Global Learning Portal Guest

Five Government ministers attended the opening session today of a workshop to build partnership around ICT in education in Rwanda, attended by 150 people from inside and outside Rwanda, including representatives of IT companies, donors, international non-profits, and decision makers. Ministers present were The Minister of Education, Dr. Daphrose Gahakwa, the Minister of Science, Technology and Scientific Research, Prof. Romain Murenzi, the Minister of Information, Mrs. Louise Mushikiwabo, the Minister of Youth, Protais Mitali and the Minister in charge of Cabinet Affairs Dr. Charles Muligande

Opening remarks were made by Prof. Murenzi, Mrs. Mushikiwabo, and Dr. Gahakwa. Dr. Gahakwa also read a message of greetings by the Prime Minister, who was prevented from attending by other engagements.

The workshop, organized by MINEDUC and the Global Learning Portal (a non-profit organization based in Washington, D.C. was part of a two-day event for public- and private-sector partners from inside and outside Rwanda on information and communications technologies in and for education. From the workshop emerged concrete offers of collaboration from a number of international and national partners. These include offers of expertise, equipment, collaboration in identifying solutions to specific problems, and promises to maintain a partnership approach to dealing with the Government. Next steps will be the building of a concrete network for collaboration and coordination among all the partners.

On June 3, there were two events, bringing together more than 40 participants. The first was a presentation of a training plan over two years for teachers and teacher trainers by Mindset, a South African group with extensive experience in this field. The plan includes a series of interlocking workshops designed to teach teachers to develop and use their own multi-media teaching and learning materials. This initiative is funded by USAID, through Rwanda Education Commons (REC). REC is an approach to working in ICT in education by offering information, training, and the means for stakeholders to collaborate.

On June 4, 150 participants attended a bigger event -- included many Rwandans directly involved in teaching or in supporting the teaching profession, such as representatives of the Kigali Institute of Education -- national IT companies, government agencies with responsibilities for IT, and representatives of more than a dozen international IT companies.

The objectives of the meeting were to engage in a task-based dialogue between all these actors to strengthen the capacity for the use of ICTs in education, and to accelerate implementation. The principal means by which these objectives will be achieved is through reinforced multi-stakeholder partnerships, with clear commitments, real coordination, and active collaboration.

The morning consisted of speeches by the Ministers and a panel presentation and discussion bringing together nine IT company representatives and the Vice President of One Laptop Per Child (OLPC) who has set up a learning center in Rwanda. Members of the panel described solutions for connectivity, quality improvement in materials, various means for training and capacity building, and gave examples of successes in other countries.

The meeting generated a number of outcomes. These include concrete promises of collaboration from CISCO, Microsoft, Sun Microsystems, OLPC, and others. They also include records of the proceedings and promises of continued dialogue that will be made publicly available on line.