USAID Develops Primary 4 Instructional Materials to Support New Curriculum

The initiative, in partnership with the Rwanda Education Board, produced materials for Primary 4 English and mathematics. The materials include detailed teacher guides, story collections, textbooks with stories and activities, and interactive audio programs for English, and a detailed teacher guide with examples of activities, games, and chants for mathematics. The materials were distributed to 2,478 public and government-aided primary schools at the beginning of the 2016 academic year. A total of 400,000 books were produced, including English materials with teacher guides, story collections, textbooks, and interactive audio programs. The mathematics materials feature a detailed teacher guide with examples of activities, games, and chants to engage students and develop problem-solving skills. The new curriculum aims to teach students vital skills, such as literacy and critical thinking, which can be applied in their daily lives. The initiative's goal is to strengthen teaching and learning so that children leave primary school with solid literacy and numeracy skills. The materials complement the new curriculum to support effective teaching and child-centered learning in primary schools, contributing to quality education in Rwanda. The Literacy, Language, and Learning Initiative has distributed more than 7 million teacher guides, story collections, and reading books as well as 14,000 mobile phones loaded with audio lessons for Primary 1 to 3 to public and government-aided schools nationwide. The initiative is funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and implemented by Education Development Center (EDC) in collaboration with partners and the Ministry of Education's Rwanda Education Board. The development of quality materials like these is crucial for literacy and future prosperity, which is why USAID is investing in the initiative. The materials are not only full of rich content but also include new instructional methods that are exciting for both teachers and students. The initiative's Deputy Mission Director, Marcia Musisi-Nkambwe, emphasized the importance of literacy as the foundation of learning and future prosperity.