In Sudan, linking the community to the classroom to fight against school dropout
Why has the EQUIP programme been set up?
EQUIP aims to improve the quality of primary education in Sudan. This focus on primary education came about through the observation of the high level of school dropout among young people, particularly in the regions, and that in the long term this hampers the economic and social development of the country.
The EQUIP programme has set out to address this situation by planning action in two areas. The first is teacher training – with an initial training component (implemented by Expertise France) – and an in-service training component (implemented by the British Council). The idea is to review the training pathway of teachers so that they know how to adapt their teaching to local constraints and publics – and prevent school dropout. UNICEF and Save the Children, for their part, are working on the school environment. The aim is to facilitate community integration into schooling (work with parents’ associations, for example) and, conversely, promote the integration of school into community life. The Sudanese Ministry of General Education is coordinating the programme, with support from SOFRECO.
What unites our components is that we are working in the same States, with the same correspondents and based on a common timetable and methodology. We are currently in the needs analysis phase, with a field study which started in the spring of 2018 and is being conducted in 7 Federated States. It allows us to collect data to analyse the context and needs of teachers – as existing statistics are mainly quantitative and few studies are conducted on higher education.
What methodology has been selected for the field study?
We have handed out questionnaires to 30 teachers – 5 on each subject taught in primary school (Arabic, English, history-geography, mathematics and science) – to analyse the profile of teachers, their initial training and the impact it has on their teaching method.
Out of the 15 universities concerned, we have decided to conduct 4 case studies to analyse in greater depth teachers’ needs and student profiles, with interviews with 2 teachers and 2 student teachers for each subject.
We have completed this approach with school visits – both in cities and remote rural areas – where we have been able to observe a qualified teacher and another non-qualified teacher. This has allowed us to compare teaching methods and what training provides.
It is a project which is set to develop depending on the results of the study. It will allow a teacher training programme to be defined that does not separate the classroom and the daily life of the student. Indeed, the originality of the EQUIP program lies in the fact that it has a holistic approach and takes the student into account in both his school and family environment.
What have you learnt at this stage?
The classroom courses are extremely traditional: the teacher announces the rule, the student repeats by heart. It would be worthwhile developing more student-centred teaching.
Outside the classroom, students are much more involved. A number of collective activities are organised, particularly for living together with the promotion of the languages and cultures of each community (songs, dances). This reduces intercommunity tensions.
Furthermore, we have seen that there is a very strong investment in education by the community. Families are very much involved: some fathers take their children on the road to school, which is sometimes very far from their home. Mothers cook so that their children can have a meal at lunchtime. Older students help the youngest ones or the ones with the most difficulties.
We need to take this reality into account in the educational responses we will recommend. Imposing a foreign model would make no sense: it would not take root. We need to establish an educational pathway that links the community to the classroom, takes cultures into account (and their diversity) in learning, and builds bridges between lessons and the daily environment. For example, a lesson on electricity means nothing to children who live in a tent without electricity, whereas reusing locally available materials allows us not to be out of kilter with the reality of students. One of the strengths of EQUIP is that it has combined within the same programme the teacher training aspects and the consideration of the surrounding community.
Once the study has been finalised, committees will be set up for each subject and to assist in designing a reference base for the proficiency of teachers. These committees will gather experts from CIEP and Sudanese experts. The training activities planned in the “Initial Training” component will then be able to begin.
Find out more about EQUIP
On the “Initial Training” component
On the EQUIP programme