By African View, October 9, 2025
When 17-year-old Alice left school two years ago to help care for her younger siblings, she thought her dream of becoming a nurse was over. “There was no way to go back,” she recalls. “I didn’t have the money, and I was already too old for my grade.”
Now, through Rwanda’s new Resilience in Secondary Education in Rwanda (RISE Rwanda) programme, Alice and thousands of other young people like her are getting a second chance.
RISE Rwanda, a partnership between Rwanda’s Ministry of Education, UNICEF, and education specialists Edt, aims to reconnect out-of-school youth with learning and livelihoods. The programme focuses on those who have missed out on secondary education, helping them gain nationally recognized qualifications and practical job skills.
Despite remarkable progress in expanding access to education, Rwanda still faces a major challenge: around 28% of its 3.5 million young people are not in education, employment, or training (NEET). For many, especially girls, refugees, and those with disabilities, poverty and social pressures push them out of school too early.
“The Ministry of Education recognizes that these young people must not be forgotten,” said an education official in Kigali. “They are the future workforce, innovators, and leaders of Rwanda’s Vision 2050.”
Unlike traditional schooling, RISE Rwanda offers flexible, technology-enabled learning pathways. Learners can study at their own pace and still earn the equivalent of a secondary education certificate, combined with vocational and digital skills training.
By 2035, the programme is expected to reach 1.1 million youth, equipping them with digital literacy, English proficiency, and core subjects such as mathematics and science; all designed to match the country’s labor market needs.
For young mothers, over-age learners, and others unable to attend formal school, the programme provides alternative routes to success.
To deliver on this ambitious plan, Edt will work closely with UNICEF and Rwanda’s education agencies, including the Rwanda Basic Education Board (REB), National Examination and Schools Inspection Authority (NESA), and the Rwanda TVET Board.
Together, they are developing a curriculum for accelerated education, a model that condenses learning into a shorter time frame using learner-friendly and inclusive methods.
“Through this assignment, Edt is demonstrating its commitment to increasing life chances by working with the Rwandan government to ensure that every learner – in and out of school – is equipped to live a fulfilling and successful life,” said Sabine Nguini, Director of Consultancy at Edt. “We are proud to partner with UNICEF and the Ministry of Education to prepare young people for the future in a changing world.”
RISE Rwanda aligns with both Rwanda’s Vision 2050 and the African Union’s Continental Education Strategy (CESA 2026–2035), which emphasizes accelerated and alternative learning for youth who have left school.
Across Africa, millions of young people are in similar situations eager to learn but unable to fit into rigid education systems. Rwanda’s initiative could serve as a blueprint for other nations looking to close the education gap and unlock youth potential.
For learners like Alice, RISE Rwanda is more than a programme, it’s a renewed hope.
“Now I can study again,” she says with a shy smile. “Maybe one day I’ll become the nurse I always wanted to be.”
With programmes like RISE Rwanda, that dream, once out of reach, is back within grasp. And as Africa’s young generation continues to grow, the region’s future may depend on how many of them are given the same chance to rise.
Source edt
Comments