World Teachers' Day: Unifying Rwanda Through Education

In celebration of World Teachers' Day, IREX honors teachers who dedicate countless hours to helping young people create their own better future. IREX teacher training programs engage hundreds of teachers from over 40 countries every year to gain these skills. Teachers with strong leadership and teaching skills have the power to create social change in their classrooms and communities. Celestin Munyandekwe is a secondary school teacher in Rwanda and a 2011 fellow of the Teaching Excellence and Achievement Program. His vision for a more peaceful and productive society is helping to shape a generation of tolerant minds in rural Rwanda. IREX spoke with Munyandekwe to learn about his inspiration for teaching and his aspirations for his students.

What is the status of basic education in Rwanda?
Rwanda has been deeply affected by war and genocide. The country has started a long process of reconstruction, with the emphasis on unity and reconciliation and the promotion of education for all. Many reforms have been introduced in basic education. In the past, girls were not allowed to attend school, especially in rural areas. But now they are allowed, and in some classrooms the number of girls exceeds the number of boys. There are even girls-only schools.

Another important reform is the twelve-year basic education policy, where education is free and compulsory for twelve years (six years for primary and six years for secondary school). Before 1994, going to secondary school was so difficult and expensive that poor children could not attend primary school. Now the government covers all expenses, so children are eager to attend primary school with the hope of studying secondary school.

Why are you a teacher?
When I was in primary school, a teacher was the most appreciated person in my village; many people came to see him for advice, and children even chose teachers as their Godparents. When I was about 13 years old I had another experience that motivated me to become a teacher. I was orphaned when my parents died during the war. In the orphanage I committed fully to teaching because this was my opportunity to take care of other children.

Now that I am an adult, my determination has not changed. I am now a teacher because it will help me to reconstruct my country destroyed by genocide. I try to promote unity among Rwandans, especially my students. I am a teacher because I know the role of education in the development of the whole community. I know the effects of negative education, with ethnicity-based education and divisions taught at school. I wish that these divisions would never happen again. With education, my objective can be achieved.

Was there a teacher in your life who was particularly inspiring?
When I was in primary school, we had a teacher who used different local materials, songs, and warm-ups so we could assimilate the subject matter. This showed me the importance of motivation and the use of teaching and learning materials.

What do you hope to learn in the US that you can apply to your work in Rwanda?
I hope to learn many things such as teaching methodologies, curriculum writing, different teaching strategies, educational leadership, the use of technology in teaching-learning processes, and other social values from both Americans and the other TEA fellows.

What do you hope your students learn?
I want my students to learn social values and to learn about the past so they can shape the future. Good past events are encouraged, and bad past events are discouraged in our community.

TEA is a program of the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs of the U.S. Department of State, and administered by IREX.