Greetings dear readers. I am writing to tell you of a recent visit with had at Padri Vjeko Centre by some very important people! The Director General of WDA (Workforce Development Authority), a representative from VVOB (a Belgian Organization), a representative from the Embassy of Switzerland, a representative from USAID, a representative from GIZ (a German organization) and a representative from Rwanda Polytechnic (Office of Registration) all came to visit our school. These delegates are on a fact-finding mission to establish why the quality of education at the various TVET locations throughout Rwanda are not achieving the expected results.

It was an important visit because these representatives asked some very good questions and received honest answers from us. They had a chance to visit all the trade locations of Padri Vjeko Centre and I am pleased to report that they were very impressed with what we are doing here in Kivumu. They were in admiration of our equipment and machines (and the fact that we maintain everything in good working order) and also the way we are delivering the program of education.

You see, the first problem that has to be faced and resolved is the new curriculum that was given out to the schools three years ago. It is far too ambitious, lacks organization and is missing a great deal of important information. We, at Padri Vjeko Centre, deliver the program as best we can, but we also supplement a great deal of it with more valuable training and theory that has not been included. The next problem that the centers are facing is the lack of truly qualified teachers for the material that needs to be delivered. As well, the assessment projects included in the new curriculum are outrageously impractical and lack true learning value, with the times given to complete the projects unrealistic and for this reason, confusion results.

This group of people are the ones who are in position to effect the changes that are needed for a better program. We are hoping that, as a result of this visit, some kind of collaborative effort might develop between the various ministries/organizations and Padri Vjeko Centre that will eventually give all the TVET training centers in the country a chance for presenting a program of study that is more organized, more progressive in nature and one that eliminates the confusion that exists in the present curriculum.

Only by doing this, and by focusing on improving the capacity of the training staff at all the TVET centers, will the level of quality in the various institutions improve.

So we are hopeful that something positive will come out of this recent visit to our Centre. The upcoming national practical exams that are happening starting next week, where the students have to prove their ability to complete a given project, will no doubt prove that the TVET education system is in great need of improvement....That is, if everything is assessed equitably and honestly and uses the same standard of marking at every institution responsible for holding these assessments on their premises. If this is done, it will no doubt prove that the present curriculum is sadly lacking in it’s ability to achieve the desired level of quality. And it is important to realize that it is our students, the youth who are the future of Rwanda, whose very lives are in our hands. If we fail them, we fail to create a better future for Rwanda.

Edited by Valerie Kae Ken