Children"s learning and equity foundations (CLEF) program and project : Benin, West Africa (Phase I) -- final report

The CLEF project helped transform Benin"s primary education sector. New curricula, for all subjects taught, were developed and tested in 30 designated experimental schools. Implementation of these new curricula occurred throughout the country in grades 1-6 in most schools and in grades 1-4 in others. New teaching methods for the child and his/her environment were introduced, as well as new learning evaluation methods emphasizing skills rather than book knowledge. Textbooks, teacher guides, and workbooks were locally written, produced, and tested for grades 1 & 2; also, programs were printed to minimize the problem of insufficient textbooks. Testing instruments, in conformity with the new system, were also developed and tested. New curricula for the Primary School Leaving Exam (CEP) were developed and tested with a successful passing rate of more than 90%. Over 3,338 contract teachers were trained in the new curricula and given refresher courses. To help augment this much needed professionalism, a reorganization and reopening of Benin"s teacher training colleges via the revision of its training program and the training of its teachers also occurred. Preparations are also well underway to reopen a former inspector training school, with emphasis on developing a profile of a modern inspector, revising the training program in relation to the new curricula, and developing new training modules. Access, as defined by the gross enrollment rate, increased from a base of 49.7% in 1990 to 75.8% in 1998. Educational management has also changed for the better. Decentralization of the Ministry of Education (MOE) was given high priority in an attempt to make personnel management more effective. The MOE proposed plans, which are well under way, to decentralize to its six regional directorates many decisions concerning primary school management. This transformation occurred as a direct result of Government of Benin (GOB) efforts to reform its primary education system and of TMG and its subcontractor, Creative Associates International, Inc. (CAII). Best practices emerging from the project include the following: (1) Be collaborative from the onset. (2) Request funding well ahead of time so that the funding is readily available when needed. (3) Plan activities carefully and always follow them through. (4) Avoid too many "out of the hat" activities. (5) See to it that milestones and concomitant activities are stated as clearly and correctly as possible in the contract and are feasible. (6) Ensure that the Chief of Party (COP) clarifies the interpretation of the milestones and the accompanying activities with the Cognizant Technical Officer (CTO) as activities are being executed. If there is a change of CTO, the replacement should be quickly familiarized with the milestones, the accompanying activities, and agreed=upon interpretations. (7) Have the contractor insist that the end-of- project/final report be submitted by the COP immediately and not put off until later. Best practices specific to pedagogy are as follows: (1) The periodic presence of an international consultant working with the curriculum design team, as well as experimentation in the classrooms, enhanced the exchange of skills to the benefit of Benin, which could then boast of curriculum experts. (2) Besides training 2,625 contract teachers, the project trained 713 at the decentralized level (a first in Benin), thereby reducing participants" transportation and lodging expenses and improving the image of the local senior teaching staff. Contract teachers who had not previously received any training appreciated the training even more and improved their teaching skills enormously. (3) The designing of experimental prototype textbooks, teacher guides, and workbooks in Benin made the authors proud. (4) Making periodic visits to experimental schools where teachers were observed, model lessons were produced, and teachers" questions were answered by specialists proved worthwhile. Establishing a procedure for generalizing new curricula and preparing in-service training proved challenging. Includes recommendations for future programming, including a recommendation that support of teachers and their work in the classroom take precedence over every other activity.