On 25 October 2025 Members of CPR &FECCLAHA along with 20 Youths from the Region paid respect to victims of the 1994 genocide against Tutsi. CPR-Rwanda General Secretary Rev MUTABAZI Samuel, CPR and FECCLAHA Staff visited the Kigali Genocide Memorial at Gisozi. They were given a guided tour to learn more about the genocide’s planning […]
A Christian youth forum of Protestant Churches in the Great Lakes region has been held in Rwanda. This forum was organized by the Rwanda Protestant Council (CPR) in collaboration with FECCLAHA, and brought together over 20 youth. Discussions focused on the role of youth in building a culture of peace, uniting people, fighting gender-based […]
Today, The Protestant Council of Rwanda (CPR) this Wednesday launched a training course for 30 Women from Musanze, Kayonza and Kigali Districts aimed at helping them develop themselves. This was after training them on Mental Health and as they embarked on a journey of recovery from Trauma.
EDUCATION/BNEP Coordinator
The Protestant education service began its activities in Rwanda during the colonial period, before Rwanda gained its independence with the Protestant Alliance of Ruanda-Urundi. Since 1963, the organs of the Protestant Council in Rwanda (CPR) had set up an Education Commission with a President at the head and a secretary of this commission who was responsible for monitoring educational activities and the problems arising from them on a daily basis in order to find solutions. It is this service responsible for education within the CPR which took the name of the National Bureau of Protestant Education (BNEP).
Since the creation of the CPR, the BNEP has been directed and coordinated by the Secretary General of the CPR. It was in June 1988 that the BNEP was given a permanent staff headed by a Director responsible for monitoring and coordinating all educational activities in the schools of the Protestant churches that are members of the CPR. Currently, the activities of the BNEP are governed by the articles that make up Chapter II of Organic Law No. 20/2003 of 03/08/2003 on the organization of education. These articles recognize the partnership in education. Article 18 of this Chapter stipulates that the State recognizes parents, private individuals, associations and various communities as partners in education in compliance with the laws in force as well as the agreements signed with its partners.
Teaching is an integral part of the general mission of the Church as recorded in various biblical texts. This mission is summarized as follows: “To make disciples of the People of God, to educate, instruct and develop them in every way so that they may become wise and understanding” (cf. Deuteronomy 4:4-6; Matthew 28:19-20; John 10:10b-20). The leitmotif of the BNEP then becomes: A wise and understanding people (Dt. 4:6b).
In 20 years, the nationals of the schools of the Protestant churches members of the CPR demonstrate:
BNEP Structure
Members of Education Commission
Education Projects
The Christian Education program is part of the services that are in the Department of Education also called the National Bureau of Protestant Education (BNEP) in Rwanda. This component has existed since the creation of the Protestant Council of Rwanda (CPR) in the 1960s and even before when the Protestant Churches of Rwanda were part of the Rwanda-Urundi Protestant Alliance.
In Rwanda, in Protestant churches, women, children and young people constitute the majority of the faithful. And at the same time, this category of people constitutes the most vulnerable group and a section excluded from full participation in all activities of church life: whether it is worship activities or decision-making.
However, according to the basic principles of the Christian Faith, it is necessary to have education for children, young people and adults, regardless of whether they are new converts, first or second generation Christians. If we accept the principle that church growth is not defined only in terms of numbers, but that the church must help its members to always commit themselves to living a Christian life, then Christian education must therefore be ongoing (Esther L. Megill, Education in the African Church, Revised Edition, London, 1981).
Youth work is the activity by which the church educates young people and provides them with the information and skills necessary for them to understand and live the Christian life. In this sense, Christian education is the effort to further consolidate the activities of young people within the church and society. The Bible recommends that Christians teach the Word of God to children, to perpetuate biblical teachings from generation to generation. In the Old Testament, parents had the task of educating and instructing their children.
Education was primarily moral and religious. On the moral level, parents had to teach children how to conduct themselves in life; on the religious level, they taught them the great things that God had done for his people, the origin and significance of religious festivals and sacred customs… According to the New Testament, the mission of the Church received from its founder (Jesus Christ) is to teach (Mt 28:19).
