Rwanda is preparing to recruit up to 1,000 English language teachers from neighbouring countries to fill staff shortages created since the language of instruction in schools was switched from French to English in 2009.
Rwanda is taking advantage of its membership of the East African Community (EAC), which was formalised in July, and which allows for free movement of workers between members states, to target teachers in Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania, raising concerns that existing shortages of skilled staff in those countries, particularly in rural areas, will get worse.
Advertising for teaching posts in primary and junior secondary schools appeared in the Ugandan press last month. Vacancies have also been advertised at Rwanda's International Languages and Management Institute, which provides business skills training to adults in the capital Kigali.
According to Uganda's ministry of education spokesman Aggrey Kibenge, Ugandan officials were alerted in September by Rwanda of its plans to attract teachers.
"The education service commission in collaboration with the ministry of education of Rwanda announced that the government of Rwanda has embarked on a massive recruitment of teachers of English," Kibenge told Uganda's New Vision newspaper. "Teachers will be sourced from within and outside Rwanda, including the EAC region."
The newspaper reported that the same message had been sent to education authorities in Kenya and Tanzania.
Education groups in Uganda have expressed concern that an exodus of teachers could put more pressure on schools that are struggling to recruit and keep staff, particularly in poorer rural areas.
Joseph Mugasa, chair of the Literary Fraternity of Uganda, an association of English language and literature teachers, told New Vision that qualified English teachers were hard to find.
"If a school [close to the capital Kampala] wants a teacher of English, they will get that teacher in a short time, compared to a rural school," Mugasa said.
But the ministry of education said that Uganda's teacher training system was producing a surplus of graduates.
"It is an opportunity for Uganda. It is not a brain drain. Ugandan teachers have a competitive advantage in English. This means more space is being created for graduates from training colleges," a ministry official said.
This is not the first time that Rwanda has looked to Uganda for help with its switch to English. Last year Ugandan teachers were recruited to work as trainers on one-month contracts, but officials could not say how many had taken up the offer.
John Kaddu, headteacher of Kawempe Royal College, in Kampala, said that students from his school had responded to the call.
"I had a group of sixth-formers who told me they were heading to Rwanda to teach in the vacation. The fact that this is happening shows you the seriousness of the demand of teachers in Rwanda," Kaddu said.
The campaign to retrain teachers across Rwanda's education system is a daunting one. According to a survey carried out by the ministry of education in 2009, 85% of primary teachers and 66% of secondary teachers only had beginner, elementary or pre-intermediate levels of English.
Under the government's five-year strategic plan for education, published this year, 250 language mentors have been trained to offer support to staff in clusters of schools, with a target to increase mentor numbers to 3,000 to serve all schools.