• Home
  • News
  • Education and vocational training in Sudan: on course for EQUIP 2

Education and vocational training in Sudan: on course for EQUIP 2

print
Published on 28/07/2021
Health and human development
EDUCATION AND SOCIO-PROFESSIONAL INTEGRATION

Sudan

Launched in 2018, the Education Quality Improvement Programme (EQUIP) in Sudan has completed its first phase (EQUIP 1) and is starting its second phase (EQUIP 2). In a particularly timely context for diplomatic relations between France and Sudan, Expertise France has conducted its mission on the project completion and for the preparation of the implementation of EQUIP 2.

Improving basic education in Sudan

Financed by the European Union, EQUIP is a programme to improve pre-service and in-service training for basic education teachers. It is led by Expertise France, the British Council, UNICEF, Save The Children and SOFRECO. The programme, which covers nine federal States, aims to assist the Sudanese Ministries of Education and Higher Education and Scientific Research with providing access to education for the most vulnerable people.

Expertise France’s action under EQUIP 1 mainly focused on pre-service teacher training, in close partnership with France Education International. For the second phase of the project, the partnership between the two organisations will be extended to cover both pre-service and in-service training.

Project completion mission: evaluation and meeting with the various stakeholders

From 22 to 28 May 2021, Bertrand Commelin, Director of Expertise France’s Human Capital and Social Development Department, and Antonin Benisti, EQUIP project officer, conducted an evaluation mission of the EQUIP 1 project. Due to the health crisis, the final seminar initially planned, gathering Sudanese and international stakeholders that contributed to the project’s success, was replaced by a press conference held at the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research in order to:

• Officially mark the end of EQUIP 1 and beginning of EQUIP 2,

• Hand over all the educational documents developed during the project to the Ministry of Education and European Union,

• Present the outcomes of EQUIP 1.
 

 

 

Despite a complex context for the implementation, including the Sudanese revolution in 2019 and the health crisis starting in 2020, EQUIP 1 has achieved the following outcomes:

1. A detailed needs analysis for pre-service training in Sudan, followed by the development of a competency framework for teachers and future teachers with regard to pre-service training;

2. Development of six new training modules (English, Arabic, maths, science, history and geography) for teacher trainers;

3. Training of 370 teacher trainers on the methodology of the 6 new modules, which they will be able to apply to the thousands of trainee teachers they will train in the 14 faculties of education where they are posted

4. Development of evaluation tools on the training of teachers and training of managers in how to use these tools: 156 supervisors and teacher trainers have been trained and can be deployed in the faculties of education.

On course for EQUIP 2

Building on these achievements, the second phase of the project started on 1 June 2021 and will continue until 31 May 2024. The project still has the same objective of improving basic education by strengthening teacher training and the governance of the education system.

Expertise France and France Education International will continue their partnership by focusing on strengthening pre-service and in-service teacher training with the aim of:

• Improving pre-service and in-service teacher training systems,

• Building the capacities of teacher trainers and teachers,

• Setting up monitoring mechanisms and evaluation tools for teacher training,

• Supporting the emergence of educational research.
 

A gender perspective will be adopted for all the activities and specific activities will be implemented, with the aim of ultimately providing wider access to education and better quality education for girls through appropriate teacher training.

A positive bilateral dynamic between France and Sudan

The transition between EQUIP 1 and EQUIP 2 falls within the context of a particularly favourable dynamic for Franco-Sudanese relations, as it took place a few days after the International Conference to Support the Sudanese Democratic Transition, which was held in Paris on 17 May 2021.

There are a few important points from this international meeting, such as the cancellation of Sudan’s debt towards France and the strong commitment of the French State to make a significant contribution to the economic and social revival of the country, in particular by stepping up international cooperation actions.

In Sudan, in addition to its commitment to the EQUIP programme, Expertise France is also assisting the transition authorities and Sudanese administration with the implementation of  essential economic reforms, under the project to support the economic transition financed by the European Union.

 

 

 

Last publications