Although the government has worked hard to get primary education in Rwanda close
to 95%, secondary school enrollment in Rwanda is only 15%. Rwanda still faces
enormous challenges, and secondary schooling is one of the critical needs identified
by the government to build a better economic and governing infrastructure.
What is the “focus on sustainability”?
Because Rwanda has significant challenges regarding erosion, population density,
deforestation, and access to electricity and running water, the school will serve as a
role model, using facilities with low impact on the environment while still being cost-
effective in the local context. Along these lines, we plan to use:
• catchment tanks for rainwater retention
• low-tech locally built ceramic filtration system for clean water
• graywater recycling (to school garden)
• permaculture school garden which will make use of complete nutrient cycle
on-site
• passive lighting design in classrooms
• compost toilets
• solar-powered electricity
As part of the science curriculum, students will be included in the running and
maintenance of such systems.
But “sustainability” is also related to our relationships in community. The question
“How can we build a healthy life for future generations?” relates to parenting skills,
community structures, good governance, ethics and religious tolerance.
Why not make the school bigger?
We believe that a small, tightly-knit community of teachers and students can be more
effective at providing a quality education in terms of academic, moral, physical and
spiritual development.
What is Expedtionary Learning?
Over 136 schools in the USA are using this excellent model, based on the teachings of
Kurt Hahn and the Outward Bound program. An EL school includes:
- small adult-student groups of 12 - 15 called “crew” that meet each day, helping
to build strong student-student and student-staff relationships (The idea
behind the word Crew is that “we are crew, not passengers, on the ship” and
therefore we all have responsibility towards the ship’s successful voyage.)
- cross-disciplinary “expeditions” outside of regular classwork which require
problem-solving, individual and group work, rigorous evaluation and
presentation to the community-at-large
- evaluation of physical health habits such as exercise, diet, mental health and
hygiene (in addition to evaluation of academic skills)
- appreciation of the natural world and experiences in nature
- community service as an integral part of curriculum
- diversity (cultural, economic, religious) that helps students to appreciate a
world where people have differences
- emphasis on social skills (teamwork, leadership, sense of fairness, kindness
to others, perseverance, etc.) as part of the school report
For more on Expeditionary Learning, visit www.elob.org.
Why will classes be in English?
Rwanda now has three official languages: Kinyarwanda, French and English.
Rwanda recently joined the East African Community along with Burundi. As
Rwanda seeks to build economic partnerships with neighboring Uganda, Tanzania
and Kenya and become more integrated with the global community, English is a
critical tool for development. Students will also study French and international students
and teachers will be encouraged to learn Kinyarwanda.
Funding
Because poverty is one of Rwanda’s greatest challenges and even the most basic
fees are beyond many students and their families, it is our strong desire to create an
endowment for the school which will help fund the partial or full tuition of students who
otherwise could not attend any school. You can help! Click HERE to find out how.
Partnerships
Videoconferencing: Our videoconferencing is provided by Videoconferencing International,
which helps people worldwide meet by videoconference in real time.
Process Learning Centers
We are starting to do some shared projects with Winnequah Middle School in
Monona Grove, Wisconsin.
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