Ambassador of France to Rwanda Antoine Anfré(left) and Minister of Finance Dr. Uzziel Ndagijimana
On Friday 18th February, Dr. Uzziel Ndagijimana, Minister of Economic Planning and Finance, Dr. Valentine Uwamariya, Minister of Education, Ambassador of France to Rwanda Antoine Anfré and Mr. Arthur Germond, country Director for the Agence Française de Développement (AFD) signed a grant agreement, aiming at reinforcing the teaching and learning of French, in line with the plurilingual strategy of the Rwandan government.
The 5 Million EUR grant (approximately RWF 5.7 billion) from AFD will finance the coordination and monitoring of the national plan for the teaching and learning of French. It will constitute of 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.
The project will specifically:
• 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.
• 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). A corpus of supervisors for the teaching of French as a foreign language will ensure continuity in the pedagogical support chain.
• 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 schools (TVET) with a focus on the labor market integration of professionals.
The activities implemented will meet the needs of a diverse audience: schools students (primary and secondary schools), Integrated Polytechnic Regional Colleges, TVET schools, University’s students, teachers, trainers and professional in sectors such as tourism. It will contribute to raise the quality of teaching in the Rwandan educative system, bringing new methodologies.
The Plan encompasses activities supported by other stakeholders in particular the French Embassy and the Organisation Internationale de la Francophonie (OIF).
The Agence Française de Développement (AFD) Group implements France’s policy on development and international solidarity. Comprised of AFD, which finances the public sector and NGOs; Proparco, which finances the private sector; and soon, Expertise France for technical cooperation, the Group finances, supports and accelerates transitions towards a more resilient and sustainable world.
AFD is building shared solutions with his partners. AFD’s teams are active in more than 4,000 projects in the field, in the French overseas departments and some 115 countries, including areas in crisis.
AFD strives to protect the common good – promoting peace, biodiversity and a stable climate, as well as gender equality, health and education. It’s AFD’s way of contributing to the commitment that France and the French people have made to fulfill the Sustainable Development Goals. Towards a world in common. (End)