Rwanda is strengthening how education data is used in schools across the country. Through a nationwide training program, over 8,000 school leaders across nearly 5,000 schools across the country are gaining the skills to interpret and apply data in their day-to-day decision-making. Rwanda’s Ministry of Education (MINEDUC) and Laterite completed a six-week capacity-building program to strengthen data use among school leaders across the country. The program marks a major country milestone delivered under the Education and Skills Data Challenge (ESDC)—a five-year, 30-country initiative led by the Association for the Development of Education in Africa (ADEA) in partnership with the Mastercard Foundation Centre for Innovative Teaching and Learning (CITL).
A new highlight video from the program captures perspectives from government leaders, partners, and school leaders involved in the initiative.
Rwanda’s Ministry of Educaiton
Jean Claude Hashakineza, Director General of Education Communications at Rwanda’s MINEDUC, emphasizes the importance of grounding decisions in evidence. For teachers and school leaders, he explains, this means being data-driven and responsive to what is happening on the ground in schools.
Association for the Development of Education in Africa
Albert Nsengiyumva, Executive Secretary of the Association for the Development of Education in Africa (ADEA), notes that Rwanda has already invested heavily in education and skills data systems. But the reality is, many users have not yet been equipped with the skills needed to enter, analyze, and use this data effectively.
Rwandan school leaders
The training program focuses on Rwanda’s School Data Management System (SDMS). One school leader shares that the training helped him understand how to use the platform and how the information he enters contributes to decision-making across the education system.
Laterite
According to Dr. Catherine Honeyman, Laterite’s Rwanda Country Director, the program is already helping shift mindsets among school leaders. As they build confidence working with data, they are also beginning to see how the information they report becomes meaningful for planning and decision-making at school, district, and national levels.
Centre for Innovative Teaching and Learning at the Mastercard Foundation
Wariko Waita, Director of the Centre for Innovative Teaching and Learning at the Mastercard Foundation, highlights Rwanda’s role as the first country to implement this initiative under the Education and Skills Data Challenge. Lessons from Rwanda will help inform similar efforts in up to 30 countries across Africa.
The goal, she notes, is to understand what works and what is relevant—ultimately supporting education systems that equip young people across the continent for dignified and fulfilling work.
The video above shares some of the voices and experiences behind this effort to strengthen evidence use in Rwanda’s education system.
Read more about the ESDC program in Rwanda conducted under ADEA’s Education and Skills Data Challenge initiative.