The “Student Technology Champion”, an ICT programme supposed to enhance “project-based learning skills” among primary school teachers, has been suspended due to lack of sufficient funds.
The programme started on October 30 with a two-week Training of Teachers (TOT) course targeting volunteer university students and primary school teachers, but foundered thereafter. It had been co-organised by the National University of Rwanda (NUR) which is still implementing part of the project.
Dr. Evode Mukama, the Deputy Director General of ICT at Rwanda Education Board (REB), said that his department did not have a sufficient budget to fund the programme as it was still in its formative stages.
“We had to push for the programme though our funding was limited; otherwise, we would not have achieved even the little we did,” he said.
“In fact, what we did was sponsored by our partners, NUR”.
25 volunteers benefited from the TOT, according to Mukama. In an earlier interview, he had indicated that the programme targeted 34 primary school teachers and 30 volunteer university students. The 64 trainers were to be dispatched across the country to train more teachers who would then teach their pupils.
Over 120 primary school children were also equipped with relevant skills in the “ICT for Kids” initiative, which ran alongside the programme.
REB aimed to impart 1,000 teachers with ICT learning skills by June 2012.
Mukama noted that his office is in talks with officials of related programmes including, “One Laptop per Child” and “Rwanda Education Commons” to help it in financing the ICT project. The project will be re-launched as soon as the funds are available.
New Times
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