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This week, as we share G.S. Kagugu’s story, we’ll also be sharing information about Groupe Scolaire Gisozi I
G.S. Gisozi I, a K-12 school in the busy wood market district of Kigali, needs only $305/month more (or 6 donors at $55/month) to be fully funded through our School Development Program.
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[two_third_last]No matter where you are in the world, teachers make up the heart of every school. Here in North America, they are the ones decorating their classrooms with bright posters that teach students about grammar tenses and multiplication tables. They are the ones planning fun science experiments and choosing novels for book reports. They are the ones imparting their wisdom to our children. When we say goodbye to our kids at the classroom door, we trust that their teacher will not only take care of them for the day, but will also teach them lessons that will set them up for success in the future.
In Rwanda, the picture is a little different.
Unlike in North America, teachers are afforded very little respect in Rwanda. Despite being the ones educating the next generation, they are seen as the lowest of the low in society. The training they receive is minimal, leaving them unprepared for the challenges they will face in their classrooms. But it doesn’t have to be this way. Many teachers in Rwanda do have a true passion for empowering the new generation, they just don’t have the training to implement it. And that’s where Wellspring comes in.
Yesterday, we looked at how change in the hearts of leaders is propelling G.S. Kagugu towards success. Today, we’re going to look at the team of educators as we continue following G.S. Kagugu’s journey from a dysfunctional community to a model school.
Before Wellspring began its training in 2011, the teachers at Kagugu were following the example of their poor school leaders. Instead of working together and supporting one another, the teaching staff were divided. They were set in their old, ineffective methods of teaching and did not care about the school or their students. Teachers often left school to drink or smoke, leaving the students just sitting in the classrooms, or would take days off without warning and return to school without any lessons prepared. When lessons were taught, they were lacking in engaging activities or real-world connections and did not resonate with the students. Physical punishment was also used when students answered a question wrong or spoke out of turn, which twisted the classroom from a home of learning to a place of fear and distrust.
This all changed when Kagugu’s leadership embraced Wellspring’s training and encouraged the teaching staff to do the same.
Wellspring worked with a selection of teachers from Kagugu to empower them with quality education techniques. With our trainers, they learned how to use local-made teaching aids to demonstrate their lessons, how to encourage deeper understanding of concepts through active participation and group work, and how to encourage and care for students through positive behavioral management. Through peer learning, the multipliers (teachers who received high-level training from Wellspring) then passed these skills along to the other educators at Kagugu, which helps the school become self-sustainable when it comes to effective teaching practices. Now, the teachers who were trained by their peers are performing at the same high level as those who were trained by Wellspring!
With this training, the staff’s passion for education has been renewed and the quality of teaching has vastly improved. Teachers are rarely absent and always come to school with lessons planned. They care about their students and work closely with leaders and parents to ensure that every child is looked after. Teaching aids are used in the classroom and cross-cutting issues are integrated into lessons so that the students understand the value of their lessons in the real world. In their free time, P6 teachers even help their students to revise for exams. The entire attitude of the teaching staff has shifted. This healthy school environment has helped the school to retain their good teachers and even attracts teachers from other schools who want to work in such a positive community.
When Wellspring first began our School Development Program, G.S. Kagugu was a struggling school. Its teachers lacked the training necessary to help their students succeed. Now, Kagugu is one of the top performing schools in one of the top performing school districts of the entire country, and the high performance of students on exams can be traced back to the transformation of teachers.
Teachers play a direct role in a child’s future, which is why a large portion of our School Development Program focuses on empowering teachers with the skills to engage their students with a quality education. We’ve seen how this training can transform entire school communities, just like G.S. Kagugu, and we have a vision of spreading this impact across the Rwanda. You can be part of this story too by supporting a school to receive this transformation through our School Partners program! G.S. Gisozi I, a school merely streets away from Kagugu, is 78% funded. Will you be part of G.S. Gisozi I’s journey?
I want to help transform Gisozi
We’re halfway through our blog series about holistic school transformation. Tomorrow, we’ll be talking our experience in working with Kagugu’s wider community and parents to teach them about their role in their child’s education. Looking forward to sharing with you!
Wellspring is a Christian organization working to empower the next generation of Rwandans through quality education. We believe we are uniquely placed to be a catalyst for transforming education for hundreds of thousands of African children and fostering vibrant communities that address poverty in all its forms. Why do we do this? Because we believe that every individual, no matter their circumstances, should be shown the same dignity and worth that Jesus showed us.[/two_third_last]