“My name is Emile Rudasingwa. I coordinate the School Management Programme and help to align this programme with the current Government Strategy. This means that I suggest how to link the VVOB’s School Management plans with the district development plans, the performance contracts and the school action plans. ‘Lmihigo’ stands for the performance contracts that the President signs with the various districts in the country and which outline development targets across the sector of health, education, etc.
In 2010, VVOB Rwanda started the design of the School Management Programme for the period 2011-2013. Although I was not part of the VVOB team at the time, I participated in this process in my capacity as Advisor to the Minister of State. Three consecutive planning sessions were held, attended by officials from the Ministry of Education (MINEDUC) and its agencies: the General Inspectorate, the Teacher Service Commission and the Planning Unit of the Ministry. We elaborated a detailed analysis of the Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats (SWOT) of school management in Rwanda, particularly from the perspective of the key partners.
I also helped in conducting a problem analysis in which we identified the root causes of good and bad school management practices in our country. Complementary to this planning process, the VVOB team actively participated in the development of the implementation framework of the government’s Education Sector Strategic Plan (ESSP).
In that same year, we also developed training modules for secondary schools that provide guidelines on the process of strategic planning. Moreover, we elaborated a template for strategic planning and annual action planning for schools based on the model of problem analysis and establishment of objectives.
Last but not least, we completed an evaluation sheet which outlines quality criteria for sound school management and its planning. This instrument helps schools to improve their planning capacity and to reflect on their progress.
The planning process adopted by VVOB Rwanda is characterised by close collaboration with and active participation by all involved key stakeholders, regular communication and reporting. I feel that the integration between the VVOB and MINEDUC plans has increased the impact of the programme.”
