Literacy, Language and Learning Initiative (L3) Quarterly Report No. 1/2011

The initiative is a 5-year USAID-supported program that aligns with the Rwandan Ministry of Education's (MINEDUC) 5-year plan to improve educational quality. L3 will reinforce MINEDUC's capacity at the central and regional/local levels, develop new instructional materials for early grade literacy and numeracy, and provide teachers with quality in-service training. The training will incorporate three modes outlined in the Ministry's Education Sector Strategic Plan (ESSP): face-to-face training, school-based mentoring, and self-directed learning via video-based modules. Interactive radio instruction (IRI) will also be used to provide teachers with daily in-class scaffolding in effective literacy and numeracy instructional practices and all students with high-quality learning. Since August, the L3 Project Director has been dispatched to Rwanda to meet government partners and funders and begin office setup and recruitment. Senior staff, including the L3 Chief of Party (COP), Technical Director (TD), and Deputy Chief of Party (DCOP), have been recruited, and technical staff have been hired. The L3 staff have held consultative meetings with government, nongovernmental organizations, and other stakeholders and counterparts, and have met regularly with USAID counterparts. The L3 staff have also met with L3 subgrantees to finalize Scopes of Work, co-developed an annual workplan, and began the development of the L3 Performance Monitoring Plan (PMP). The L3 Project Director has reviewed Rwanda Labor Laws with staff and lawyers to align new policies and procedures, recruitment plans, and human resources issues. The L3 initiative has made significant progress in its first quarter, with the COP and TD attending the Joint Review of the Education Sector (JRES) on September 15th and 16th. They also set up meetings with key education partners, including UNICEF and the British Council, to get a sense of how far the Ministry has moved along its strategic plan and to present L3 initiative priorities. A situational analysis was conducted to gain a clear picture of the state of literacy and numeracy instruction in Rwanda. Field visits were made to primary schools and Teacher Training Colleges (TTCs) to observe classrooms and interview teachers, school principals, and college instructors. Terms of reference were drawn up for EDC literacy and numeracy experts to travel to Rwanda to continue the situational analysis. The L3 initiative has also engaged in various consultations with government, nongovernmental organizations, and other stakeholders and counterparts. These consultations have included meetings with UNICEF, VSO, DFID, Concern Worldwide, and IEE. The L3 staff have also convened several partner meetings with VSO, Concern, and IEE to review and align L3 project activities with evolving MINEDUC priorities and to develop partner Scopes of Work (SOW). The L3 initiative has made significant progress in its first quarter, with the COP and TD formally taking post in Rwanda and beginning project setup. A series of meetings with government, nongovernmental organizations, and other stakeholders were conducted, and preparation meetings were held with USAID counterparts. The L3 staff also convened several partner meetings with VSO, Concern, and IEE to review and align L3 project activities with evolving MINEDUC priorities and to develop partner Scopes of Work (SOW).