Shyogwe: How Radio and Mobile Phone contribute to Children’s Education amidst COVID 19 lockdown

Children under Hope of Family sponsorship are able to follow learning program on Radio as Rwanda Education Board with various partners continue to coach all children via live broadcast services following the closure of education institutions over the COVID-19 outbreak in the country.

The program is help pupils proceed with learning while staying at home, Director General of the REB Irenee Ndayambaje has recently told the media.

Children following the program have said that they are benefiting much from the radio learning program since it is aired in their convenient times.

Niyonkuru Patrick, a student at Mbare Primary School in Shyogwe Sector of Muhanga District narrates that in this complicated situation, radio programs are helping them to revise their lessons.

He said that “We follow the lessons and after we continue to revise courses ourselves.”

“Parents also help us to revise our lessons, even if there are some subjects that parents are not able to support us because they have no knowledge in such domains.” Patrick added citing English lesson as one of the subjects not easy to be understood by parents.

The same as Ngirinshuti David, a student in P6 explains that he wakes up early the morning, do the domestic tasks and later at 2 PM he follows the radio learning program.

He advises other children in the lockdown to follow the learning program while at the same time staying at home as part of helping the government to contain the spread of Corona Virus.

Nyiransababera Philomena, one of the parents explained that as parents “We are helping our children, first to understand the reason why the Government decided to close schools. We explained to them using even other examples of other calamities that happened in Rwanda in the past while at same time assuring them on the reopening of the schools in the near future.”

“In the beginning, there were challenges, our children were scattered outside playing road football games, but I decided to enforce the parental decision and asked them to revise their lessons even before this radio learning program. I did this sensitization not only among my children but also among the neighbours.” She added.

The management of Hope of Family follows closely on how sponsored children are following the learning program to make sure that they are not wasting time in this confinement period.

Mpayimana Aimable, Founder of Hope of Family noted that parents are encouraged to support their children to follow the lessons provided by Rwanda Education Board via their radios.

“Apart from encouraging them, we also phone them to know how children are participating and which obstacles that may likely to impede the smooth following of the learning program” Mpayimana added.

Last year, Hope of Family donated Radios and Mobile phones to all project beneficiaries in Shyogwe Sector of Muhanga District.

The move was taken as part of the Family socio-development programs and use of Information Communication Technologies at family level.

On the Use of mobile phones, the organization’s management and beneficiary families are able to interact on whatever issue or programs mostly to alleviate families from poverty also to ensure that the Children’s proper education is attained.