A. Financial partners
1. Protestant Diakonia and Development Work – Bread for the World – Protestant Development Service
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.
2. The Alliance of Religions and Conservation (ARC)
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.
3. The Outreach Foundation
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.
B. Public partners
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.
C. Partners and professional collaborators
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:
- BNEP has begun a dialogue with the Association of Christian Schools International (ACSI) for a partnership that would allow Protestant schools in churches to be members of this association.
- The BNEP participated in meetings and discussions between several Protestant education stakeholders to create an International Network of Protestant Education (RIEP), which will be headquartered in Paris, France. The BNEP will be among the founding members of this network. The official creation of the RIEP is scheduled for May 28, 2014.
D. Consulting Partners
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.
