Efekta Expands Partnership with Rwandan Government to Boost the English Proficiency of the Country's Entire Teacher Population

Efekta's AI-Powered English-Teaching Platform Supports Rwanda's National Strategy for Transformation by Enhancing Human Capital and Educational Quality

LONDON, Oct. 22, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Efekta Education, a world leader in AI-powered learning technology, together with the Government of Rwanda's Ministry of Education, and the Rwanda Basic Education Board, announces today the significant expansion of its nationwide Teacher Training programme. Launched in July 2025 with a cohort of 16,000 teachers, the programme has rapidly scaled to reach over 90,000 participants and is on track to engage as many as 150,000 beneficiaries across Rwanda.

The initiative, which is one of the world's largest teacher professional development programmes, supports Rwanda's National Strategy for Transformation, which aims to improve the quality of education across the country and strengthen human capital development. Funded by the Mastercard Foundation and the World Bank through Rwanda's Quality Basic Education for Human Capital Development (QBE) programme, the initiative positions Rwanda as a leader in educational reform across Africa, aiming to achieve system-wide transformation through comprehensive teacher training and AI technology.

With secondary enrolment figures set to nearly double in Africa by 2030 and demand for an additional 10 million+ teachers as a result, Rwanda is leading efforts to strengthen teacher capacity by investing in English proficiency, while also expanding teachers' exposure to digital learning and AI tools – enabling more effective teaching and improved learning outcomes at scale.

Joseph Nsengimana, Minister of Education of Rwanda, explains: "English is not just a subject we teach; it's our language of instruction. Strengthening our proficiency in English is therefore essential to improving the quality of teaching and unlocking better learning outcomes for all our students. This is why the government of Rwanda has launched this two-year national training program. This is a significant investment in teachers, our educators, because we believe they are the cornerstone of our national future." 

Progress data from the first cohort shows clear and consistent improvement across all four language skills, with teachers advancing from A2 starting level into strong B1 proficiency and, in many cases, already reaching B2 and C1 levels on the CEFR scale. These results are particularly significant as B2 represents the national benchmark for teachers, demonstrating the programme's effectiveness in supporting measurable gains in English proficiency.

Ivan Ntwali, Country Director of the Mastercard Foundation, states that: "For the rest of Africa, our work in Rwanda represents a scalable, cost-effective blueprint for educational transformation leveraging technology-driven approaches which can yield measurable improvements in teacher capacity, student learning outcomes, and workforce readiness. The insights and best practices which will emerge from this initiative have the potential to inspire other nations to follow suit and give them a roadmap in how best to leverage the effectiveness, accessibility and impact of technologies such as Efekta's."

According to Stephen Hodges, CEO of Efekta Education: "This initiative not only aims to improve English proficiency among teachers but also positions Rwanda as a leader in educational reform across Africa. By integrating advanced AI into a customised, locally relevant learning model, we are enabling teachers and students to achieve measurable progress. Our commitment is to provide scalable, effective solutions that prepare today's teachers and students for tomorrow's challenges, and we are honoured to be part of such a pivotal moment in Rwanda's educational transformation."

Efekta has developed a customised, AI-powered hybrid learning model tailored to the Rwandan context, combining digital innovation with localised support to deliver high-quality, evidence-based teacher training at scale. Efekta's breakthrough lies in embedding AI technology in its proprietary English language teaching curriculum, providing comprehensive practice in written and spoken English.

Key Features of the Programme Include:

• AI-Powered Personalised Learning: Efekta's proprietary platform embeds advanced Agentic AI to tailor learning paths, continuously tracking progress across 40+ metrics. Efekta's award-winning Teaching Assistant was developed on decades of expertise and draws from millions of learning interactions, delivering structured, adaptive instruction with real-time feedback. These millions of data points are structured and analysed to deliver clear, actionable insights to accelerate learning, build confidence, and support continuous improvement, all while offering multilingual support to ensure accessibility for all learners.
  
  
• Blended, High-Impact Learning Model and Contextualised Delivery: The programme is tailored to the Rwandan context, with teacher-specific content, school-based peer learning, and a nationwide support infrastructure to ensure relevance and sustained engagement. A hybrid approach combining structured self-study, AI-powered tutoring, live group lessons, and in-person Communities of Practice ensures both scale and deep, practical and relevant learning.
  
  
• Data-Driven Monitoring: Real-time dashboards and advanced analytics provide visibility at individual, school, and system level, enabling targeted interventions and measurable impact.

"Teachers are at the heart of quality education. Through the Leaders in Teaching initiative, the Mastercard Foundation is supporting Rwanda to strengthen both the capacity of practising teachers and the institutional capabilities of pre-service teacher training colleges that prepare future educators. Combining teacher development and institutional strengthening, our partnership is helping build a sustainable foundation for improved learning outcomes, stronger human capital, and greater opportunities for Rwanda's youth," adds the Mastercard Foundation's Mr. Ntwali.

Efekta's work has also seen impressive results across Latin America, where they have been working with local governments to deliver similar large-scale English teaching programmes. For example, in Brazil, Efekta helped over four million children achieve a 32% improvement in state-run English tests. Through its AI-powered curriculum, and capabilities to tailor personalised teaching styles for individual students, Efekta is able to help guide millions of students and teachers worldwide. Their technology is both affordable and accessible across public and private educational institutions, and as a result, has been able to reach those who need it most.

About Efekta Education

Efekta Education is an award-winning AI software company spun out from EF (Education First), the world's largest private education company.

Efekta's technology is used by millions of students and tens of thousands of teachers globally. We provide the world's most advanced agentic teaching platform to governments, public and private school systems, universities and publishers. 

Championing teachers and supporting students and school operators alike. Delivering improved learning outcomes at large scale and with the mission to make high-quality education universally available. Our AI adapts in real time to each learner's needs and provides highly personalised learning journeys.

Efekta's agentic teaching platform is currently used by more than 5 million active students and 250,000 teachers worldwide.

www.efekta.com

SOURCE Efekta Education