The Ministry of Education has launched a National Plan for Teaching and Learning of French in Rwanda to respond to the Government of Rwanda decision taken in 2018 to use French Language broadly across sectors including education, training and business.

The 4-year plan, funded by the French Development Agency (AFD), intends to reinforce French teaching in all education levels in Rwanda, Valentine Uwamariya, the Minister of Education said while launching it on Friday, April 01, 2022.

She said that French was being taught in Rwanda, but not in all schools, Also, she said, there was a lack of strengthening the proficiency of teachers in French.  

Referring to the development, she said the French curricula for all the education levels were being prepared in partnership with the French agency which has expertise in this language, adding that the implementation of the plan will start with the next academic year – 2022/2023 (beginning September 2022).

 “We have officially launched the teaching of French in our schools from primary to university level,” Uwamariya said.

She indicated that the initiative is in line with Rwanda’s vision 2050 to have competent citizens.

“Rwanda’s position is to have a Rwandan who is capable of being successful on the international stage. This requires being competent, being able to communicate with partners either in terms of economic, education sector, among others,” she said, pointing out that this is why Rwanda was promoting the use of French and English among other languages.  

 Though Rwanda is a small country, she said, it thinks big. She pointed out that all the various development projects that come into the country, and the Rwandans who can go to work in different countries are some of the cases that necessitate knowledge in different languages including French.

“[Sometimes] you do not choose a country you will work in, you don’t know the investor you will work with, or the investment to come into the country. All that requires that you understand the needed language so that you are able to communicate with your partners. That is why we have to attach importance to French in our schools,” she said.  

Minister Uwamariya said that the AFD support is meant to help get the required competency in French such that after the four years, Rwanda will be able to continue teaching the language without difficulties.

She said that students will study French as a subject in order to be able to express themselves in the language, but indicated that those who want to major in French at university would get a degree in the language.  

Ensuring effectiveness of French teaching and learning

The move follows the signing of a grant agreement between the Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning and AFD, aiming at reinforcing the teaching and learning of French on February 18, 2022, in line with the strategy of the Rwandan government to have ability to use skills from different languages – which is known as plurilingualism.  

The €5 Million grant (about Rwf5.7 billion) from AFD will finance the coordination and monitoring of the national plan for the teaching and learning of French.

It will constitute a Francophonie roadmap for the educational system, which aims at bettering the teaching and learning of French at school nationwide. AFD Group’s subsidiary Expertise France will carry out and monitor the implementation of the plan, as a technical assistant to the Ministry of Education.  

According to information from AFD, the project specifically targets, among other outcomes, to create an enabling environment for the teaching and learning of French as a foreign language and promote the learning of French in general education, through innovative teaching methods. 

It also seeks to strengthen the proficiency of more than 1000 language teachers in French with the aim to set up a solid base of trainers who possess the tools to train educators in French as a Foreign Language and French for Specific Objectives (FSO).

Another goal of the project is to contribute to improved employability through French by laying the groundwork for the teaching of French in higher education and Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) establishments with a focus on the labor market integration of professionals. 

Rémy Rioux, Director General of AFD said that French is a common good of the Great Lakes Region, Africa, and the world in general.

He indicated that French experts will identify best practices and innovations for a very strong teaching of French which rapidly spreads into the education system in compliance with the Rwandan context.

 “We are very happy to contribute to reinforcing Rwanda as a multilingual hub,” he said, indicating that French is now an official language of the East African Community – including Rwanda, while English Kinyarwanda, and Kiswahili are also official languages for the country.

“This can encourage more trade, culture, innovations, and peace because language is ultimately the bond that binds us together,” he said.

The Plan encompasses activities supported by other stakeholders in particular the French Embassy and the Organisation Internationale de la Francophonie (OIF).

Uwamariya said that 70 teachers from OIF will also support the teaching of French, adding that there are Rwandans who know the language and would provide help in that regard. - Emmanuel Ntirenganya, The New Times