This teaching includes both Christian formation and general formation. The two aspects are closely linked to each other. This is why the Church, from its inception, developed catechetical teaching to form people in the Christian faith and created schools for general instruction.
Mission
Christian education has the mission of proclaiming the Word of God in schools and universities, of extending the religious and biblical presence in these environments and of opening the minds of young people to the problems of society with the aim of awakening their consciences to the demands of our societies today.
Christian education is a ministry among young people. In this sense, it is primarily an activity of youth mobilization (an effort undertaken primarily by young people themselves with the support of the church) with the aim of achieving the following results:
Evangelistic activities
Catechesis activities
Religious activities
These are activities related to prayer and worship. They are opportunities given to young people to worship God and in various contexts. These are Sunday services and other services according to needs and circumstances. These services are often opportunities for pupils and students to discover their talents and gifts in the liturgical and religious domain. Some of them proclaim the Word of God, others sing and others intercede for the community. These services are opportunities to bear witness to the Christian faith within the school, to represent the Christian and Protestant identity of the school, to lead young people to deepen their faith through prayers and biblical readings.
Community life
In this area, activities aim to encourage social policy within student communities through service and fraternity.
Direction and Healing
These are activities aimed at spiritual and moral support. A group of pupils and students, in collaboration with pastors, supports other pupils and students with family difficulties and behavioral difficulties. They advise their colleagues with difficulties in school and academic learning, moral and spiritual life. It is within this framework that local committees, in collaboration with leaders, can first ensure the application of justice in the exercise of discipline and the prevention and management of conflict situations.
In detail, the activities recorded in the specifications of the head of the Christian education program at the Protestant Council include, among others:
The beneficiaries include:
In this Christian education program, one methodological approach highlighted is an ecumenical approach. It has the merit of bringing together several Christian denominations or confessions around an ecumenical activity.
Several churches of Protestant tradition, including the Seventh-day Adventist Church and the Catholic Church, actively participate in the various activities organized by the Protestant Council of Rwanda in this area of Christian education. Thus, the various followers of these churches meet in the following activities:
The preferred approach helps us to teach young people about Christian principles and the perspectives of their denominations on the issue of Living for Christ. Thus, we prioritize the search for a Christ-centered spirituality that is a response to the message of the Gospel and the action of the Holy Spirit. This spirituality must be rooted in the life, history, and struggle of our peoples. This will help establish and consolidate ecumenical links among young people at the local, regional, national, and continental levels and develop prophetic commitment through theological reflection and awareness-raising based on concrete participation of the Church and the community.
The training sessions we organize for young Christians sometimes touch on various themes where they must determine the importance of their role and commit themselves resolutely to improving the situation in our country. We can cite among other themes:
The Christian Education component of the Protestant Council of Rwanda (CPR) serves Protestant churches and aims to meet the aspirations of young people in order to prepare them for full participation and responsibility within the church and society.
Young people are challenged to develop their abilities to live usefully as children of God in a fragmented world, and to participate fully in the life of the church. This enables young people to play the role entrusted to them by God, to be agents of transformation in the church and society.
One of the specific objectives of CPR is to promote human dignity. For the early education we have to teach the children how they should live and they will remember it all their lives as it is said in Proverbs 22 : 6. Sunday School Ministry is the pillar of churches. Neglecting it is like building a house without foundation.
Different protestant churches put their emphasis on youth and adults teachings. This is unfair because most of Rwandan churches are full of children which need reliable evangelization as children not using adult or youth methods.
Sunday Schools’ Ministry in Protestant churches in Rwanda is not well organized. This is the concern of churches that are members of CPR. Children go to churches with adults, or would be left to child careers just to avoid annoyance during the worship service.
Each protestant church may have an average of 150 registered children in local congregation. Sunday School children. There is a need to worry about this situation that weakens protestant churches in Rwanda.
The Objective of Sunday School Ministry is :
We have
This program was designed in a very difficult period after the 1994 genocide. Children, young people, adults, in short all categories of people from all professions had problems as a result of the genocide and the war that began in 1990.
Rwandan society, already disintegrated in general, had difficulty finding its way back to normal and rebuilding itself physically, economically, socially, and morally. The damage caused was so severe that the consequences are still numerous and profound.
