ECE Rwanda

Our objective is to improve the quality and accessibility of Early Childhood Education (ECE) in Rwanda and to strengthen the role of parents and communities in supporting children’s learning.

The project is implemented with EU Twinning support in cooperation with the Ministry of Education of the Republic of Lithuania and the Ministry of Education of Rwanda.

HAMK participates in the project as a Junior Partner, contributing expertise in pedagogy, teacher education, training content development and community-based approaches to learning.

Project description

Rwanda is developing its Early Childhood Education system to strengthen the quality of provision and the establishment of coherent and harmonised structures nationwide. This EU Twinning project supports the reform process by providing international expertise over a two-year implementation period.

HAMK contributes pedagogical, teacher education and community-based learning expertise across the project components. The project includes short-term expert missions to Rwanda, during which trainings, workshops, assessments and development activities are carried out in close cooperation with local stakeholders.

The project strengthens::

• pedagogical approaches in Early Childhood Education
• the professional competences of teachers and teacher trainers
• community-based learning and service delivery models
• the role of parents and local communities in supporting children’s learning
• governance, monitoring and management structures of Early Childhood Education

Target groups

• Early Childhood Education teachers and teacher trainers in Rwanda
• Local education and administrative authorities
• Ministry of Education (Rwanda)
• Local communities, parents and other ECE stakeholders

Geographical scope

The project is implemented at national level in Rwanda. HAMK experts participate in joint development activities as part of the Twinning consortium. The work is carried out primarily in Rwanda through expert missions and collaborative activities.

Project components and activities

Component 1 – Expanded access to Early Childhood Education and community-based ECE

This component focuses on an in-depth review of policy measures related to expanding access to Early Childhood Education and pre-primary education, evidence-based research and strategic development in Rwanda.
The main objective is to develop a comprehensive ECE and pre-primary education expansion plan, aligned with the national priorities of Rwanda’s Education Sector Strategic Plan and based on international best practices in Early Childhood Education.

Component 2 – Improving the quality of Early Childhood Education

This component provides European expertise for the development of training programmes and teaching and learning materials for pre-primary teachers, in cooperation with the Rwanda Education Board and other relevant stakeholders.
The focus is on play-based learning approaches and their effective implementation in early learning environments.

Component 3 – Strengthening monitoring of quality and performance in Early Childhood Education

This component supports the National Examination and School Inspection Authority (NESA) in the systematic revision of the pre-primary inspection framework by integrating concrete and measurable indicators to monitor the implementation of play-based pedagogical approaches.

Component 4 – Community-based support for learning

This component develops models to strengthen parental and community engagement in supporting children’s learning and promotes community-based Early Childhood Education approaches.

Expected impact

The project is expected to:

• improve equity and quality in Early Childhood Education in Rwanda
• strengthen the professional capacities of teachers and teacher trainers
• enhance the ability of communities to support children’s learning
• deepen HAMK’s international expertise and Twinning implementation capacity
• contribute to sustainable partnerships for the development of education systems in Africa