Years: 2024 - 2025

    Allocation: US$1,222,285

    Utilization: 0

    Grant agent: UNICEF

  • Type: System capacity

    Years: 2023 - 2024

    Allocation: US$1,177,715

    Utilization: US$486,757

    Grant agent: UNICEF

  • Type: Multiplier

    Years: 2022 - 2026

    Allocation: US$30,000,000

    Utilization: US$4,820,461

    Grant agent: WB

Civil society engagement

As part of its investment in civil society advocacy and social accountability efforts, GPE’s Education Out Loud fund is supporting Rwanda Education For All Coalition (REFAC) for the 2024-2026 period. This builds on previous support from the Civil Society Education Fund (CSEF).

Learn more

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September 03, 2024
Rwanda: Education goes digital
Rwanda is producing edutainment episodes to help strengthen students' foundational skills, with support from the World Bank and GPE.
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