We are witnessing a complex situation in our country and in education in particular, which requires the introduction of democratic methods, openness, communication, strengthening of individual and interpersonal trust, prioritizing the activity and participation of children in the classroom.
Our teacher training program in active and participatory pedagogy aims to promote these elements and contributes to improving the working climate at school on a social, psychological and moral level.
It is in this spirit that the Protestant Churches, through the BNEP, have initiated such a training program which was implemented thanks to the know-how and insight of Mr. Christian Grêt. This program therefore aims at educating and empowering each other by introducing concepts and practical tools of methodology, communication and openness.
The general objective of the program is to improve the quality of Protestant Education in Rwanda.
This is a contribution to the national policy of promoting and improving the quality of education in Rwanda. This objective is translated into more specific terms at three levels, namely:
Professional aspect:
The program aims to improve and/or strengthen the professional pedagogical capacities of the teacher and the administrator for a better qualitative and quantitative performance of their services. It also aims to create a climate favorable to learning and the development of the learner
Human and social aspect:
The program aims to change the attitudes and behaviors of teachers for the adoption and embodiment of attitudes and behaviors acquired with positive human and social values such as: social harmony, conviviality, positive communication, respect for others, development of the spirit of participatory responsibility and initiative, culture of democracy, justice and peace.
Moral and ethical aspect:
It aims to make teachers and school administrators feel more strongly about the need and importance of respecting the professional ethics of their faith. It also aims to create conditions conducive to the practical practice of their faith in everyday life at school.
The 684 Protestant Church schools, including 42 nursery schools, 552 primary schools, and 90 secondary schools, currently have 68 teachers and 2,324 children, 5,872 teachers and 429,758 students, and 1,370 teachers and 38,362 students, respectively.
It is a major challenge for the National Bureau of Protestant Education to be able to train all these teachers in active and participatory teaching.
We have therefore set ourselves qualitative and quantitative objectives to be achieved within a three-year period (from July 2007 to June 2010), which is the current phase of our program.
The training
Monitoring
The assessment
The collection, entry and management of school statistics for Protestant Education.
The beneficiary groups remain primarily teachers and directors of kindergarten, primary and secondary schools.
The target groups targeted by the program are:
The PAP training program includes the following structure:
1. In-service teachers
Teacher training goes through different stages, all of which contribute to strengthening the skills acquired in PAP.
The content of PAP training is determined and recorded in a document called a “portfolio” in the form of themes (more than eighty themes). The initial portfolio was designed by the main trainer of the program, Mr. Christian Grêt. Principals in training do not have the chance to do the third week of practice.
Here are the different stages of training for in-service teachers
Administrative staff:
Principals of secondary schools, prefects of studies, prefects of discipline, representatives, etc., religion teachers are invited and trained on specific themes that each category needs as a priority to fulfill its functions. The Legal Representatives of the member churches of the CPR and their wives have a retreat every year on a priority theme for the improvement of Protestant education.
The representatives have their quarterly meeting to update the situation in our schools. The directors of education in the districts also held their workshop seminar to make them aware of the PAP in schools and its importance.
Difficulties and constraints encountered in the implementation of the PAP The difficulties and constraints expressed by the beneficiaries are:
After the war and the genocide of 1994, education suffered from a quantitative and qualitative lack of teaching and administrative staff. It was therefore urgent to implement programs to reduce the acuity of this problem.
We are challenged to manage the obvious consequences resulting from the war and the genocide: trauma, insufficient communication, the need for reconciliation and peace between people, physical and spiritual suffering, the loss of interest in school by children, etc.
We have opted for the change of teaching methods by introducing and promoting the practice and concretization of active, participatory and creative pedagogy in our schools not only to improve the methods and conditions of learning of children but also to promote the culture of peace, solidarity, democracy, dialogue, mutual respect, etc.
We therefore note with satisfaction that this pedagogy is taking root in a good number of Protestant schools. But we realize that the administrators of these schools and the planners of Protestant education in our schools do not apply active and participatory methods in their activities.
