Abstracts Education

Impact of COVID-19 on Education in Rwanda: The Case of Kepler Kigali

by Ernestine Niyobuhungiro

The arrival of the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted many areas of life throughout the world, including the education sector. The pandemic brought on many changes that impacted both students and the instructors. To better understand the impact of COVID-19 on education in Rwanda, the research was made at Kepler Kigali; an education program that offers higher learning education. To collect the data, surveys and interviews were conducted with students and staffs. Forty-seven students and 18 staff members responded to the survey. The results indicated that 67% of the students found it hard to stay motivated and 77% of staff confirmed that they struggled with mental wellness during COVID-19. To address these challenges, I developed a program that targets students who are struggling with their academics, asking them to join a group with an academic advisor who can offer support and monitor their progress regularly. The program will be offered both online and in-person to make sure that whatever might come up, the student will still be able to access the program and the support and collaboration that they might be looking for. Students can be mandated to attend the program if they are not meeting academic expectations, but can also willingly join the program to get the motivation they might need from their colleagues, given threat so many students reported as the lack of motivation. To realize this, we will be working with stakeholders including Kepler academic advisors, GEM (Global Education Movement), students and others.