• 1,500 schools now have high-speed internet, and two national data centres are in place.

• Phase II will add 2,500 schools, 100 smart classrooms, a national cloud, and teacher ICT training.

• The DigiTruck mobile classroom will train 5,000 youth, girls, and farmers in all 30 districts.

On October 3, Rwanda announced the completion of the first phase of its ambitious Smart Education Project. The news was shared at Kagarama Secondary School in an event led by the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of ICT and Innovation, and tech partner Huawei.

Education Minister Gaspard Twagirayezu celebrated the project's incredible progress, sharing that over 1,500 schools now have high-speed internet. Two new, state-of-the-art data centers have also been built to create a dedicated national education network, setting the stage for a new era of digital learning. "These milestones directly support Rwanda’s ambition to build a globally competitive, knowledge-based economy,” the Minister said.

The Smart Education Project is all about upgrading Rwanda’s educational tech infrastructure. The goal is to build a national education network, create a central hub for sharing digital content, and develop more innovative campus systems. The government's plan is to connect more than 1,400 schools and 63 universities, using technology to revolutionize classrooms and boost teaching quality across the nation. This vision is backed by a $30 million concessional loan from China’s Exim Bank, secured in 2021.

Alongside these infrastructure upgrades, the government also unveiled the DigiTruck—a solar-powered mobile classroom packed with laptops, internet, and other digital tools.  For the next three years, this classroom-on-wheels will travel to all 30 districts, offering free training to over 5,000 young people, women, and farmers. It's a fantastic initiative designed to bring digital opportunities directly to communities that need them most.

Launched in 2020, the Smart Education Project is a key piece of Rwanda's strategy to digitize public services and build a modern education system. By connecting schools and launching initiatives like the DigiTruck, Rwanda is working to close the digital divide and march toward its Vision 2050 goal of equipping one million citizens with digital skills. Looking forward, Phase II of the project is expected to connect another 2,500 schools, create 100 smart classrooms, and establish a national education cloud platform.

At the same time, Rwanda has been strengthening its teachers' skills through the CADIE Project (Capacity Development for ICT in Education), a partnership with the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA). Since 2019, this $7 million project has focused on training secondary school teachers to integrate technology into their lessons, ensuring they can deliver the 21st-century skills students need.

Hikmatu Bilali