We therefore wish to promote among administrators a pedagogy that is in correlation with this active, participatory, and creative pedagogy in their management of schools. Administrators, mainly the Directors of secondary schools, therefore need participatory management to know the management strategies of their teams at school and of employees, so that everyone can play their role well.
We would like all principals to take this training, but they have many missions and responsibilities to fulfill. Some are not available to follow the participatory management training. Others leave their careers for other positions. The contribution requested from them hinders the commitment of some principals, saying that the school does not have the financial resources for principal training.
The Christian Education program is part of the services that are in the Department of Education also called the National Bureau of Protestant Education (BNEP) in Rwanda. This component has existed since the creation of the Protestant Council of Rwanda (CPR) in the 1960s and even before when the Protestant Churches of Rwanda were part of the Rwanda-Urundi Protestant Alliance.
In Rwanda, in Protestant churches, women, children and young people constitute the majority of the faithful. And at the same time, this category of people constitutes the most vulnerable group and a section excluded from full participation in all activities of church life: whether worship activities or decision-making.
However, according to the basic principles of the Christian Faith, it is necessary to have education for children, young people and adults, regardless of whether they are new converts, first or second generation Christians. If we accept the principle that church growth is not defined only in terms of numbers, but that the church must help its members to always commit themselves to living a Christian life, then Christian education must therefore be ongoing (Esther L. Megill, Education in the African Church, Revised Edition, London, 1981).
Youth work is the activity by which the church educates young people and provides them with the information and skills necessary for them to understand and live the Christian life. In this sense, Christian education is the effort to further consolidate the activities of young people within the church and society. The Bible recommends that Christians teach the Word of God to children, to perpetuate biblical teachings from generation to generation. In the Old Testament, parents had the task of educating and instructing their children.
Education was primarily moral and religious. On the moral level, parents were to teach children how to conduct themselves in life; on the religious level, they taught them the great things God had done for his people, the origin and significance of religious festivals and sacred customs… According to the New Testament, the mission of the Church received from its founder (Jesus Christ) is to teach (Mt 28:19).
This teaching includes both Christian formation and general formation. The two aspects are closely linked to each other. This is why the Church, from its inception, developed catechetical teaching to form people in the Christian faith and created schools for general instruction.
Description of the problem
The CPR and its member churches are currently in the race for holistic development, taking into account the full promotion of the living conditions of the human person. As the task is not at all easy, it is appropriate to mobilize the different layers involved in this process of integral development. As women and youth make up the majority in Rwanda, they both remain one of the main priorities in terms of training managers who must intervene professionally in the context of meeting the development objectives set at the outset.
Overview photo
In addition to the crying need for qualified and competent personnel for the Protestant Churches and Member Associations of the CPR, this project is still very relevant in the sense that the Church has a fundamental mission to teach and educate the People of God. Since the Protestant Reformation, Protestant churches have been called upon to play a considerable role in the formation and education of future generations. Churches must therefore take responsibility for preparing the future of young people so that they are able to face contemporary challenges. In addition to this, the Protestant churches that are members of the CPR are owners of considerable works and services in the country that can contribute to the development and well-being of the population.
Photo: Signing of contracts[/caption]
The CPR and the member churches already form a strong ecumenical network of 20 churches and 5 Christian associations. These Protestant churches have a word of influence in society and have structures at the national and local levels; even in the grassroots communities. As mentioned, the Protestant member churches of the CPR own important works: schools (565 kindergartens, 591 primary, 271 secondary, 30 vocational, 7 university), medical works (7 hospitals, 30 health centers, 6 health posts), hotels and reception centers, development projects, buildings, land, forests, choirs, youth and women’s associations and cooperatives, various services such as accounting, youth, children, women, development, diakonia, etc.
In the face of the multiple consequences of the genocide perpetrated against the Tutsi in Rwanda in 1994, including more than a million deaths, many prisoners, many refugees, many traumatized people; it should be pointed out that the Protestant Churches that are members of the CPR have, from the outset, focused on investing the existing means in reconstruction and rehabilitation, in basic training to restart the main activities. Currently, in Rwanda, which is already integrated into the countries of the East African Community, there is a boom in considerable development in several sectors of the life of the Rwandan people, which requires professional cadres. That said, there is therefore a strong need for qualified and competent staff in the Protestant churches and Christian associations that are members of the CPR.
