Welcome to the Workforce: How Rwanda trained and certified 24,000 teachers in less than one year

In 2021, a secondary school graduate named Pelagie Abayikunda began teaching primary school French in Kigali, Rwanda. Under the Quality Basic Education for Human Capital Development (QBE) project, the Ministry of Education (MINEDUC) had recently completed construction of over 22,000 classrooms. To ensure all classrooms had teachers, the hiring criteria were temporarily relaxed, allowing Pelagie to teach even without having studied at a Teacher Training College (TTC). At that time, approximately 25,000 graduates like Pelagie, who had subject specialization but had not attended TTCs, became teachers. They were categorized as “uncertified teachers” in the system while plans for their training and certification were underway. 

Rwanda’s development ambitions hinge on a simple but demanding equation: young people entering the labor market need skills, and those skills begin in the classroom. Building a competitive, knowledge-based economy requires a foundation of well-trained teachers. Ensuring that foundation is precisely what Rwanda set out to do. In the long run, the goal is to lift people out of poverty and to give them hope for a better future, dignity, and a leg up on the ladder of aspirations.

A Program Built for Scale and Speed

In April 2024, the Rwanda Basic Education Board (REB) introduced a program for the training and certification of uncertified teachers. Using weekends and holidays, the program aimed to train and certify all uncertified pre-primary and primary teachers in the country within one year.

The design had to balance ambition with pragmatism. Subject specialists developed four condensed, yet rigorous modules drawn from the standard TTC curriculum: Educational Psychology, Pedagogy and Instruction, Inclusive Education, and Subject Matter Education. Training was delivered on weekends and public holidays to avoid disrupting classroom instruction. Thirty-six experienced facilitators trained 600 trainers, including TTC instructors and education specialists, who delivered sessions across all 30 districts. Training venues were selected for accessibility and infrastructure; childcare was provided onsite to ensure teachers with young children could participate.

A micro-teaching model drove the methodology. Rather than passive instruction, trainees studied content independently, then prepared and taught short lessons to peers, receiving structured feedback through observation checklists.

The assessment was rigorous. Teachers took written tests, a comprehensive final exam, and a practical microteaching evaluation conducted by the National Examination and School Inspection Authority (NESA). Trainees who obtained passing results earned a Professional Teaching Certificate and official status within the national workforce.

From Classroom to Career

According to Gerard Murasira, Head of Teacher Training at the REB, “Attending training every weekend was not easy, but our teachers met this challenge head on and as a result we are now seeing teachers who are more confident and effective in their role.”

Pelagie is glad to have been able to participate in the program. “Through this training, I have learned how to properly manage my classroom,” she says. “I can now prepare lessons and assessments effectively. I know how to support my students.” But certification has given her more than a pedagogical toolkit. It has changed her trajectory. “With this certification, I will have stability in my profession. I will be able to request a transfer to another school if needed, qualify for scholarships to continue my studies, and access services from Umwalimu SACCO when I need financial support.”

As a single mother, professional stability is the platform from which she can build a future for herself and her son. She now speaks about continuing her education and one day becoming a university lecturer. She is, in the truest sense, a young person who entered the workforce with potential and a dream and has been equipped to realize both.

The Bigger Picture

In partnership with the World Bank, Rwanda’s Ministry of Education has systematically invested in teacher quality as a prerequisite for human capital development. Teachers’ salaries have risen substantially (by 10% in 2019, and 40% to 88% in 2022) to attract and retain talent. Pre-primary teachers, who previously depended on parents’ contributions, were formally absorbed into the public payroll. Infrastructure, teaching materials, and digital skills training for teachers are all active workstreams under the QBE project.

“In order for Rwanda to make the kind of progress we envision, we must ensure that students in our country are learning well. For that to happen, we must ensure our teachers are well prepared,” said Dr. Flora Mutezigaju, Deputy Director General of REB. “It is a responsibility we take very seriously.”

The results speak for themselves. Twenty-four thousand teachers equipped and certified. Hundreds of thousands of students receiving better teaching. A generation of future workers benefitting from better preparation. This is what investing in the classroom looks like, and why it matters far beyond the school gates.

In her classroom, Pelagie smiles as she gently corrects a students’ French pronunciation. She shares that she loves teaching. When asked what she hopes for her son’s future, she says, “He will dream his own dream and make his own future. I will support him.”

This feature was written by Saima Sohail Malik, Senior Education Specialist in the World Bank’s Eastern and Southern Africa Region and Leon Mugenzi, Head of Teacher Development and Management at Rwanda Basic Education Board.