REQUEST FOR EXPRESSION OF INTEREST (REOI)
(CONSULTING SERVICES – FIRM SELECTION)

Project Name: National Plan for the Teaching and Learning of French in Rwanda (PNFR)
Source of fund: MINEDUC/AFD

Grant Agreement Number: CRW105901R

Submission deadline: Refer to Umucyo

Assignment Title: Consultancy service for Developing the pedagogy/methodology of Teaching and Learning French as a Foreign Language (FFL) in Rwandan Schools


1.PROJECT BACKGROUND
The overall objective of the National Plan for the Teaching and Learning of French in Rwanda (PNFR) is to respond to the Government of Rwanda’s October 2018 decision to use the French language more broadly across sectors including education, training, and professional world. This plan has been endorsed by the Ministry of Education (MINEDUC) on the 1st of April 2022 and aims at promoting the teaching and learning of French in Rwanda. French is one of Rwanda’s official languages, recognized in the 2003 Constitution.

In 2008, Rwanda entered the EAC and shifted from French language to English as the language of instruction in public sector. Recognizing the potential for enhanced collaboration with the francophone countries, the Plan is designed to shift the approach to learning French from its use as a language of instruction to learning it as a foreign language for real-world situations thanks to innovative, context-grounded teaching practices. In this way the Plan works to improve the efficiency of the time spent studying French, meeting students’ needs more directly by taking into account the learning context and the more specific and strategic opportunities for how French can help them, particularly in meeting the needs of the labour market and in higher education fields of study. The Plan emphasizes French learning for STEM and the use of ICT in language learning.

The PNFR has four strategic components that will be implemented by MINEDUC in close collaboration with its affiliated agencies: REB (Rwanda basic Education Board), NESA (National Examination and School Inspection Authority), RTB (Rwanda TVET Board), RP (Rwanda Polytechnic), HEC (Higher Education Council), and UR (University of Rwanda).

Those strategic components are the following:
a) Strengthen the French teachers’ level of French proficiency
b) Strengthen the appeal of the French language & access to a renovated, action-oriented approach to teaching French
c) Contribute to improved employability through French
d) Coordinate and implement the plan.

2.ASSIGNMENT
This assignment intends to develop the methodology of French as Foreign Language (FFL) in Rwanda, specifically for teachers of French public and Government Aided primary and secondary and TSS during the period of 2023-2026. MINEDUC and affiliated agencies REB, NESA, RTB and UR-CE (College of Education) will work closely to ensure the effective implementation of the assignment.
In the frame of this project, the Development of Teaching and Learning of French as a Foreign Language (FFL) in Rwandan schools will be developed with specific activities and objectives:
a) Create a pool of FFL trainers
b) Conduct in-service training for TTC tutors of French
c) Strengthen the pedagogical support chain with pedagogical supervisors
d) Develop the pre-service FFL programme/curriculum for TTC and UR-CE
e) Develop a strategy for action research in FFL within the education/language sciences
f) Organize individual international workshops in the frame of the development of the action research centre
g) Develop a network with various FFL activities at national level
h) Produce innovative resources (audio/audio-visual) for FFL
i) Produce new FFL booklets for primary schools
It will be demanded to the firm to select consultants who are specialists in the didactics of FFL so that they will train trainers and produce various resources with the local teams. The development of the pedagogy of FFL is new in Rwanda and the training workshops will allow the transfer of knowledge so that experts in FFL will be trained in Rwanda. Most of the produced resources will be posted on e-platforms. The blended mode will be required to follow up activities and strategies with the local teams.

3.BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF TERMS OF REFERENCE
a) The creation of a pool of FFL trainers will be done by “cascade” with the training of 30 selected national trainers (who will become mentors) who will train 416 teachers (one per sector) who will give French lessons to 1600 teachers most in need (up to B1 level).
b)The training of tutors in the 16 TTC will consist in giving them the principles of the pedagogy of FFL and the development of teaching material and pedagogical sequences to teach FFL in primary schools .
c)In order to strengthen the pedagogical support chain, 30 District Education Officers will be trained on the CEFRL and evaluation in FFL and produce evaluation grids for FFL teachers inspection. These professional standard documents will be presented to their colleagues with specific notice and user guide.
d)The revision of the pre-service training curriculum for secondary level teachers (UR-CE and private universities) and TTC trainers will consist in building new modules in the pedagogy of FFL while integrating new methodology with actional perspective in adequation with the existing programmes.
e)The creation of a research-action centre (RAC) in FFL will allow to develop strategies with the local teams in matter of activities in the network, initiate action research in FFL methods and create connections in the network.
f)The organization of international individual workshops will contribute to the development of the strategies of the action-research centre (RAC) for FFL.
g)The creation of a network of experimental schools (4 per district / 120 in total) offering a renovated approach to teaching French will benefit from the expertise of the selected form with the develop and strategies and workshops related to the action research in FFL.
h)In order to diversify the teaching and learning resources through the use and development of audio-visual resources it will be demanded to the consultant to develop audio and audio-visual segments with local teams and to “didactize” these materials with the creation of activities. The workshops will allow the teachers to develop these pedagogical techniques. Some radio programmes and a webradio will also be developed.
i)The development and production of “Made in Rwanda” booklets will concern Primary 1 to Primary 6 levels. These booklets will follow the CFRL levels and will focus on themes specific to the values and culture of Rwanda with protocol for gender and environment to consider. Some booklets of activities will be developed as well.

4. TENDER REQUIREMENT & REGISTRATION

The MINEDUC is hiring a firm with consultants who are qualified and have the experience of developing similar projects and activities. The firm shall demonstrate past experience (at least 5 years) and show competences in the building and follow up of past projects. The transfer of knowledge through the training workshops will be important for the development of the project and the large sharing and use of resources with other teachers.

The shortlisting criteria/required documents are:
1. The description and documents indicating that they have performed similar assignments with same complexity and nature in the last 10 years.
2. Certificate of company registration issued by Country of registration with business-related activities.
3. Submission of EOI Letter.
4. Signed statement of integrity

The Request for Proposals (RFP) will be issued to the shortlisted consulting firms whose EOIs are most qualified to the assignment. The short list of selected firms will be between 4 and 6.
All EOI can be written in English or French and must be submitted on the deadline set by the e-procurement system. EOI will be opened on the same day in the e-procurement system.
The RFP is published on both e-procurement systems: AFD’s dgMarket and Rwanda Governement’s UMUCYO. Bidders are required to submit their bid only on UMUCYO.
Bidders are required to register with Rwanda’s e-procurement system (UMUCYO) on the following website Rwanda On-Line E-Procurement System (umucyo.gov.rw).
For this specific REOI, the bidders can contact RPPA (Rwanda Public Procurement Authority) on the following e-mail address e-procurement@rppa.gov.rw for registration and submission of their EOI.
The candidates who are black listed are not eligible (each candidate will undergo a check of UN, EU, France and World Bank financial sanctions lists).
For further information regarding the tender, interested eligible bidders can enquire through UMUCYO e-procurement System and through the following e-mail address: info@mineduc.gov.rw

The deadline for submitting the EOI is the 17th of March 2023.