With this in mind, the CPR’s education commission has prioritized areas of training to enter into the dynamic of seeking answers to the most pressing needs of the CPR’s member churches and associations. These are six areas are: ICT & Entrepreneurship; Leadership, Business and Administration; Environment / Theology of the Environment ; Public health; Gender / Rural Development; Peace studies and conflict resolution.
The strengthening of capacities in these different areas of formation, especially of young people and women, will certainly allow the CPR and its member churches to contribute to the promotion of education and the living conditions of the Rwandan population through integral development that takes into account the sensitive areas of our churches.
In this project, we have the direct and indirect beneficiaries.
The direct beneficiaries are divided into priority areas of study selected:
The main selection criteria pre-established by the CPR’s Education Commission are as follows:
Visiting photo of students during their research
In particular, the Education Committee has drawn up a list of conditions that must be taken into account:
The indirect beneficiaries of this project are:
The general objective of the project is designed as follows: To contribute to the improvement of the living conditions of the Rwandan people in general and to the development of the Protestant Churches and Christian Associations members of the Protestant Council of Rwanda (CPR) in particular.
With its specific objective:
This project will contribute to the capacity building of the staff of the Protestant Churches and Christian Associations that are members of the Protestant Council of Rwanda (CPR).
Belongings
The churches that have sent scholarship recipients have gained qualified and professionally competent staff to work. Through its more competent personnel through the studies carried out, the churches render more professional services. These personnel contribute more professionally in effective personnel management services, the management and productivity of the Church’s patrimony, the design and management of small projects for the development of low-income communities such as women, youth, and girls who have given birth when they are too young and therefore not responsible enough, etc.
In addition to the qualification of degrees, fellows continue to serve more professionally in their respective positions. Since the beginning of their studies, each and every one of them has initiated at least one project where he/she applied the skills acquired in the studies. Since then, positive changes in everyone’s professionalism have begun to be observed. Thus, many have been promoted to fill positions that are currently even more needy.
Photo of the almuni committee
By observing effects after 3 years of the project, the scholarship winners are freer and more professionally at work. They acted while they were still in school, now they will be more productive. Now that they are the first phase, the churches need them more. Then, a Church that judged to send a scholarship holder in 1 of the 6 priority areas that had identified as a priority in the project, this same Church remains with shortcomings in 5 other areas.
Two sustainability measures have been put in place:
1) The creation of a group of fellows to facilitate contacts, communication and exchanges of various kinds
2) The CPR grant is an association of the scholarship recipients of this project. It was created and its various committees were elected. The CPR almuni is a platform that allows for regular meetings, workshops, conferences and other opportunities to perpetuate the effects of this project for a longer period of time.
The Mastery Level Church Staff Training Project has provided the churches with professionally qualified staff. They provide professional services to the community, which begins to gain skills acquired by the fellows in universities and research. The Protestant churches enjoy the credibility of other institutions through research projects to the community at large at the national, regional and international levels
School Statistics of Protestant Education in Rwanda
The National Office of Protestant Education at the Protestant Council of Rwanda (CPR) coordinates all nursery, primary, vocational and secondary schools belonging to the Protestant Churches that are members of the Protestant Council of Rwanda.
Protestant education in 2020:
1. Preschool education in 2020:
2. Primary education in 2020:
3. Secondary education in 2020:
4. Vocational education statistics, 2017 estimate:
NB : The Protestant Churches have 7 Universities and/or Institutions of Higher Education.
Table 1: Number of students and distribution of teachers in kindergarten.
Table 2: Distribution of nursery schools by province for the year 2008
Table 3: Distribution of nursery schools by province for the year 2009
Table 4: Distribution of nursery schools by province for the year 2010
Table 5: Distribution of nursery schools by province for the year 2013
Table 1: Number of students and distribution of teachers in Primary School.
Table 2: Distribution of primary schools by province for the year 2008
Table 3: Distribution of primary schools by province for the year 2009
Table 4: Distribution of primary schools by province for the year 2010
Table 5: Distribution of primary schools by province for the year 2013
Table 1: Number of students and distribution of teachers in secondary education.
