What works in citizenship and values education: attitudes of trainers towards the Itorero training program in post-genocide Rwanda

Abstract

The article contributes to the existing literature on the civic and citizenship contextual framework. It investigates ways in which trainers appreciate Itorero, a non-formal citizenship and values education program for high school leavers (hereafter HSLs) in the post-genocide Rwanda. The article also establishes the best predictor of the success of Itorero program according to trainers’ perceptions. The research reported here used a survey questionnaire and interviews. The article shows that learners’ motivation and ideological background are significant factors for the success of citizenship and values education. It also highlights a contradiction between Itorero teaching and home-based socialization particularly in relation to the question of ethnicity. While the Itorero training teaches that Rwandans are ‘one people’, parents tell their children that Rwandans have three ethnic groups: Hutu, Tutsi and Twa. The article argues that there is a need to look for civic influences beyond the civics classroom and the school.

Keywords: Citizenship and values education, Itorero, post-genocide Rwanda, trainers