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It's back to school, but fix problems teachers are facing

Wednesday September 22 2021
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By RWANDA TODAY

Thousands of children will be returning to school next week across the country. But as many return to school, parents are worried about tuition and the welfare of their children.

Partly the concern is because many were left unemployed during the pandemic. Others are concerned about the level of preparedness to keep children at school safe from the coronavirus.

For teachers, many are struggling to meet the increasing expenses including buying more computers and classrooms to cater for hybrid teaching/ learning system as well as social distancing rules.

Many teachers particularly, in public schools say their budgets are overstretched not only because they have had to acquire new equipment but also hire competent teachers with the necessary digital skills to help children learn remotely.

They are asking the Treasury to release more funds to facilitate the programme.

Given that Rwanda faces competing development priorities, it is expected that the Treasury will not provide sufficient funds to schools.

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This calls for innovation among the educators to find ways to carefully deploy available limited resources and avoid wasteful expenditures that have become commonplace in public institutions as the Office of Auditor General has documented over the years.

For instance, while the Ministry of Education and its line agencies such as the Rwanda Education Board (REB) claim not to have sufficient resources, this week we heard during the Public Accounts Committee hearings that over 1 million mathematics textbooks in Kinyarwanda that cost REB over Rwf1.8 billion have been shelved after the medium of instruction for up to primary three changed from Kinyarwanda to English.

While in its defence, REB maintains that the books will be used, its response sounds like that of a spoilt child.

It is hard to imagine that an institution that maintains that it is under-funded can spend taxpayers' money on items that will gather dust on the shelves.

More important, is the need to ensure equitable access to communication, information, and technology tools in public schools. As schools reopen, the government must do more to ensure that it bridges the ongoing digital divide in schools as it appears that children in private schools are better resourced and prepared to continue hybrid learning.

Government should not overlook the fact that computers, modems, and Internet service providers (ISPs) are and remain expensive. They remain out of reach for many. Incentives are needed to lower the cost particularly for the most vulnerable.

Limited access to technology in vulnerable homes will translate into unequal learning outcomes at a time the country is struggling with the impact of Covid-19 that will force to reduce number of learner per classroom. We cannot achieve excellence in education without equity.

Every student needs adequate access to instructional resources and support services to achieve better learning outcomes