Table 2: Distribution of secondary schools by province for the year 2008
Table 3: Distribution of secondary schools by province for the year 2009
Table 4: Distribution of secondary schools by province for the year 2010
Table 5: Distribution of secondary schools by province for the year 2013
The teacher training plan covers three main parts
The basic training, which normally lasts three weeks, consists of two parts:
A teaching file will include three essential parts:
An Introduction (which justifies the choice of lessons and presents the document, the methodology used, its objective, its usefulness, etc.) A body which will include at least 5 lessons prepared in the dynamics of active, participatory and creative pedagogy on the same chapter of the official program taught a conclusion.
Test lesson: The teacher, after having sufficiently practiced the PAP in the classroom, gives a summative assessment lesson in front of a jury of trainers mandated by the BNP. As it is an exam, the verdict of success or failure is communicated directly to the person concerned.
In our PAP training courses, teachers benefit from the themes of pedagogy, psychology, methodology, communication but also benefit from the values of living in a “family”, exchange their experiences, ask their questions (question space) and share biblical meditation every morning.
A basic teacher training session (duration: three weeks)
Family life:
In a training session, the techniques or tools used are numerous and varied so that the seminarians do not feel bored.
Techniques and/or tools used in training sessions:
Group work : (Very important)
Individual work (from time to time depending on the objective of the exercise) Discussions, results or development of a theme in plenary Role plays (Very important)
The Director of BNEP (François Rwambonera) and the Consultant Trainer (Dr. Christian Grêt) have already formed a teaching unit made up mainly of career teachers who are sufficiently equipped to be able to lead the different themes of the portfolio. The teachers in the teaching unit are sufficiently trained in communication and in using the portfolio (the content of the training). The objective is to be able to set up these types of teaching units in different areas of the country.
The different stages of training for members of the educational unit:
Basic training Training in communication and animation Training on the study, use and mastery of the Portfolio Individual work (reflection or personal practice on active and participatory pedagogy) Support and supervision by the trainer during at least two practice sessions with teachers Training practice with adults (teachers)
Since PAP teacher training seminars can only take place during school holidays, the number of beneficiaries remains very small compared to demand. The strategy adopted is to use the “mentoring” initiation system:
By definition, mentoring is a medium to long-term helping and learning relationship between an experienced person (mentor) who shares their knowledge, experience and ideas with a less experienced person who is likely to benefit from this exchange. In our program, the latter person is called a mentor or protégé. Mentoring is a helping relationship based on trust and mutual respect.
The school mentor program therefore has benefits because it promotes:
For the mentor:
For the protected person:
Mentoring takes three forms in BNEP schools:
Simple mentoring : Each teacher trained in PAP and experienced in this practice (mentor) is given the task of initiating a colleague from their school who has not yet been trained (protégé or initiate) and helps them change their way of teaching simply through practice. The school principal plays the role of facilitator and guide in the mentoring relationship. He or she is the one who manages the entire dynamic of PAP in their school. The CPR/BNEP provides educational follow-up to encourage and advise.
Assisted Mentoring in Three Modules : Teachers from willing schools can receive an introduction to the practice through a series of short, three-day training sessions with carefully selected topics and exercises from the portfolio. The selected topics and exercises are divided into three modules, one module for each training session.
The organization and actual delivery depend on the will and dynamism of the principals, teachers and local administrative authorities of a given region or locality. The members of the teaching unit support the trained teachers to provide the training. They develop the themes and exercises and the trained teachers supervise the introductory training teachers in their practical lesson activities (preparation, participatory evaluation of lessons, etc.).
These sessions are organized during the school term, generally on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays. Administrative authorities authorize schools to give students two days off to allow their teachers to participate in this introductory session. Assisted mentoring through pedagogical meetings: As it is not always easy to have the three days during the school term, the trainer also has the possibility of exploiting pedagogical days that schools are entitled to organize.
During such meetings, teachers acquire some methodological tools followed by practical lessons. These meetings are also opportunities for teachers and PAP trainers to exchange experiences and together seek answers to questions related to the practice of PAP.
