Curriculum development workshop on advanced diploma in horticulture for IPRC Karongi
Early November a development workshop on the curriculum of the advanced diploma in horticulture for IPRC Karongi took place in Kigali, Rwanda. With the help of the SEAD-West project IPRC Karongi is developing a competence-based curricula of Horticulture to be used at various levels including Diploma and Advanced Diploma levels (known as RTQF Level 6 and Level 7 respectively).
IPRC Karongi is vested with the core mission to impart fair and affordable TVET education, in different programs that include in the future horticulture at the advanced level (level 6 and 7 to a sufficient number of students and provide them with adequate skills to meet national and regional (global) needs. Besides, IPRC Karongi is called to contribute to the ongoing poverty reduction, economic development, and food security programs in the country- towards "Rural development" (EDPRS II) and "Agriculture Transformation in Rwanda" (PSTA HO- through increased agricultural production as a result of training, research and transfer of technology in the domains of Horticulture and Tourism.
Implementing feedback from the Higher Education Council
The workshop was organized to revise and implement the feedback that the Higher Education Council had given based on the first submission of the horticulture curriculum in early 2021.
During the workshop it was agreed upon that the curriculum should be broadened to also a level 7 program to cover both level 6 and 7 as IPRC Karongi also trains and admits students up to the advanced diploma level, which is level 7. On the basis of this agreement, the curriculum development team which existed out of government, private sector and academic participants reviewed the vertical mobility to identify occupations and jobs that fit level 6 and 7. Furthermore, the DACUM chart was adjusted and competencies were listed for both levels, the course structure was reviewed to harmonize the modules of the curriculum and new modules were incorporated on the topics of animal husbandry, introduction to plant biotechnology, physics, topography and introduction to plant breeding.
The development of the advanced diploma in Horticulture, phase 1 at IPRC Karongi, was successfully implemented and its relevance was highly recommended by different participants.
The Deputy Principal, who closed the first phase of this curriculum development, recommended the ownership of the Institution (IPRC Karongi) in all the processes and committed to providing any support that will be needed to make sure the program is successfully approved and accredited within the timeline.
About SEAD West
The Rwanda Development Board (RDB) in partnership with the international consortium led by Maastricht School of Management (MSM) is implementing the SEAD West project: Strengthening Education for Agricultural Development. Through the project, the education & training institutions (IPRC Karongi, TVET Gisovu, TVET Kivumu, and TVET Bumba) are capacitated to better address the needs of the stakeholders in the agriculture sector with a focus on the Agri-Tourism value Chain.
The SEAD West project has, broadly, three lines of intervention: 1) Curriculum Development/Revision, both formal and non-formal; 2) strengthen the Applied research & innovation capacities of the partner institutions and 3) strengthen the outreach services, more specifically the offer of tailor-made training, and establishment of Service, Training, and Innovation Center in Agri-Tourism focusing on the Horticulture value chain and hospitality.
Orange Knowledge Programme
This project is part of the Orange Knowledge Programme (OKP) which is funded by the Netherlands’ Ministry of Foreign Affairs and managed by Nuffic. For more information click here.
MSM's Expert Centre for Emerging Economies
This institutional collaboration project is part of MSM's Expert Centre for Emerging Economies. The department is an expert centre on local economic development in emerging and developing markets. We capacitate managers and professionals from government, private sector, NGOs, and post-secondary education in Africa, Asia, Middle East, and Latin America. We offer consultancy and customized training programs, and we manage complex projects in key sectors, e.g. water, agriculture and health. For more information click here.
Related news
SEAD strengthens research & innovation capacities of the beneficiary institutions
SEAD-West partner institutions prepare for curricula development with a look and learn tour
3rd Cyclical Management and Leadership training
SEAD strengthens project management capacities of its partner institutions
