Rwanda: Why Schools Are Giving Co-Curriculars More Time

What the report says

Rwanda’s education authorities are introducing a new timetable that will give co-curricular activities a much larger role in the school day starting in September, according to The New Times. Learners will spend the last 90 minutes of each day on organized sports, arts, debates, leadership exercises, practical experiments and similar activities intended to reinforce classroom learning. Academic lessons will end at 3:30 p.m., while the school day will still run from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. The change does not alter the curriculum itself or the number of school days.

Flora Mutezigaju, deputy director general at the Rwanda Education Board, said the aim is to make education more practical and better aligned with the country’s competency-based curriculum. She explained that co-curricular activities already existed in Rwandan schools, but were often carried out without a strong structure or clear link to lessons. Under the new approach, activities such as cleaning a school environment could be tied to health and hygiene lessons, while art classes could include more hands-on creation.

The plan covers primary and secondary levels, with different activities tailored to each stage. Schools will be given guidelines and sample timetables, but they will organize the programmes themselves and assign teachers based on skills and interests. REB also expects schools to track progress through clubs, competitions, debates, guest speakers and innovation projects. The broader goal, as described by the board, is to help learners develop practical, creative and leadership skills alongside academic knowledge.