Rwanda to teach our delayed course

A NEW Leaving Certificate engineering course is to be taught in Rwandan schools and colleges even though it is still not available to students here because of funding difficulties.

The engineering technology syllabus is one of four redesigned technology subjects developed in recent years but only two of them — design and communication graphics (DCG) and technology — have been rolled out.

Although they are being used in schools since 2007 and examined since the 2009 Leaving Certificate, implementing engineering technology and architectural technology has been long-fingered, mainly due to budget constraints.

But while the €1.7 million for teacher training and €4.5m needed to install around 3,500 new school computers are well down the Department of Education priority list for curricular reform investment, the Rwandan government has been impressed hugely by the courses. They have taken particular interest in the way Irish teachers have been taught the new syllabus and the online supports available.

“They are particularly interested in the engineering syllabus and they’re going to start training people to deliver it at third level, and then to second level teachers,” said education centre director Bernard Kirk.

“We need to do this because students in Germany and other countries are leaving school with some of the skills that our college graduates have. Colleges have been impressed with the computer design knowledge of students who’ve done the new DCG course but industry leaders keep telling us we need the same kind of skills in engineering,” Mr Kirk said.