The last part of our trip focused on education. We first visited the Rubingo primary school located in the Gasabo district outside of Kigali. The ride to the school was surreal as a storm was coming, forcing the clouds to shift to the top of the hill where the school is located. Fog blurred our view of the community but we were able to get a good idea of the character once we arrived at the school.
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| © U.S. Fund for UNICEF/Rusanganwa |
Located in a rural community, this UNICEF-built school has over 1,220 children enrolled - almost equal with boys and girls. One of 50 similar schools country-wide, there are only 18 teachers which results in a large student to teacher ratio. The goal is to reach 1:55, teacher to students, which is still difficult to manage but there is a lot of outside help.
The Parents' Association has been volunteering in the food, nutrition and recreation programs and teachers are being trained by some partner NGOs, creating a model child-friendly environment. The curriculum is set at the National level but an additional component is added to these schools, of which there are 20 schools participating. A mentorship program aides students to consider a path to take once they finish school. This project is too new to have measurable results but it is another indicator of hope and planning for a successful future.
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| © U.S. Fund for UNICEF/Rusanganwa |
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| © U.S. Fund for UNICEF/Rusanganwa |
It is a beautiful school with a dedicated team of educators who will be sure to lead the students to success. I should note that there were some students who came to school just to meet us to sing for us. Their beautiful voices were a warm welcome for us and it was flattering that they would come to school during the break to meet us. That's a pretty good indication of the motivation level!