Session facilitation
A PAP training seminar is led by a small group of 3 to 4 trainers who normally stay together during the seminar in order to prepare together and agree on the flow of the themes. Each trainer who leads is always assisted by a co-facilitator who helps them not only to take notes but also to distribute the material and especially to respect the preparation done together. The other trainers are also required to closely follow the animation and can intervene if necessary to add their comments or testimonies that facilitate understanding. Towards the beginning of the evening, before moving on to the activities of preparing the themes of the following day, the team of trainers first debriefs the activities of this day.
Training content
The training content depends on each beneficiary group and the need perceived as a priority emergency. Teachers, directors and trainers of trainers have a PAP training content determined and recorded in a document called ” portfolio ” in the form of themes, which was designed by the main trainer of the program Mr. Christian Grêt.
A portfolio is supposed to be renewed and updated as it is used and exploited. Thus, a certain number of new themes were added to the initial number by the main trainer of the program and the other trainers of the teaching unit. The other themes were revised to be more accessible and beneficial for the seminar participants. Here are the titles of some new themes :
All these themes are grouped into five headings. The classification is not intrinsically fixed. These headings are:
Teaching Themes
Methodology Themes
Psychology Themes
Themes of Psychopedagogy
Modern Communication Themes
Basic themes are always developed as a priority in our seminars for primary school teachers and principals. Other themes complement these. These basic themes are as follows:
Trainers (members of the teaching unit) are trained to lead and train adults and master portfolio themes. In a seminar on portfolio use, participants study and use the themes thoroughly, and practice presenting them during the plenary session by simulating a teachers’ seminar.
In the seminar on communication, participants explore topics related to communication and adult education. These topics are mainly as follows:
Our training program in the practice of active and participatory pedagogy (PAP) implemented by the National Bureau of Protestant Education (BNEP) is funded by a German organization called the Protestant Work of Diaconia and Development – Bread for the World – Protestant Development Service. It has its administrative headquarters in Berlin, Germany. The partnership relationships between the CPR and Bread for the World (PPLM) are harmonious, honest, frank, and respectful of the fundamental values of each institution. This training program for teaching and administrative staff has been supported by PPLM for several years because this educational work is a long-term endeavor. It aims for social transformation and changing people’s mentalities and behaviors as well as working methods in our education. Bread for the World regularly sends its staff to evaluate the progress of the work and to assess the results of the program. The main trainer, Dr. Christian Grêt, spares no effort to support the BNEP pedagogically in its teacher training activities in order to improve the quality of teaching in our schools.
The Alliance of Religions and Conservation (ARC) is a secular organization founded by Prince Philip in 1995. It assists religions in developing environmental protection programs based on their teachings, beliefs, and practices. This organization assists the Protestant Council of Rwanda (CPR), through the National Bureau of Protestant Education (BNEP), in our Green Campus project, which aims to mobilize young people in schools in the fight for environmental protection. With good collaboration, BNEP hopes to strengthen our partnership with ARC so that, in the future, we can expand our scope of action in this program.
The Outreach Foundation is a Christian organization whose mission is to engage Presbyterians and global partners in proclaiming the Good News of Jesus Christ. Its vision is to create dynamic relationships to deepen passion for mission and build mission capacity. This organization assists the Protestant Council of Rwanda (CPR), through its National Bureau of Protestant Education (BNEP), in training Sunday school leaders and in designing and developing manuals for Sunday schools in Protestant churches. BNEP is committed to a good and respectful partnership with The Outreach Foundation, with the goal of expanding the Kingdom of God on earth by effectively mentoring children and youth through Sunday schools. We hope that, in the future, our partnership will have more positive effects on children’s ministry.
The Protestant Churches members of the CPR, aware that their vision and objectives in the field of education cannot be properly achieved without close collaboration with the bodies and services of the State, they maintain and strengthen their partnership and collaboration with, among others, the Ministry of Education (MINEDUC) at all levels. It is in this context that the National Bureau of Protestant Education (BNEP), which is a technical service of these churches in educational matters, collaborates closely in its activities with the authorities of this Ministry and its various institutions at all levels. Also, the Ministry of Education associates the BNEP with meetings to reflect on the development and implementation of educational policy and school legislation in our country. The BNEP is also associated with other meetings on various themes relevant to improving the quality of education in Rwanda. The BNEP also collaborates with local government authorities in our various activities operating at the level of local geographical entities.
