In partnership with OpenDevEd, Royal Dutch Kentalis, and Busara—with support from GPE’s Knowledge and Innovation Exchange (KIX) and Canada’s International Development Research Centre (IDRC)—eKitabu conducted a Teacher Professional Development (TPD) training as part of the ongoing research project “Scaling Inclusive Early Learning with Deaf Children.” The training took place in two weekends (1st–2nd and 8th–9th November 2025) at Grazia Apartment Hotel. It brought together 25 teachers (20 teachers and 5 deaf teacher assistants) from five treatment schools under the KIX project, along with members of the Research Advisor Committee who participated on the first day. The training focused on strengthening teachers’ capacity in Universal Design for Learning (UDL), accessible digital content, child safeguarding, and inclusive classroom practices to support better educational outcomes of deaf and hard-of-hearing learners in lower and pre-primary schools.

The “Scaling Inclusive Early Learning with Deaf Children” project aims to create Sign language-rich Learning environments for deaf and hard-of-hearing learners in pre-primary and lower primary grades to enhance language acquisition and literacy skills and improve educational outcomes. 

To achieve this, in November, eKitabu organised a series of training sessions on Teacher Professional Development (TPD), targeting teachers in pre-primary and lower primary from the treatment schools under the KIX project. Alongside, the deaf teacher assistants that we have employed were also trained. They were mainly trained on UDL Principles, KOL, Inclusive teaching methods and strategies, as well as concepts of SRHR, GBH, and Child safeguarding Policies, to equip them with the necessary knowledge and skills to support language acquisition and educational outcomes effectively.

The four-day training significantly improved teachers’ skills in inclusive education, sign language use, assessment, and basic digital literacy. Teachers shared real challenges they face, including large class sizes, limited ICT access, and gaps in supporting Deaf learners—highlighting the essential role of Deaf teacher assistants in bridging communication and learning.

“ eKitabu does not invite during dissemination or closing of the project, however they invite and include you from launch, in all interventions up to the closing, other organizations should learn from eKitabu”, Rwanda Basic Education Board (REB) is Dr. Nelson Mbarushimana.said.

The active involvement of experts and Deaf professionals strengthened the sessions and helped clarify government policies and practical strategies for classroom application. Overall, the training increased teachers’ confidence, promoted better collaboration, and reinforced the need for continued support, more resources, and ongoing capacity-building to ensure Deaf learners receive quality and equitable education.

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