Training National Trainers

On the 8th and 9th of April a group of 60 National Teacher Trainers were brought together in Kanombe, Kigali from Rwanda and anglophone Uganda by the Ministry of Education (Mineduc) for a two day training workshop. The training was jointly run by the Ministry and IEE and was led by Meredith Pike-Baky who also led and designed the curriculum for our Teacher Training Program (TTP) at Kagugu P.S.


The two full days of workshops were meant to prepare the National Trainers for the following week where they would disperse across the country to train 3,000 District Teacher Trainers in five-day workshops.

The focus of this workshop was on learner-centered methodologies and building English skills. We taught lessons which had been piloted in the 5-week TTP at Kagugu which brought together 130 primary school teachers from six schools in three districts.

There was a real spirit and sense of collaboration and togetherness at Kanombe for these training workshops. This group of 60 National Trainers had met once before when they attended a similar training session in November and they will be brought together once again in July for further training. These trainers were chosen primarily for their English speaking abilities and will lead the transition from French to English as the language of instruction in Rwandan primary schools. We could all feel the excitement and sense of camaraderie as they sang English songs in unison. Every class began with a song to have the trainers physically and mentally engaged and warmed up for the class to begin. On the first class on the first day, the trainers were excited but hesitant and a bit unsure of the words and moves. By the end of the workshop all 60 trainers were stomping, clapping, and singing in unison which was followed by big smiles, a loud applause, and many happy handshakes.



Each trainer was proud to accept their IEE-Mineduc certificates upon completing the workshop. These trainers should be proud. They are leading the way in pushing Rwanda's education system forward and with it the development of the entire country. The task is big and the responsibility is even bigger but these 60 National Trainers seem ready and willing to take on the challenge and IEE is equally ready to support them in their mission.