The National Bureau of Protestant Education (BNEP) collaborates closely in various areas with other national denominational education services of other churches in our country. These are primarily the National Secretariat of Catholic Education (SNEC) and the Education Service of the Seventh-day Adventist Church.
The BNEP is also a member of a network of collaboration and exchanges with colleagues engaged in a dynamic of reflection and action on pedagogical innovations in our denominational schools, through the programs of Protestant churches in French-speaking African countries. This network is called the Forum d’Echanges sur les Innovations Pédagogiques (FEsIP).
The BNEP works and collaborates closely with other Protestant school coordination bodies in the Great Lakes region. These include, for example, the coordination of the Baptist Community’s accredited schools in Central Africa in Goma and the Churches of Christ in Congo in Bukavu. Experience-sharing meetings between the two countries are often organized and are enriching.
The BNEP is working closely with the Protestant Institute of Arts and Social Studies (PIASS) , particularly its Faculty of Education, to explore opportunities and strategies for integrating Active and Participatory Pedagogy (PAP) into higher education. It should be noted that the Protestant Council of Rwanda (CPR) has already signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the PIASS.
The BNEP works and collaborates closely with NUMA Y’AMAHORO/WHY WAIT? RWANDA I in training teachers who will supervise young students in Christian schools. In this collaboration, we often emphasize the Christian values that should guide the attitudes and behaviors of young students in Protestant schools. The CPR already signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with this organization on June 13, 2013.
Finally, the BNEP facilitates research by students from universities and higher education institutions in our country for the preparation of their final dissertations in the field of education.
It is clear that we are always carrying out activities to explore the possibilities of new partners while maintaining existing ones. In this perspective, the BNEP is in dialogue with two international organizations:
The BNEP works in collaboration with consulting partners who help it improve the quality of its programs and the services it provides. These include
Professor Dr. Christian Grêt, who supports the BNEP in its training program for teaching and administrative staff in PAP. He is a Swiss national and has extensive professional experience in education, especially in new methods that allow learners to actively participate in their learning. This is pedocentrism in the truest sense of the term. He has been supporting the BNEP since 1997.
Mrs. Esther Grêt, she is the wife of Dr. Christian Grêt. She has been collaborating with the BNEP since 2006 in its training program for teaching and administrative staff in PAP and especially for the training of nursery school teachers. She also has extensive experience in this field.
Mr. Dr. Jacob Sovoessi is of Beninese nationality. He is Director of NEGO-COM in Benin and also works for the School and Development Network (RED). He supports the BNEP in its training program for Protestant education administrators in Rwanda in participatory management. He has extensive experience in the field of education and school management.
Mr. Emmanuel Kouakam, computer scientist, ICT coach, of Cameroonian nationality. He is Director of GITECH Consulting. He works with the BNEP in the framework of the implementation of the school statistics management software called Skou’L 4.0 and the training of BNEP staff on information and communication technology.
Professor Dr. Annette Scheunpflug, she is Professor and head of the chair of general pedagogy at Otto-Friedrich-Universität Bamberg in Germany. The BNEP collaborated with Prof. Dr. Annette Scheunpflug in the framework of the promotion of Active and Participatory Pedagogy (PAP). She and her assistant Ms. Susanne Krogull helped the BNEP in 2010 to carry out a scientific evaluation in which they identified the impact of this pedagogy in Protestant schools in Rwanda. Based on this evaluation, a book in English was written by Prof. Dr. Annette Scheunpflug. This book will soon be published by a German publishing house.
Based on this book in English, the BNEP is ready to publish a summary in a small book to allow the Rwandan-speaking public to read the results of this scientific evaluation of the PAP program in Protestant schools in Rwanda. Ms. Prof. Dr. Annette Scheunpflug, in collaboration with the PIASS, initiated a Master’s program in education called the International Master Program in Educational Quality. 10 education managers in Protestant churches, including two BNEP agents, are already following this training program.
The CPR's core mission is to foster unity among Rwandan Christian churches, working towards a shared vision and promoting evangelistic outreach.
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