Rwanda Education Board and L3 share literacy practices in DC

Dr. Joyce Musabe, representing REB, and Norma Evans and Caroline Dusabe, representing L3, participated in International Literacy Day in Washington, DC, on September 7, 2012. The event was co-hosted by USAID, the Global Partnership for Education, and the Brookings Institute. The Rwanda Reads initiative, launched by REB and its partners in July 2012, aims to develop literacy skills and a culture of reading for enjoyment. The initiative brings together education stakeholders from both the public and private sectors. Dr. Musabe highlighted the establishment of new national reading standards for primary 3 and 5, which will inform the revision of curricula and the tracking of students' reading progress throughout primary school. REB, in collaboration with L3, will support the achievement of these goals through the development of new instructional materials, a professional development program for teachers, and efforts to increase students' access to quality reading materials. The Rwanda Reads initiative has received strong support from all levels of government, including the first lady and sector education officers. Dr. Musabe emphasized that the Prime Minister is well-informed about the project's components, such as mobile libraries and writer's workshops. This support is instrumental for the initiative's success. The Rwanda delegation also visited Oyster Adams Bilingual School in DC, which uses English and Spanish as languages of instruction. The school's literacy program emphasizes the use of story and guided, leveled reading in the classroom. The delegation's visit to Oyster Adams Bilingual School was an opportunity to learn from the school's literacy program. The program's emphasis on story and guided, leveled reading is similar to the work of the L3 initiative. L3's Dusabe stated that the delegation is "going in the right direction." The delegation also participated in the Mobile Education Alliance International Symposium on September 5-6 in DC, which aimed to highlight the innovative use of technology for supporting literacy education. The delegation was particularly interested in mobile technologies that distribute children's stories through mobile phones and allow teachers to search for words and stories containing the language sound they are teaching at that time. The Rwanda delegation is exploring the possibility of using these mobile technologies in Rwanda. Dr. Musabe stated that the team is already in contact with some organizations to inquire about these tools. The delegation believes that if these tools are being used in other countries, especially in Africa, they could be beneficial in Rwanda as well.