Though the relevance of the concept of neighbourhood in both research and policy oriented circles is unquestionable, the concept remains contested and fluid, making its operationalisation a daunting task, particularly in practice. This study explores how the concept of neighbourhood has been operationalised in Kigali city and how the neighbourhood boundaries and typologies are defined. The paper dwells on the review of relevant literature, interviews with 25 practitioners and field observations. It is argued that neighbourhood conceptualisation in Kigali is both theory—it bears the common aspects of neighbourhood definitions—and practice driven, reflecting modernity and context. On the one hand, modernity suggests the desire of planning authorities to follow contemporary planning practices. Context, on the other hand, reflects the desire to tailor local policies to country specific challenges. While boundaries follow subjective, administrative and physical models, typologies tend to be overly physical, focusing mainly on housing structures. The study identified three conventional neighbourhood typologies—planned, informal and mixed types. Given the predominance of informal and mixed neighbourhoods, this study further argues that such areas form the ‘bedroom’ and ‘transit point’ for most lower- and middle-class workers, in addition to serving as a ‘laboratory’ for testing various social interventions. The study recommends a well-serviced mixed classification typology to foster a strong sense of belongingness.

This study sought to assess the level of competences acquired by Geography students through the Competence-based teaching and learning approach in the Rwandan Secondary Schools. It was conducted in six secondary schools, where geography is taught as a major subject. The study followed a quantitative approach with a cross sectional descriptive design. Data was collected using a test administered to 210 students of senior 5 and senior 6 on the content learned in senior 4 and 5 respectively. The findings highlight that students achieved the assessed competences at a high level. They performed well in human and economic geography than in physical geography. Students from boarding schools performed better than those in day schools in both sub-areas of geography and for both S5 and S6. Urban schools performed better than rural schools in physical geography for both S5 and S6 with exception in human and economic geography. The study recommends more support to all schools to achieve the expected performance in both physical and human and economic geography at an excellent level.

The effectiveness of an internship largely depends on the quality of guidance and support offered to the student-teachers. Such support determines their performance in future jobs and helps in constructing a quality teacher identity. Using a concurrent mixed methods design, this chapter explores the extent to which quality internship support to student-teachers at the University of Rwanda – College of Education (UR-CE) equips future teachers with subject-curricular-pedagogic knowledge. Data were collected from 83 student-teachers involved in teaching internships across the country, who filled in the online survey questionnaire, and 20 interviews with key informants. The findings suggest that student-interns received various support to strengthen their subject content, pedagogical and skills knowledge. School community, peer-interns and teachers offered high-level support compared to UR-CE lecturers. Despite the positive appreciation of their supervisory work, many UR-CE lecturers were not fully available. The overall evaluation is the effectiveness of the internship as it contributes to acquiring best practices for the teachers-in-making or the teachers-to-be. The authors recommend more effective support to equip student-teachers with quality subject-curriculum-pedagogic know-how for quality service when they join the teaching profession.

This article explores strategies to improve livelihoods in Kigali’s peri-urban areas by utilising the valuable knowledge and adaptive strategies of residents. Through the framework of knowledge co-creation, it examines peri-urban residents’ livelihoods, identifies potential threats posed by urban growth and evaluates resident-driven projects for livelihood improvement. The study was conducted in three peri-urban administrative sectors—Bumbogo, Mageragere and Gahanga—representing the three districts of Kigali. A mixed-methods participatory action research design was employed, and data were collected from 99 participants, who were selected using reputational and snowball sampling techniques. Through the data collection process, residents were supported in ideating and implementing 30 distinct projects to support their livelihood. The effectiveness of these projects was analysed through field evaluations and interviews with participants. The findings revealed that the majority of the residents were dissatisfied with the quality of life in peri-urban areas. However, the study also showed that within four months of project implementation, the beneficiaries reported greater potential to improve living conditions through savings and diverse urban economic activities. The article concludes that knowledge co-creation is an effective approach in helping residents cope with rapid urban changes.

The 2015 curriculum reform in Rwanda marked a shift from a knowledge-based curriculum to a competence-based curriculum and assessment system, signalling a transition from the traditional focus on k...