| Rwanda has recently announced that it will begin an | | | | Language to travel to Rwanda and help raise the |
| official policy of teaching in English in its schools in an | | | | knowledge of the language among the 43,000 |
| attempt to raise the international profile of the country. | | | | teachers in the country. |
| Its colonial past had meant that French was the | | | | People from neighbouring countries have moved into |
| dominant foreign language in the African country with | | | | Rwanda to help teach English to the teachers, and the |
| the majority of the population speaking the native | | | | British Council have already sent TEFL teachers in the |
| Kinyarwanda. However, since the 1994 Rwandan | | | | country. For independent teachers of English there are |
| genocide, Rwanda and France have been quick to | | | | many opportunities to begin teaching English as a |
| blame each other for the massacre of 80,000 Tutsis, | | | | foreign language in the country, with the opportunity to |
| souring relations between the two nations. Although | | | | learn new skills and immerse yourself in the culture of |
| this is not a reason given behind the switch from | | | | Rwanda. |
| French to English, many believe that it does play a | | | | The African country has already made some steps |
| major role in the decision to eliminate French from the | | | | towards making English the national second language, |
| national curriculum. | | | | as entrance to the elite Institute of Science and |
| Officially, the Rwandan government is explaining the | | | | Technology is in English and it is becoming increasingly |
| decision as a way to strengthen ties between its | | | | the language of the national university. There are more |
| English-speaking neighbours including Uganda, Kenya | | | | government officials speaking English although many |
| and Tanzania. It will also help them in terms of | | | | are still more comfortable with using French. The |
| economy and business as English is the leading | | | | dominant language however remains Kinyarwanda as |
| language around the world in terms of trade and | | | | this is spoken by every Rwandan, making social |
| commerce. | | | | cohesion easier after the tumult of the 1990s. |
| The sweeping reforms are set to begin shortly, with | | | | As teachers continue to be trained in the English |
| some teachers already having received some basic | | | | language, the process of teaching classes in English |
| training in the English language. However, there is the | | | | instead of Kinyarwanda remains a slow one. Maths |
| problem that if the teachers do not know enough | | | | and science will be two of the early subjects to be |
| English to be able to teach their students, the reform | | | | taught in the new language with more descriptive |
| will be useless. | | | | classes like art and history still been taught in |
| As of January 2009, only 4,700 of Rwanda's 31,000 | | | | Kinyarwanda until the teachers are more fluent in |
| primary school teachers had received English training, | | | | English. From early evidence it seems that the children |
| and only 600 of the 12,000 secondary school teachers | | | | are quickly picking up the language and the success of |
| have received the same. There is growing demand for | | | | the reform will depend on how many teachers will be |
| people qualified in Teaching English as a Foreign | | | | able to demonstrate a skilled understanding of English. |