From Evidence to Action PEC, le Programme d’Enseignement Ciblé in Côte d’Ivoire M. Raoul Kone Deputy Chief of Staff, MENET-FT 1 Outline 1. Challenge 2. TaRL Inspiration 3. Opportunity 4. The Model/s 5. Getting Started 6. Learning, iterating, adapting and growing 7. What’s next 2 Challenge: Most children enrolled in school, but learning levels remain low • In 2014, over 95% of Ivorian children between ages 6 to 16 were enrolled in school but learning levels remain low: • 88.3% of pupils can’t read at the end of 1st grade* • 47,3 % can’t read or write at the end of primary school ** • 73,1 % can’t do basic calculations at the end of primary school** Source: * Direction de la Veille et du Suivi des Programmes (DVSP) paru le 14 janvier 2016 ** PASEC 2014 Performances du Système Educatif Ivoirien – Compétences et Facteurs de Réussite au Primaire 3 Challenge: Performance gaps in rural areas Student performance in urban and rural • 66% of primary schools located in rural areas- end of primary school (grade 6) areas* 600 500 • End of primary school: 400 • lower reading skills compared to counterparts in urban areas 300 • Lower math skills** 200 100 0 Source: French Mathematics *MENET/DSPS/SDS&P/ANNUAIRE STATISTIQUE DU PRIMAIRE 2014-2015 Average score of students in urban areas **PASEC 2014, p. 145, Tableau B4.26 Average score of students in rural areas 4 TRECC: an opportunity to adapt, pilot and scale new approaches in Côte d’Ivoire • Jacobs Foundation launched the Transforming Education in Cocoa Communities (TRECC) initiative – TRECC works with cocoa and chocolate industry partners, the Ivorian government, researchers, local organizations and entrepreneurs to boost quality of education in Ivory Coast – The initiative will test in Côte d’Ivoire 10 models from around the world that have been proven effective on topics related to education and early child development and vocational training. – An independent process evaluation will be conducted for all 10 pilots – The parties have committed to scaling the activities that yield good results 5 TaRL Inspiration • TaRL a proven approach pioneered by Indian NGO Pratham, was identifyied by TRECC and MEN as a promising strategy to improve the quality of education in Côte d’Ivoire • Six government representatives went on a learning journey to India to see Pratham’s TaRL program in action • This journey provided a good understanding of the program and its pillars • The Ministry of Education, with J-PAL and Pratham, conceived an approach adapted to Côte d’Ivoire’s public education system 6 Why TaRL? • In Côte d’Ivoire’s primary school program, there is a specific time to revise lessons and help students catch- up • TaRL can be easily included in the existing curricula and can be implemented during teacher’s regular working hours • TaRL provides teachers with practical tools to implement the theoretical differentiated pedagogy principles provided in their formal teacher training program • Teacher and learner materials are relatively inexpensive to produce 7 The Model : Mentor classroom practice, May 2018 Teacher training, September 2019 • Teacher-led model, during school hours • Mentored by school directors and pedagogical advisors • Targeting grades 3, 4 and 5 • 45 minutes for language, 45 minutes for Math every day • 6 months in total • Activities and materials adapted in French • Piloted in 50 public primary schools in Gabiadji and Méagui (two Cocoa-growing localities) 8 Learning, iterating, adapting and growing What do we hope to learn from this pilot: • Do teachers find TaRL materials and activities useful? • Do they implement well the TaRL pedagogy in French? In Numeracy? • What are the components that teachers struggle to adopt? • Are children progressing? ASER Test à Pedagogical advisors, school directors and cocoa company field agents will conduct regular classroom oBservations. àData will be analyzed frequently to identify and address implementation challenges. Classroom observation form 9 What’s next? • Innovations for Poverty Action (IPA) will conduct an independent process evaluation of all pilots • If TaRL implementation is successful, it can Be scaled to an additional 200 schools in 2019-2020 • MENET-FP will work with TRECC, J-PAL, Pratham and Brookings to design a sustainaBle scale-up strategy to extend TaRL Beyond the 200 schools 10 Merci! 11.