Higher Education Pedagogies for Teacher Education (HEP-TED)

The project aims to build a solid ground for a sustainable, responsible partnership between two out of three Rwandan public higher education institutions and four Finnish higher education institutions. It aims at developing and strengthening the capacity of partner institutions to contribute to sustainable development through quality teacher education for general education and technical and vocational education and training (TVET). Because of the centrality of Rwandan public partner institutions and their network nature, the project has a system level impact. Three main outcomes of collaboration are expected in this project: 1) Enhanced management capacities; 2) Improved quality of teacher education; and 3) Strengthened capacities for cross-institutional collaboration.

The Higher Education Pedagogies for Teacher Education (HEP-TED) project, spanning from January 2024 to August 2026, aims to develop and strengthen the capacity of Rwandan higher education institutions (HEIs). In response to Rwanda’s “Vision 2050” and the National Strategy for Transformation 2017–2024, the project focuses on quality teacher education for general and technical/vocational education, addressing needs identified through a joint assessment. HEP-TED envisions three outcomes: enhanced management capacities within HEIs, improved teacher education quality, and strengthened cross-institutional collaboration. To achieve these goals, the project supports the development of internal quality assurance mechanisms, training educators in competence-based curricula and inclusive pedagogies, as well as fostering collaboration among Rwandan and Finnish HEIs. Activities include curriculum renewal, pedagogical training to enhance competence-based approaches, digital learning, learning design, gender-sensitive, and disability-inclusive pedagogies. Cross-institutional learning opportunities are created through joint project management, mutual visits and trainings.