Innovative teacher and innovative learner in the contemporary 21st Century Rwanda: Possibilities and challenges

This study investigates the possibilities and challenges encountered by tutors and students in implementing the Competence-Based Curriculum (CBC), with particular emphasis on its capacity to foster creativity, innovation, and 21st-century skills. In response to global educational reforms, many countries have shifted from content-driven instruction to competence-oriented instruction pedagogies. Rwanda is among these reform-oriented systems, having adopted the CBC to produce learners who are adaptable, skilled, and globally competitive. Using a qualitative case study design, the research explores tutors’ and students’ experiences at a Teacher Training College (TTC) in applying innovative teaching and learning approaches under the CBC framework. The study is theoretically anchored in Vygotsky’s Sociocultural Theory, which emphasises learning as a socially mediated process. Five tutors and thirty students were purposively selected. Data were generated through face-to-face interviews and focus group discussions and analysed using inductive thematic analysis. The findings were triangulated against relevant literature and the guiding theory. The results reveal that CBC-oriented pedagogies offer substantial pedagogical benefits when effectively implemented. These include enhanced learner confidence, active participation, collaboration, and the development of critical and reflective thinking skills aligned with contemporary global demands. However, the study also identifies persistent structural and institutional constraints that undermine effective implementation. Key challenges include inadequate physical infrastructure, limited and underutilised teaching and learning resources, shortages of instructional materials, and overcrowded classrooms. The study concludes that without targeted systemic support, the transformative potential of the CBC risks being compromised. It therefore recommends that the Rwanda Basic Education authorities prioritise infrastructural expansion, resource provision, continuous upgrading of smart classrooms, and intensified Continuing Professional Development (CPD) for tutors to ensure sustainable and effective CBC implementation.