A 3-day Regional Study Visit in Kigali, Rwanda between Zambia, Uganda and Rwanda was organized by VVOB Rwanda with the Rwanda Ministry of Education and the Rwanda Education Board. The purpose of the regional study visit was to promote regional learning and exchanges on play-based Early Childhood Education (ECE) approaches and to develop a shared vision on ECE and Learning through Play (LtP).
The regional study visit is part of VVOB's 5-year project - Improving Teaching Skills on Playful Learning for Africa's Youngest (IT'S PLAY) implemented in Zambia, Uganda and Rwanda. The project aims to strengthen teachers' skills to facilitate LtP for emergent literacy and numeracy in early childhood education. In Zambia, the IT'S PLAY project is implemented in Lusaka and Copperbelt Provinces.
During the official opening of the regional study visit on Early Childhood Education and Learning through Play, Dr. Nelson Mbarushimana, Director General of Rwanda Basic Education mentioned that ''through play children develop holistically, not only in terms of academic learning outcomes such as emergent literacy and numeracy, but also generic skills such as problem solving, cooperation and communication". Also attending the regional study visit in Rwanda representing the Zambia Ministry of Education (MoE) was the Chief Education Officer - Assistant Director for Early Childhood Education Mrs. Evelyn Simfukwe and VVOB Zambia staff was Joke Van Belle - Strategic Education Advisor, Mwimbu Ngoma - MEAL Advisor and Masauso Banda - IT'S PLAY Project Coordinator. Joke Van Belle and Mrs. Simfukwe respectively visited three schools in Muhanga and Huye districts of Rwanda, participating in the IT'S PLAY project with MoE representatives from Uganda and Rwanda and with IT'S PLAY project staff from the 3 countries, to observe good practices in LtP methodologies and participated in discussing policies and practices on LtP to strengthen ECE systems in their countries. The field visits and discussions depicted that Rwanda has achieved putting in place a play-based pre-primary national curriculum and its implementation in pre-primary schools and is in the process of developing a National Strategy on Learning through Play.
To mark the end to the 3-day regional study visit, an exhibition was done by Ministry of Education representatives from Uganda, Zambia and Rwanda showcasing ECE materials such as LtP Teacher's Guides and Manuals which are used to strengthen teachers' skills to facilitate LtP for emergent literacy and numeracy in ECE.