Rwanda’s competence-based curriculum has promoted environmental sustainability and gender equity.

In 2015, the Rwandan Ministry of Education revolutionized the national curriculum to meet global standards. The core curriculum was refined to encompass a vast range of skills extending beyond the existing emphasis on isolated knowledge acquisition to better complement modern interdisciplinary studies. Following ten years of implementation of the Competence-Based Curriculum (CBC), this research paper assessed the holistic nature of the CBC and investigates its efficacy in promoting environmental sustainability and gender equity practices among graduating high school students. A survey was conducted in which two distinct groups of volunteers participated: recent high-school graduates who were exclusively taught in Rwanda’s newly adopted learner-centered curriculum, and older graduates who were exclusively taught in Rwanda’s previous content-centered curriculum. Concomitantly, a comparative study between the existing and previous curricula in terms of their content and focus was conducted. The mixed-methods data analysis revealed that CBC graduates are more aware of sustainability practices than the older graduates. Similarly, it was found that the Rwandan new curriculum promoted and instilled a considerable awareness of gender equity, unlike its predecessor. The analysis also pinpointed that there are prevalent gaps in knowledge between the younger and older generations. These gaps should not be overlooked, and specific programs should be employed by the Rwandan government to overcome this imbalance.