An Interview with Teachers about Gender Equality in Rwanda

Sarah Epplin

Ed 3 - Kirehe District, Eastern Province

I live in a village in the middle of nowhere about a 1.5 hour moto ride North-East of Kibungo. Since site visit, I’ve considered my village a very strange hole in the wall because though it is far from anywhere, it is a big village. For description’s sake, it’s possible to buy trunks, mattresses, and chocolate any day of the week. Because of its size, people who live in Nasho don’t consider our village as the “countryside.” It is not the countryside, but it is not mu mujyi – instead it is somewhere in-between, so I call it umudugudu munini (large village).

I decided to interview two of my co-workers at G.S. Rugoma (a third joined the conversation late) about Gender Equality. I was curious about their thoughts, as they live and work in a big village that has mostly male leaders, though female ones are striving through. Our Head Teacher, even, at my school is female. About half the teachers are female, with a majority teaching at the primary school.

What I expected from the interview was some kind of insight into their personal ideas, but as the conversation continued, I realized that as anywhere in Rwanda, the subject of Gender Equality is greeted with repeated phrases, an indication that gender equality is not understood in all ways it could be.

The message my fellow teachers wanted me to grasp was that in Rwanda, gender equality is present when males and females are working together and that if both try, they are capable of doing a given task. It is important to note the comments at the end, explaining that before the genocide, there were no female leaders, but now the constitution says 30% of leaders must be female. As Americans, it is easier to notice the differences between our societies and to recognize the inequalities, but that fact alone shows that though buhoro buhoro (slowly by slowly), there is improvement. What I wished for them to mention, though they didn’t, was the ever-present gender roles in Rwandan society, but perhaps another day.

Please note that I have transcribed this interview without changes to the language or grammar used by the interviewees. Rwanda is a country where many of its citizens are learning English as their 3^rd or even 4^th language. I communicate in simple English, and this is reflected here.

Sarah Epplin: G.S. Rugoma has both female and male teachers. Do you think this is important? Why or why not?

Male Teacher (MT): Yes, it is important to have female and male teachers because gender is very important in our education.

Female Teacher (FT): Yes! It is important. I think that everywhere we need the boy and the girl.

SE: In what ways do the male teachers try to help the female teachers?

MT: Male teachers help female teachers as the female teachers can help the male teachers in their lessons. All of them, male and female teachers, can have the same performance in their activities.

FT: Not. Because the females…we have the ideas.

SE: In what ways do the female teachers try to help the male teachers?

MT: Yes, female teachers can help male teachers. That means that female teachers can be clever someway than male teachers. I can give you example. Betty can be better in English than me. Or she can be better in mathematics than me. And so we can help each other.

SE: How do the teaching methods differ between the male and female teachers?

MT: Methodologically, there are different ways to teach. We cannot confirm that female teachers can be better than male there is not a best method of teaching. The best method of teaching is that one that can help students understand better their lesson.

FT: It is not the same. Everyone uses the methods that are the best for us.

SE:  Do you think the male teachers have any advantages that the female teachers don’t have? If so, what?

MT: No, because there is gender equality, male teachers cannot have advantages.

FT: My answer is the same.

SE: Do you think the female teachers have any advantages that the male teachers don’t have? If so, what?

MT: Okay, the previous answer can answer that question.

SE: The Rwandan government is trying to promote gender equality. Give me examples of how Rwanda has gender equality, socially, privately, and professionally.

MT: Professionally, when we are here, both female and male teachers can have the same advantages in their profession. Socially, in ceremonies, during weddings, both female and male can have the same advantages. Another example is that when people are there at hospitals, searching for medicines, both female and male people can receive the same services. Privately, at home, parents are male and female so that the children can be involved in their life at home. If one is doing the work, another can help.

FT: No ideas for me. The same as him.

SE: In what ways do you think gender equality could improve in Rwanda?                     

MT: Because our country is promoting gender equality, slowly by slowly I think there is no big improvement because our country tries to reach the gender equality. It is said that our country is not big, but for me it is not true. Our country has different regions. Rural regions and urban regions, so people in urban communities and rural regions cannot understand in the same ways, so that you can find that in some regions, the gender equality has not take place at the same level as other regions. People in urban regions can understand better than people in rural regions. In rural regions, you can find a man who does not help his wife. But in urban regions, people can help each other.

SE: What advice would you give a young boy about gender equality?

MT: The advice to give to my students about gender equality is that they can help each other without separation, without thinking that this is a boy and this is a girl and I cannot help him or her, but that they can help each other.

FT: The boy and the girl are equal.

SE: What advice would you give a young girl about gender equality?

MT: It is the same advice as the previous question. What I can add is that all students are equal as [FT] has said.

FT: The same advice as before.

MT2: My idea about gender in Rwanda: before genocide, the government did not focus on gender, but after genocide, the Government on National Unity is trying to teach about gender. In education, girls and boys are learning together in the same conditions. There is something called a bonus, to help girls attend classes, so the number of girls is increasing because the government is sensitizing and trying to help girls learn. Both girls and boys are working together, so when they for example clean the classroom or do umuganda – they can be together, they can work together. Some women can be drivers. I can say in general in Rwanda gender is promoted.

SE: How can gender equality be improved in Rwanda?

MT2: It can improve if all leaders try to sensitize or to mobilize, to go on teaching people that they are the same. They may not have the same force or the same power. In the Bible, women are always weak, but they have to mobilize them to work hard so that everyone is at the same level. It will be possible.

SE: Anything to add?

MT2: Before, no woman or girl was a leader. It was always men, but today the national constitution says that 30% of the leaders must be women, and so bit by bit, I think the number of women will increase. It is good to be here with you, an American girl, at G.S. Rugoma. We are happy to improve our gender equality.