Well, dear readers, once again our Padri Vjeko School is in full swing. Our students are back to classes and our classrooms are very full! We had a surprising number of applicants for our programs this year. In our Tailoring program alone we have one hundred and fifty-six students!

Life here is not without challenges. If it is not fluctuating electricity, or broken water pipes, or student discipline problems, it is trying to keep up with the constant changes in the school curriculum. You see, the government of Rwanda is in the process of implementing a ‘competency’ based curriculum. This means that the TVET (Technical Vocational Education and Training) schools should have enough equipment, machines and supplies so that the students can gain actual experience and not just theory.

Here at Padri Vjeko Centre, we are very fortunate in that we actually have the needed equipment, and this is all because of you, our generous donors, who have helped us so much! And you can be sure that we work hard to maintain our precious machines, equipment and tools so that our students can learn their skills!

There have been a number of changes that the TVET schools are trying hard to accommodate as directed by the Rwandan government ministry – the WDA (Workforce Development Authority). For one thing, our schools are no longer going to be known by the names “TSS” (Technical Secondary School) and “VTC” (Vocational Training Centre). Instead, the TVET school program is now divided into levels with certificates awarded at the end of each level.

For example, our first year VTC students are now required to follow Level 1, and the next year they will follow Level 2. Our Senior 4 TSS students are following Level 3 and next year it will be Level 4, and the following year it will be Level 5. In each section (Tailoring, Carpentry, Construction, Welding, Electricity, Plumbing and Computer Science) there are “Assessment Projects” which the students are required to execute in order to complete the given modules.

We are pleased that we have already been using this type of system to teach our students their skills, so our teachers are ahead of the game in this respect. It is not an easy task to deal with all these changes and it is all a bit confusing because not only do our teachers have to implement the new curriculum for this year’s new students, they also have to continue with the former curriculum for our second and third year students.

Unfortunately, our VTC students are not allowed to take the next level after Level 2 because they do not have the nine years of academic education as required by the Government. So they will receive a TVET Foundational Certificate, while our TSS academic students (formerly known as Senior 4) will receive a Level 3/Certificate I award at the end of their first year of training and will be able to go on to the next two levels, Level 4 and Level 5.

So there you have it, dear readers! This is just to keep you up to date with the changes that are going on here in the TVET education system of Rwanda. We are so happy that because of your ongoing assistance and your interest, we are able to provide our students with a good education and competent skills so that they can go out into the workforce here in Rwanda and provide a living for themselves and for their families. Thank you again for all your help!