Client UNICEF Rwanda · Programme GPE System Transformation Grant · Led by the Ministry of Education and REB
01The brief
Show what system transformation means in practice. The Government of Rwanda, through the Ministry of Education and the Rwanda Basic Education Board, is implementing the Global Partnership for Education (GPE)-financed System Transformation Grant, with technical support from UNICEF.
The challenge: turn a national, technical reform into a story people care about, without losing a single fact.
As enrolment expanded, a deeper question emerged: were all children learning, progressing and completing their education?
02The reform in numbers
- 840,525learners in Primary 1 to 5 reached by remedial classes
- 3,227schools in the August–September 2025 holiday programme
- 68.3%of participating learners reached the benchmark for promotion
- 20.4%P1–P5 repetition in 2024–2025, down from 29.7% in 2022–2023
- 313pre-primary classrooms completed across 30 districts
- 324toilet facilities completed
- 12,000children expected to benefit from better learning conditions
- 244energy-saving stoves for school feeding
Programme figures as reported in the feature story, from the Ministry of Education, REB and UNICEF.
03Four reforms, four human stories
We built the feature around people in different districts, each one carrying one part of the reform, so readers meet the change before they meet the numbers.
- 01
Remedial learning
Learners who were falling behind get focused support during the holidays, guided by assessment results. The figures show who it reached and what changed.
- 02
Safer classrooms
A Primary Five learner in Rulindo and a head teacher in Musanze describe lessons that once stopped every time it rained, and classrooms that now stay open.
- 03
School feeding
In Kayonza, an energy-saving stove means less firewood, less smoke in the kitchen and meals ready on time for afternoon lessons.
- 04
Data that leads to action
A school leader shows how records on attendance and assessment help teachers notice a child who needs support before it is too late.
“Our lessons are no longer interrupted when it rains, and we can remain in class and concentrate.”
A Primary Five learner, Rulindo District“Cooking is now faster and easier, and there is much less smoke in the kitchen. We use less firewood, and the meals are ready earlier.”
Groupe Scolaire Cyinzovu, Kayonza District
04What we delivered
- Field reporting and photography in schools across several districts, including Rulindo, Musanze and Kayonza.
- Interviews in Kinyarwanda with learners, head teachers, school staff and school leaders.
- A long-form feature, “From access to learning: How Rwanda is building a school system that works for every child”, written by Théoneste Iyakaremye.
- Edited, captioned photographs for the story, reports and digital channels.
- Every programme figure checked against the partners’ data, and reviewed with UNICEF before publication.
05Why it worked
We write and photograph as one team, so the pictures and the words tell the same story. We speak the language of the schools we visit, we respect children’s privacy, and we turn technical reforms into stories that a parent, a donor and a minister can all read.
Every child is not only present in school, but safe, supported and able to learn, progress and fulfil their potential.