In Defense of Direct Instruction in Côte d'Ivoire

Updated: Dec 21, 2021

Even though Cote d’Ivoire is going through rapid economic growth, the country is facing a learning crisis. To its credit the country has drastically increased the number of children attending school, but increased schooling does not often equate to learning. If no remedy is quickly found, the situation will have far-reaching consequences not only on our future economic performance, but most of all on our future generations. Immediate action is therefore needed to improve our children’s learning performance. Standardized teacher guides might be the solution to improving our students’ performance. But first, we need to explain why standardized teacher guide works, and dispel some misconceptions. Standardized teacher guides are probably the most empirically validated structured pedagogy framework. Over the years, research has shown it to be more effective than other teaching strategies. Cote d’Ivoire is looking for an evidence-based education approach, something implemented in similar (African) contexts which are facing the same challenges. Standardized teacher guides do not turn teachers into spineless robots with no creativity. It does not imply teachers lecturing, without engaging students, as we all have experienced in our traditional classrooms. The way lessons are designed and structured, room is given to teachers for creativity and autonomy. Teachers provide a clear organization of the presentation with a step-by-step progression from subtopic to subtopic based on task analyses. Teachers constantly engage with students and give feedbacks, and students constantly engage with each other in small groups. Teachers are free to choose examples, visual materials or demonstrations to explain a topic. The key is for teachers to give constant assessments to students to see if they understand, and this is done before, during and after the lesson. Also, teachers do not focus solely on the best performing students, but they are encouraged to engage all students, regardless of grades Standardized teacher guides work and is efficient because students are grouped according to their level of understanding of the topic, and not their age. Many of our children are left behind, trailing and in the end dropping out of school just because they were unable (or never given the time or chance) to master the foundational basics. With standardized teacher guides, as students make progress and demonstrate that they are ready to move on, they will be allowed to go to the next learning target. When a student understands and masters learning goals (previously identified and set by the teachers), his or her confidence grows, and he/she is therefore more inclined to be engaged. With standardized teacher guides, teachers are engaged and are encouraged to give feedback.

Because teachers assign students to groups according to their level of mastery of an agreed concept, they know the strengths and weaknesses of their students, and can help with particular challenges. In our traditional classroom and teaching, we are grouped in the same class and supposedly at the same level, but in reality, it is not the case.

Sahel Leaders Commit to Ambitious Reforms to Support Access to Quality Education

The summit on education in the Sahel under the theme of "Shaping the Sahel’s future in today’s schools," was held in Nouakchott. President Mohamed Ould Ghazouani of the Islamic Republic of Mauritania, President Mohamed Bazoum of Niger, heads of delegations of the Sahel and the Vice President of the World Bank for West and Central Africa attended the summit.

The attendees released a joint statement on the need of reforming the quality of education in the Sahel region. The "Nouakchott Declaration" identifies three fundamental objectives: improving the quality of learning, increasing girls' participation in secondary education, and strengthening the basic skills and literacy of young adults who have left school.

« I am going to work with urgency in rebuilding our educational system. The objective is to make the school a republican school as a place for integration of future generations, building strength and confidence to the youth. A youth that will be able to count its competences and assert citizen’s values to strengthen the state and society. Training in areas related to promising economic sectors will be a priority for young people, » said President Mohamed Ould Ghazouani of the Islamic Republic of Mauritania.

« We are in a vicious circle. The more children we have, the less we are able to educate them, the less we educate them, the more children they will make in turn. In our social and economic context, these are driving factors for delays in development and growth, » said PresidentMohamed Bazoum of the Republic of Niger.

« Given the urgency of addressing the challenges of the education systems in the Sahel countries, we will intensify our support to the sector as a whole with a particular focus on equitable access to education and learning improvement. International experience shows that if reforms are implemented in a coordinated and inclusive manner, success is possible, » said Ousmane Diagana, Vice President of the World Bank for West and Central Africa.

Sahel leaders called for a long-term political commitment around three key gamechangers:

• Prioritize action and funding around measurable targets for reducing learning poverty, promoting increased participation of girls in secondary education, and strengthening basic skills and literacy among young adults who have left school;

• Improve teachers’ recruitment, training, and deployment, while participating in international programs for periodic assessment of academic learning and other types of learning outcomes;

• Increase the share of education in public expenditure and gross domestic product to reach the Sub-Saharan African average by 2030, while striving to improve the efficiency and quality of spending.