Project for Strengthening Practical Education in the Training Centers for Teacher-Students (PROSPECT) in Burkina Faso  (February 2016–February 2018)

In 2007, the Government of Burkina Faso (GOB) launched a nation-wide education reform which made education for children aged 6 to 16 years old compulsory and free. While the enrollment rate for primary school greatly improved to 85% according to the 2012 World Bank report, the practice of rote learning, limited supply of high-quality teachers, and unchanging levels of academic performance have continued to cripple the country’s education system.

Faced with these challenges, the GOB worked to streamline the basic education system and revise the general curriculum, while evaluating the role of teacher trainings in producing high-quality instructors. The Japan Cooperation International Agency (JICA) conducted a preliminary survey to assess the challenges of the country’s educational system. JICA then commissioned IC Net to focus on increasing the capacity of teacher training centers. The goal of the project was to reform and institutionalize the mechanisms through which teachers become equipped with the necessary expertise to improve student performance.

IC Net conducted baseline performance assessments of the public teacher training centers and developed performance evaluation tools to standardize the quality of training. Existing teaching modules for select academic subjects were reviewed to improve their quality through the development of lesson plans, grading schemes, and an instruction manual for the academic year. Lessons learned from the pilot training centers were compiled in to a manual to be shared with the Ministry of National Education and Literacy and other public teacher training centers.