29 July 2009
Following a visit from a UK volunteer, lessons in one Rwandan primary school will never quite be the same again – to the delight of both pupils and teachers.
Amy Parker was posted to the Ecole Primaire Gatovu in the country’s South Province by the DFID-supported volunteering organisation VSO. With her background in education, it was Amy’s task to build on previous volunteers’ work and encourage more effective teaching methods in the school.
New approach
However, achieving this meant persuading staff to leave aside their traditional “chalk and talk” approach to taking lessons. As with many schools in Rwanda, pupils at Gatovu had long been expected to take a passive role in the learning process. The teacher would stand at the blackboard and reel off information that the class would dutifully memorise.
The educational gains from this kind of approach were limited, though. Pupils were rarely engaged by their lessons and the burden on the teacher, expected to perform for long stretches in front of a large class, was considerable.
Amy encouraged staff to adopt a more interactive teaching style – one that made use of real-life examples that children could easily identify with, put more emphasis on group-based work and allowed pupils to ask questions and think creatively.
Such changes are not always easily achieved in often overcrowded and under-resourced developing country schools, but Gatovu is keen to make whatever academic progress it can. With the support of the school’s director, Amy got the staff on board.
Skills for life
“The atmosphere was relaxed, friendly and controlled,” she says of the lessons she witnessed. “The pupils responded readily - a perfect example of how it really is possible to use (more interactive teaching methods) in Rwanda.”
Amy is a great advocate for this approach to teaching – “it encourages the pupils to work together and to apply what they learn…it’s about learning skills for life, not just for the moment,” she says – and is now keen to introduce it to more schools in the area.
She talks of how Gatovu could become part of a “centre of excellence” for surrounding schools, welcoming local teachers in to watch lessons and share resources. A big ambition, but one that continued support from organisations like VSO and volunteers like Amy should help to make a reality.
Facts and stats
- Amy works as a VSO volunteer and a Basic Education Methodology Trainer for the Diocese of Kigeme, Rwanda.
- Almost 95% of children in Rwanda enrol in primary school but only half of these complete their primary education.
- DFID is providing £89 million to VSO between 2008-11 through a Partnership Programme Arrangement.