Annual Report Year 2: Lecture Pour Tous

The program aims to improve reading levels for students in Grades 1-3 through an effective, sustainable, and scalable national program. Lecture Pour Tous began at the end of October 2016 and runs through July 10, 2021, targeting three outcomes: improved early grade reading instruction in public primary schools and daaras, delivery systems for early grade reading instruction, and parent and community engagement in early grade reading. To achieve this goal, the Lecture Pour Tous team and partners are facilitating a politically savvy process to consolidate efforts around early grade reading in national languages in Senegal, capitalize on the best of renowned Senegalese expertise and experience, and complement these local assets and resources with world-class expertise from people who have applied the international evidence-base to achieve this kind of change in Senegal and elsewhere. Emphasis is placed on the idea that Lecture Pour Tous is there to serve the Ministry and the program's dedication to the concept of "faisons ensemble." The French name of the program underlines its commitment to serving as a resource to the Ministry and to the concept of "faisons ensemble;” Lecture Pour Tous is here to assist the MEN, not vice-versa. The program's approach is unique in that its goal is to ultimately render itself redundant. For this purpose, the MEN will start implementing the national reading program with targeted support from Lecture Pour Tous in the region of St. Louis. By the end of Lecture Pour Tous, the Ministry should be taking over both core costs and full leadership of actions at scale. During the second year of programming, Lecture Pour Tous focused its efforts not only on the first full school year of implementing activities at the heart of the program, but also on reinforcing and deepening synergies with stakeholders within the MEN. By doing so, Lecture Pour Tous demonstrated its firm commitment to the "faisons ensemble" approach that is central to the project. With embedded staff in place at the regional level and staffed offices at the national and zonal levels, Lecture Pour Tous continues to streamline implementation and build capacity within the MEN. The program has made significant progress in achieving its outcomes. In terms of early grade reading instruction, Lecture Pour Tous has provided training and support to teachers and school administrators, resulting in improved reading outcomes for students. The program has also established a robust delivery system for early grade reading instruction, including the development of reading materials and the training of teachers. Additionally, Lecture Pour Tous has engaged with parents and communities to promote early grade reading and literacy. Despite these successes, the program has faced several challenges, including resistance from some stakeholders within the MEN and difficulties in scaling up the program to reach all regions of Senegal. However, the program has learned valuable lessons from these challenges, including the importance of building strong relationships with stakeholders and the need for flexible and adaptive programming. The program's results framework outlines the key performance indicators and targets for achieving its outcomes. The framework includes indicators such as the percentage of students in Grades 1-3 who can read at grade level, the percentage of teachers who have received training in early grade reading instruction, and the percentage of parents and communities who are engaged in early grade reading and literacy activities. Overall, Lecture Pour Tous has made significant progress in achieving its outcomes and has demonstrated its commitment to the "faisons ensemble" approach. The program continues to work with the MEN to build capacity and streamline implementation, and it is well-positioned to achieve its goals and make a lasting impact on early grade reading and literacy in Senegal.