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

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

Grant Agreement Number: CRW105901R

Submission deadline: Refer to Umucyo

Assignment Title: Consultancy service for Developing Teaching and Learning of French for Specific objectives (FSO) in Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) in Rwanda

1. PROJECT BACKGROUND
The overall objective of the National Plan for the Teaching and Learning of French in Rwanda (NPTLFR) 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 NPTLFR 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 French for Specific Objectives (FSO) in Technical Secondary Schools (TSS) and Integrated Polytechnic Regional Centres (IPRC) during the period of 2023-2026. The professional fields will be hotel management, tourism and airline and airport management. MINEDUC and affiliated agencies (RTB and RP) will work closely to ensure the effective implementation of the assignment.
In the frame of the project, the development of FSO in TVET institutions will include the following activities and objectives:
a) Develop a pool of FSO trainers
b) Strengthen and expand the role of French in TVET
c) Develop relationships in professional contexts
It will be demanded to the firm to select consultants who are specialists in the didactics of FSO so that they will train trainers and produce various resources with the local teams. The development of the pedagogy of FSO is new in Rwanda and the training workshops will allow the transfer of knowledge so that experts in FSO will be trained in Rwanda. Most of resources will be posted on e-platforms. The blended mode will be required to follow up activities and strategies with the local teams.


3.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 Consultants 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.Detailed Curriculum vitae of required key personnel
4.Submission of EOI Letter.

The Request for Proposals (RFP) will be issued to the shortlisted consulting firms whose EOIs are most qualified to the assignment.
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.
For bid submission in Rwanda, 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.
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.