The Rwandan Secondary School Competence-Based Curriculum: Knowledge, Skills and Attitudes to Incorporate in the University of Rwanda-College of Education Programs to Align them with the Current Curriculum

Abstract

Since its insertion in 1998, Kigali Institute of Education, currently known as College of Education under the University of Rwanda, henceforth ‘The University of Rwanda-College of Education (UR-CE)’, it`s first mission has been training and producing teachers for secondary schools in Rwanda. To a certain extent, bearing in mind that Rwanda Education Board (REB), an institution in charge of education in Rwanda from kindergarten to secondary education, in designing its programmes, UR-CE curricula from Rwanda Education Board (REB) were taken into account. Recently, REB has introduced a new Competence-Based Curriculum (CBC) replacing the knowledge-based one that has been in practice for many years. Hence, the UR-CE is also obliged to revise its programmes and align them with the new CBC designed for secondary schools so that the UR-CE graduates are equipped with required knowledge and practical skills to cope with the demands of the newly introduced secondary school competence-based curriculum. Relying on existing documentation supported with our observations and critical analysis, this analytical paper attempts to highlight some of the knowledge, skills and attitudes deemed important to be incorporated in new UR-CE revised programmes in a way to align them with the secondary school Competence-based curriculum designed by REB. It also seeks to point out some of the challenges that might be associated with the teaching of such suggested knowledge, skills and attitudes; and provide measures to mitigate such challenges.