School, work and equity : educational reform in Rwanda

The goal of the reform was to provide universal access to a system specifically designed to meet Rwanda"s human resource needs. Following a review of Rwanda"s educational history since colonial times and of the agenda of the 1979 reform, this book evaluates the reform"s impact, with special focus on the issues of equity and human resource development. Part II describes the institutional structure of Rwandan education, covering the formal primary and secondary schooling systems; other relevant institutions, such as the national university and ministries concerned with education; and nonformal education and informal training programs. Part III looks at how Rwanda"s educational system relates to the country"s broader social and economic context, with emphasis on access to education and the issues of education for employment. A major criticism of the reform is its narrow and rigorous focus on vocational training, notably agricultural education at the upper primary level. Although this strategy was in vogue in 1970"s, experts now feel that vocational training is best reserved for short, pre-service programs, and that schools should aim at instilling solid science, math, and communications skills and so with developing a people capable of reacting flexibly to new demands and opportunities.