USAID Rwanda Ibitabo Kuri Twese Activity

Challenge

In Rwanda, many children lack access to the books and learning materials they need to thrive. A 2017 shift to centralized textbook production significantly disrupted the local publishing ecosystem, limiting private sector participation and reducing the availability of diverse, affordable, and inclusive teaching and learning materials (TLMs).

Through the Ibitabo Kuri Twese (IKT) Activity, EDC partnered with the Government of Rwanda, specifically the Ministry of Education, through the Rwanda Education Board (REB) and private sector actors, such as publishers and printers, to strengthen the national market system for TLMs. The project aimed to increase the availability, affordability, adaptability, and quality of locally produced books by building public sector capacity, creating space for private sector growth, and advancing key education policies.

Key Activities

The project carried out the following activities:

• Revitalized the national Learning and Teaching Materials Management Information System (LTMMIS), enabling connection with the School Data Management System to strengthen planning and delivery
• Facilitated public-private roundtable discussions with policymakers, leading to key policy shifts, including the removal of VAT on printing services for locally produced TLMs
• Led advocacy efforts that resulted in the integration of Rwanda’s National Book Policy into the National Strategy for Transformation (NST2), elevating the book sector as a national priority
• Played a key role in facilitating policy change, enabling the Government of Rwanda, through REB, to allow the private sector to print and sell REB-approved textbooks
• Supported formation of a private sector technical working group of publishers, printers, and booksellers
• Developed costing models and strategic planning tools to support efficient TLM forecasting and budgeting
• Facilitated discussions on partnerships with banks, training institutions, and associations to expand access to finance and skills development to the Rwanda TLM Market System actors

Impact

• Digitized 100,000 delivery confirmation forms to improve transparency and accountability in textbook distribution across schools nationwide
• Successfully facilitated dialogues between public and private actors, thereby enabling private sector printing and sales of REB-approved textbooks for the first time in seven years
• Successfully advocated for the removal of VAT on printing services for locally produced TLMs, reducing production costs and boosting the competitiveness of Rwandan printers
• Trained 17 government officials from REB and the Ministry of Education on a revitalized data system that tracks textbook delivery, inventory, and planning
• Built the capacity of 36 main project participants (26 publishers and 10 printers) on title development, adaptation, and business planning