Kigali — The Workforce Development Authority (WDA) has joined hands with the One Laptop Per Child (OLPC) to ensure that Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) schools are not left out as the nation braces for a major OLPC roll-out campaign.

A team of facilitators from the OLPC's Global Centre for Excellence in Laptops and Learning based in Kigali on Monday, November 30, 2009, started a one-week training of 15 WDA instructors in maintenance of XO Laptops.

The training is aimed at building a pool of Rwandan skilled personnel capable of maintaining the already distributed and the-yet-to-be-distributed laptops as the nation moves to procure and distribute thousands of XO laptop units.

"One of the major challenges facing this programme is lack of a critical mass of local technical people that will provide technical support such as maintaining the laptops. Although we are in the process of training primary school teachers who will pass on the skills to pupils, we are equally building a team of people who will help maintain these laptops," said Samuel Dusengiyumva, the OLPC country coordinator.

According to WDA Director General, Dr Jean Damascene Gatabazi, the instructors will train technical and vocational school teachers under the integrated TVET system.