Literacy, Language, and Learning (L3) Initiative

Literacy, Language, and Learning Initiative

Challenge

Rwanda has set its sights on becoming the information and communications technology hub of central Africa. A boom in infrastructure development is paving the way for this ambitious goal. Now, the country needs to modernize its education system to produce the talent that this new technology-heavy economy will demand.

EDC’s USAID-funded Literacy, Language, and Learning Initiative (L3) was a critical partner in the effort to usher in reforms across the education spectrum. Working with Rwanda’s Ministry of Education, L3 improved student achievement in reading and mathematics, engaged communities in supporting literacy, and increased access to appropriate teaching and learning materials.

Key Activities

With the goal of reaching 1.5 million learners and 30,000 teachers by 2017, L3 conducted the following activities:

Developed and implemented new national literacy and mathematics standards
Developed curricular materials (based on EDC’s Read Right Now! literacy program) that support literacy and mathematics learning in Kinyarwanda and English in grades 1 to 4
Used interactive audio instruction to deliver high-quality education to all schools in Rwanda
Improved teacher preparation and in-service performance
Supported the capacity development of the Ministry of Education and Rwanda Education Board in assessment, materials development, and literacy oversight
Improved equity in educational materials and delivery for girls, students with disabilities, and remote communities
Worked with Rwandan communities to equip libraries, recruit literacy volunteers, and build support for reading

Impact

Reached more than 25,290 teachers through pre-service, in-service, and intensive coaching programs
Reached over 1,835,500 primary students in all 2,400 Rwandan primary schools
Trained over 1,140 Parent Teacher Committees in supporting literacy learning
Distributed over 9 million teaching and learning materials to schools